Easy Sautéed Beet Greens Recipe
We'll admit it: Beets are not a highly popular vegetable, but we think they should be. While eating beets can turn your urine red or have an overtly "earthy" taste, we're in the camp of looking on the bright side when it comes to beets. Not only are the beets themselves tasty, but you can get creative and cook up their greens, too.
Recipe developer and registered dietitian nutritionist, Kristen Carli, MS, RD, brings us this recipe for easy sautéed beet greens. Carli tells us, "Beets are one of those veggies that often do not get a lot of love, but they are really incredible in terms of nutrition. I always recommend to my patients trying beets in new ways to get creative with how to eat them."
She does have one warning: "Be careful! Beets stain! Quickly wipe off your countertops and cutting boards or you will have hard-to-clean deep red stains throughout your kitchen," she explains.
Gather your ingredients for these easy sautéed beet greens
To make these easy sautéed beet greens, you can start by gathering your ingredients. For this recipe, you will need olive oil, beets, garlic, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
Slice beet greens off beets
Remove the beet green tops from the beets by slicing the stems. "Save the beets for another recipe like these simple roasted beets, but for this one we only need the beet green tops," Carli explains. Then, chop the beet greens into large 3-inch chunks. Be sure to slice up the bright red stems as well as the greens. Carli notes "the beet green stems are delicious and full of nutrients."
Sauté the chopped beet greens in oil
Heat a pan over medium heat. Add in the olive oil to the pan, and once the oil is hot, add in the greens. Using tongs, stir to toss the greens in the pan. Like all greens, as they cook, they will wilt down and shrink in size.
Add garlic, lemon juice, salt, and pepper
Once the greens are significantly smaller in size, add in the minced garlic, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Toss the greens and seasoning until they are combined. Then, you are ready to serve. "These are best enjoyed warm, but you can absolutely save leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container and reheat in the microwave," Carli notes.
- 2 bunches beets
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- juice of 1 lemon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- Slice the beet greens off of the beets. Save the beets for another use. Slice the beet greens into 3-inch chunks.
- In a large pan over medium heat, add the olive oil. Once hot, add the beet greens. Sauté for about 10 minutes, until the greens have wilted down significantly in size.
- Add the garlic, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Sauté for an additional 5 minutes, until garlic is fragrant.
- Serve the beet greens as a side dish.