Roasted beetroot is a nutritious and flavorful root vegetable that can be cooked in various ways. It is high in folate, antioxidants, and low in calories and fat. Beets come in different colors and should be purchased with leaves attached. Roasting brings out the vegetable’s flavor, but it takes longer to cook than other vegetables. Organic beets may offer some protection from soil contaminants.
A roasted beetroot is a savory root vegetable known for its rich, earthy flavor and nutritional benefits. Cooks can prepare a beetroot in a variety of ways, but a roasted beetroot is cooked in the oven. Also called beetroot or garden beets, this tuberous vegetable boasts high levels of folate, an important B vitamin. Beets contain manganese and potassium, provide cancer-fighting antioxidants, and are naturally low in calories and fat.
Color is one of the most appealing characteristics of a roasted beet. The best-known type of beet boasts a deep purplish-red color, but some beets are a rich golden hue and others have dark pink and white streaks. Beets grow underground and are topped with large dark green leaves with thick red ribs. Similar to Swiss chard, Swiss chard is delicious when sauteed and offers a buttery taste and high nutrient content.
Beets should be purchased with the leaves still attached. Most grocery stores display raw beets in the produce department, and they’re usually sold in batches. Local supermarkets typically carry red beets, but health food stores and farmers’ markets often sell different varieties, such as golden beets. The harvest season runs from June to October, so these months offer the best time to buy beets.
Cooks choose to roast beets because the roasting process brings out the vegetable’s dramatic flavor. Even amateur cooks can prepare a side dish of roasted beets. Beets should be cleaned before roasting and cooked in a sturdy roasting pan with a tight-fitting lid. Most recipes recommend preheating the oven to around 400°F (204°C) when preparing the beets for baking. Prep includes trimming the leaves off the beetroot, leaving about 1 to 2 inches attached.
The only drawback to roasted beets is how long it takes to cook compared to other vegetables. Small beets take about 40 minutes to cook in an oven at about 204°F. Larger beets can take even longer, perhaps up to 90 minutes, until the roasted beet dish is cooked through to complete tenderness. Roasted beets are done cooking when they can be pricked with a fork. Red beets tend to share richness when cooking, so vegetables mixed with roasted beets may come out of the oven with a tinge of red.
Some debate surrounds the idea that an organic beet offers additional health benefits. Since beets are a root vegetable, they grow underground. Therefore, the beets are not exposed to pesticides and other chemicals sprayed on the growing vegetables. However, root vegetables may be exposed to toxins in the soil, so an organic beet may offer some protection from soil contaminants.
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