Beet season is in full swing, and at this time of year, you may be seeing them for cheap at your local grocery store. Or perhaps your CSA boxes are bursting with beets, and you’re not sure what to do with all of them! This recipe for marinated roasted beets is a delicious way to prepare them. They can be eaten alone, in a salad, or served as a side dish with grilled meats or fish.
Recipe Origins
This past weekend, we had friends over for dinner, and my mom pulled a bunch of beets out of the refrigerator. They had been sitting in there for a couple weeks without a purpose––it’s a good thing beets do keep for a long time––and she was determined to make them part of our summer dinner.
She enlisted John, one of said friends/guests, to come over and help. “John, can you do something with these beets?” she said. (Beware, if you come to our house, it’s very likely you’ll be put to work in the kitchen.)
John was totally up to the task though, and within 30 minutes, he had a beautiful plate of sliced, tender beets drizzled in an incredibly tasty (yet simple, as we would find out later, when we demanded the recipe!) dressing.
This recipe for roasted beets is adapted from John’s beet salad from that day! He used pomegranate vinegar, which was delicious, but I decided to use Chinese black vinegar for a little Asian twist. That said, you can sub in whatever vinegar you like.
The real star of the dressing, however, is minced fresh garlic. We love raw garlic in our family, and it really adds zip to the dressing. I would use 3 cloves in my dressing, but I gave a range (1-3 cloves) so you can adjust the recipe to your own tastes.
Roasting Beets In the Oven vs. Cooking Them In the Microwave
A quick note on cooking the beets for this salad. I decided to roast the beets in the oven for 45 minutes, which made them sweet and caramelized, with a little al dente bite to them.
John actually cooked the beets in the microwave, however, which was also delicious. The beets were a bit more tender, and they tasted a little more mild (less earthy/grassy).
If you’d like to microwave your beets, either for speed or for texture/a more mild flavor, poke them all over with a fork and microwave on high for 15-20 minutes. John did three 6 minute bursts of microwaving for 4 medium beets, checking them for doneness each time. Microwave your beets in short bursts like this until they are done, as the cooking time will vary depending on the size of your beets.
On to the recipe!
Marinated Roasted Beets: Recipe Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F/200 degrees C. Place the beets on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and drizzle with olive oil.
Roast the beets for 25 minutes. Take them out of the oven and flip them, and return to the oven to roast for an additional 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the dressing. Combine 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, minced garlic, 1 teaspoon honey, 1 tablespoon vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste.
Remove the beets from the oven.
Toss the beets in the dressing and serve.
Garnish with fresh herbs (cilantro, scallions, and parsley all work great) if desired and serve.
Marinated Roasted Beets
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds beets (680g, peeled and cut into ¼-inch thick circles or half moons)
- extra virgin olive oil
- 1-3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 tablespoon Chinese black vinegar (can substitute red wine vinegar, pomegranate vinegar, balsamic, or apple cider vinegar)
- salt and pepper
- fresh herbs (for garnish; optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F/200 degrees C. Place the beets on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and drizzle with olive oil.
- Roast the beets for 25 minutes. Take them out of the oven and flip them, and return to the oven to roast for an additional 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the dressing. Combine 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, minced garlic, 1 teaspoon honey, 1 tablespoon vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Toss the beets in the dressing and serve. Garnish with fresh herbs (cilantro, scallions, and parsley all work great) if desired and serve.
I’m really excited to make this, but I don’t understand why it’s called marinated beets when they aren’t marinated?
I guess it was a loose use of the term “marinated.” They’re more “dressed” beets, I guess!
I tried this today as a sidedish to a ham with peas and smashed potatoes. This went over really well with everybody.
Thanks a lot for this very versatile recipe.
You’re welcome, Gerda!
Fabulous recipe!! LOVE adding fresh cilantro — it changes the dish entirely! Just when I thought the beets couldn’t get better.. BAM! Cilantro brought this to the next level ;)
So glad to hear you enjoyed this Becca!
More recipes from John! The man is a genius. Seriously, great stuff. I am making another recipe of yours right now. Reviews after we eat! But really, more John!
hahaha…he was just here yesterday, I should have told him in person :-) I will have him cook next time he comes.
Very addictive! I am snacking away.. making another batch tomorrow!
Yayyyy! It’s a winner :-)
Can these be made in advance and allowed to “pickle” for a few hours before serving?
Yes, they can definitely be made in advance, Rob!
This was delicious! My husband and I normally don’t like eating beets but with this recipe, we couldn’t get enough of it! We never knew beets would taste like chips but it’s even sweeter (and healthier)! I also loved using some of the leftover sauce on noodles! Thanks for posting great recipes on this blog! Big fan of you guys and what a talented culinary family!
Yayy! So glad you enjoyed this recipe, Christine! As you can see from the fact that you’re the first commenter, beets don’t seem to be super popular, but I think this salad is just delicious and I’m glad you and your husband tried it out. Thanks for coming back to leave us a comment. :)