How To Roast Beets

Beets happen to be one of those things I sort of associate with an aluminum can (or in more recent years, a glass container).  Make no mistake.  I have no problem chomping down on those beets.  I have always been a fan of these lovely root vegetables.

However, I recently began wondering if I could roast my own beets.  I have no idea where this urge came from.  It's just one of those things I can't explain.  There are a lot of things I can't explain about myself, but let's not go there.

Let's talk about beets.  Roasted beets, specifically.  Roasted beets are tender and slightly smoky, yet slightly sweet.  They're one of my new go-to vegetables.  You can do a lot with them.  More on that topic coming in a future blog post...

This "recipe" is more of a guideline.  Before I woke up one day and decided to roast my own beets, I didn't realize how easy it would be.  I found out that the most difficult part was trying to get the red beet stain off my fingers.  After the first beet, I got wise and donned the latex gloves that I keep around to chop jalapenos.  This is a wise move, my friends.

I was able to find both red and golden beets at my local farmers market, so I snagged those and got to work on roasting them up!  Another smart move is to take those beet greens and saute them with some garlic and red wine vinegar.  Go on with your bad self.

Roasted Beets

Print Recipe

• Raw beets
• Sharp knife
• Foil
• Baking sheet
• Latex gloves (optional)

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  (This is a ballpark temperature.  You can preheat the oven to more or less than 375F, but be aware that your roasting time will vary accordingly)

2) Trim the beet greens from each beet, using the knife.


3) Scrub the beets and wrap them loosely in foil.  You can wrap 2-3 small beets in one packet, if desired.  For larger beets, wrap individually in foil.


4) Put the foil packets on the baking sheet, then place the baking sheet in the oven for 50-60 minutes.  Check the beets for done-ness periodically, approximately every 20 minutes.  If a fork or sharp knife pierces the beets easily, they are done.  Larger beets will take longer to roast than smaller beets.


5) Allow the beets to cool until they are easy to handle.  Hold the beets in one hand, and use a paper towel to rub the skin off the vegetables.  The skin should peel off easily.  If the skin is tough to remove, you can either place the beet back in the foil packet and roast it for a longer time, or use the knife to continue the peeling.

6) Store the beets in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Tip: Roasted beets freeze well too!