Oven Roasted Beets with Beet Greens.

This weekend we put our garden to bed for the fall and winter. In the process, we pulled up the last few root vegetables, and I had some beautiful beets to work with. I love beets.....the color, the flavor, the feeling of fall captured in them. I often make beet soup in the fall, or throw the beets in with a bunch of other vegetables to roast, but this time it was all about the beets. Oven roasted, lightly seasoned, and served over warm beet greens, these beets highlighted how good this root vegetable really is.

Oven Roasted Beets with Beet Greens

Ingredients:

2 1/2 pounds fresh beets with their greens attached
2 tsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp balsamic vinegar
tarragon to taste
1/4 cup water

Reserved beet greens

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. 

Wash the beets and remove the greens, reserving the healthy looking leaves. I did not peel the beets, because of the mess (red hands :-) and because these were organic, but you can peel them if you prefer. Put the beets in a bread pan and drizzle the beets with the olive oil and toss. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper and put in the oven to roast. Turn the beets every 10 minutes or so, and if they begin to really stick, add a little water to cover the bottom of the pan. The beets are done when you can easily pierce them with a fork. Mine were small and ranged from an inch or two in diameter, and they took about 35 minutes. Larger beets will take longer...up to an hour, so just check them occasionally until ready.

When the beets are done, drizzle them with the vinegar a tablespoon of water (if the pan is dry) and sprinkle with dried tarragon (about 1/2 tsp).

Wash the greens and put them in a non-stick frying pan sprayed with cooking spray over medium heat. Let the water from washing the greens begin to steam them and let them wilt in the pan...this just takes about 5 minutes. Serve the beets over a bed of the greens, drizzle with the juice from the pan.

6 servings. Nutritional information from caloriecount.about.com.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 199 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories 99 Calories from Fat 17

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 1.9g 3%

Trans Fat 0.0g

Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Sodium 163mg 7%

Potassium 638mg 18%

Total Carbohydrates 19.2g 6%

Dietary Fiber 4.1g 16%

Sugars 15.1g

Protein 3.4g

Vitamin A 11% • Vitamin C 15% Calcium 4% • Iron 9%

Nutrition Grade A

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet