The Whole Beet and Nothing But the Beet

Roasted Beetroot with Sauteed Beet Greens

“…The beet is the ancient ancestor of the autumn moon, bearded, buried, all but fozzilized; the dark green sails of the grounded moon-boat stitched with veins of primordial plasma; the kite string that once connected the moon to the Earth now a muddy whisker drilling desperately for rubies.”

- Tom Robbins, Jitterbug Perfume

Tom Robbins, one of my all-time favourite writers, brings the lesson of the beet wonderfully alive in his novel Jitterbug Perfume. I love his imagination, his wordplay, and his unique appreciation of myth, humanity and vegetables. But, this is a blog for sharing recipes and not book reviews, so back to the beets.

I enjoy the whole beet and, when I am fortunate enough to get fresh whole beets, here is how I prepare them. One vegetable gives you two side dishes. Basically, the beetroots are roasted, which makes them sweeter and easier to peel, and the greens are sautéed. In the photographs here, I used both red and golden beets, because I was lucky enough to find them at a farmer’s market. Whatever their colour, beets are delicious, but I must admit having the two colours made for a more interesting plate.

Two Side Beets

Preheat oven to 350º F.

1 or 2 bunches of beets with greens (about 10-12 whole beets)

4 tbsp olive oil, divided into 2 tbsp and 2 tbsp

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp chopped onion

salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp red wine vinegar or 2 tbsp melted butter

Slice the beet greens

Wash the roots and the greens of the beets thoroughly. Remove the greens and give them another rinse. Remove any large stems, tear the leaves or cut them into strips, and set them aside. Do not peel or cut the beetroots; leave them whole.

Toss beets in olive oil before roasting

In a baking dish or roaster, place the beetroots and toss them with 2 tbsp of olive oil. Use more olive oil, if needed, to cover all the beetroots. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 45 to 60 minutes, or until you can easily cut through the largest beet. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. If you want, you can peel the beetroots now.

Peel beets, if desired, after roasting

Beet greens cooked until tender

When the roasted beets are almost done, heat the remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil in a frying pan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and onion and sauté for a minute or two. Add the greens. Cook, stirring frequently, until the greens are wilted and tender. Season the greens with salt and pepper.

To serve: Place the greens on a platter. Cut the beetroots into slices or wedges and arrange on the greens. Drizzle the beets with red wine vinegar or butter. Serve immediately.

Printable Recipe for Two Side Beets

Over-stuffed Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

Over-stuffed roasted vegetable lasagna - gluten-free

My introduction to roasted vegetable lasagna came via the frozen food aisle. On several occasions, the shiny box of roasted vegetable lasagna was a suppertime timesaver – fast and easy. This homemade version bears little resemblance to what comes out of the box. It’s overstuffed with roasted vegetables (because you know how I love them), has three kinds of cheese, a good dose of tomato sauce and is made with rice noodles so it’s gluten free. It’ll take some time to prepare and bake, but I promise you won’t need any fancy cooking skills to put it together.

You can vary the mix of vegetables to suit your taste. I would recommend always using onion and garlic and have to say that eggplant is right at home in this lasagna. I used 8 cups of vegetables, which is what makes this over-stuffed. If you end up using less, adjust the baking time accordingly. This does make a lot of lasagna so be sure to invite some friends over or stash some in the freezer for a suppertime timesaver for another day.

MA’s Over-stuffed Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

What you need to overstuff the lasagna

Preheat oven to 350 F.

2-3 tbsp olive oil

2 green peppers, washed, seeded and coarsely diced

½ lb red, orange and yellow mini-peppers, washed, seeded and cut in half

2 (about 1 ½ lbs) zucchini, washed and sliced into ¼” rounds

2 carrots, sliced

2 medium onions, sliced

1 lb mushrooms, thickly sliced

2 tsp garlic, minced

1 10-oz pkg rice lasagna noodles (12 noodles)

I love those roasted vegetables!

1 ½ cups tomato sauce, prepared or homemade

1 tsp oregano

1/3 cup dehydrated parsley flakes

½ tsp salt

freshly ground pepper, to taste

500 gram ricotta cheese

2 eggs

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 lb mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced

grated Parmesan for sprinkling

Tomato sauce is first in

Combine olive oil and vegetables on baking sheet. Roast until vegetables are softened. For tips about roasting vegetables, check out my previous post here.

Noodles, veggies, ricotta mixture, tomato sauce & mozza 

Cook rice noodles according to package directions. Drain and lay flat on a sheet of aluminum foil.

In a bowl, combine oregano, parsley, salt, pepper, ricotta, eggs and ½ cup grated Parmesan. Mix well.

To assemble: In a 9” x 13” baking pan, spread a thin layer of the tomato sauce in bottom of pan. Lay 4 noodles in the pan, overlapping them if needed. Spread 1/3 of the vegetable mixture onto the noodles. Spread 1/3 of the ricotta mixture on top of the vegetable layer. Spread ½ cup of the tomato sauce over the ricotta layer. Place slices of mozzarella over the tomato sauce layer. Repeat the layering (noodles, veg, ricotta, tomato sauce, mozza slices) twice.

Cover with foil. Cook for 30 minutes.

Remove foil and continue cooking for 45 to 60 minutes or until cooked through.

Makes 8 to 10 generous servings.

Printable Recipe for MA's Over-stuffed Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

So good with a salad on the side

Why I love roasted veggies

Roasted vegetables: Potatoes, mushrooms, carrots

For dinner last night, I was trying out a new way to bake chicken breasts that I had seen on a tv commercial for Hellman's mayonnaise (very good, by the way, and you can get the recipe at parmesan crusted chicken). I was thinking about a suitable side. I decided on roasting some vegetables.

I love roasted vegetables for a variety of reasons.

• I can mix and match whatever fresh veggies I have on hand. Yesterday, I used 2 pounds of mini-potatoes, a handful of whole mushrooms, a couple of carrots and, as always, a few teaspoons of minced garlic.
• Preparation is easy. Aside from giving the veggies a good wash (which you would do anyway),  cutting up a few of the larger, denser vegetables, throwing them in a baking dish with some oil and seasoning, and giving the whole thing a stir now and then while they're in the oven, there is nothing fancy about it.
• You can vary the seasonings. Oil and spices are great on their own. Or try a little maple syrup or balsamic vinegar or whatever suits your tastes and your menu.
• Roasted veggies stand alone as a delicious side or play well with others in salad, pasta and grain dishes. 

Roasting vegetables is a kitchen basic. Here's how I do it.

1. Use a baking sheet or large casserole dish. For easy clean-up, you can cover the bottom with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Spread or spray a good coating of olive oil over the bottom and sides of the dish.
2. Clean your vegetables. You can leave the skins on the vegetables as they will be delicious.
3. Think about which vegetables will take longer to cook (for example dense veggies like potatoes, turnips and yams). Cut those into smaller pieces. The idea is to have all the vegetables evenly cooked through at serving time.
4. Place the vegetables in the cooking dish. Be sure they aren't crowded. They need room to brown and get crispy on the outside.
5. Add olive oil and your favourite spices (salt and pepper are a good start; rosemary is always nice) and toss the vegetables until they are nicely coated with the oil and seasonings.
6. Roast the vegetables for 50 to 60 minutes at 400 degrees F. You can lower the oven temp to 375 and cook the veg a bit longer. I like to do this if I am cooking something else at the same time - like the chicken breasts. It is a good idea to stir or turn the vegetables a few times while they are cooking.
7. Eat your vegetables.