Roasted Beets & Greens
Hey, we’re all hanging onto our pocketbooks for dear life nowadays, so why not make the most of your groceries? Fresh beets are the perfect example of a food that has hidden potential — namely, two ingredients for the price of one. No sense in throwing away the tasty greens when you can use them in everything from stews to soufflés.
This dish of roasted beets and wilted greens is also easy on your pots and pans because you double up on individual ingredient preparation when you roast the garlic along with the beets and cook the greens along with the pasta. And the roasted garlic dressing can be made in a food processor or with the old-fashioned fork-and-bowl method, whichever is easier for you. (I’m partial to simple forking.)
Roasted Beets & Greens with Garlicky Dressing
Note: one beet = one serving, so just increase the amounts accordingly.
1 beet with greens, separated (snap off the greens from the top of the beet and set aside)
2 T. peanut oil OR melted butter/ghee OR coconut oil
Sea salt & cracked pepper
5 cloves garlic, UNpeeled
1 serving whole-grain pasta
1-2 T. extra-virgin olive oil OR cold-pressed walnut oil
1-2 tsp. cider vinegar
Handful of chopped walnuts (toasted or raw, your choice)
Crumbling of goat cheese, herbed or plain
Heat oven to 375 degrees F. While oven is heating, prepare the beet by peeling it and cutting it into 1″ chunks/cubes. Be sure to use a plastic or glass cutting board — a wooden one would be stained purple from the beet juice. Toss chunks with peanut oil, sea salt, and pepper, then spread out on a flat baking sheet and roast for 25 minutes.
Place cloves into a square of aluminum foil, oil, salt, and pepper, and bend the edges up and down so that you’ve made a pouch. Add to beets when you’ve hit the 25-minute mark and roast everything for an additional 10 minutes.
During those final 10 minutes, chop the reserved beet greens. Cook the pasta according to package directions, adding the greens during the final 2 minutes of cooking. Drain together.
Make the dressing by combining the roasted garlic, olive/walnut oil, and vinegar with a fork or in a processor. (Simply squeeze each clove to make the roasted innards slide out. Be careful, though — they’ll be piping hot and will stick to your fingers! It’s best to let the cloves cool slightly before handling them.)
Toss pasta and greens with beets and dressing and garnish with walnuts and goat cheese.
Enjoy!
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Tags: beets, food budgeting, goat cheese, greens, pasta, roasting vegetables
