If beets aren’t in your grocery cart a few times a month, then something’s gotta change! Beets are an incredibly versatile power veggie, but all too often most people don’t know how to use them in a variety of recipes. In this post, beets 3 ways, I’ll show you how to make beets your new bff.

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I fell in love with beets years ago after my mom convinced me to try them.

I truly thought I was going to gag at first bite. I wasn’t sure what to expect and figured they’d taste like dirt. Surprisingly, I fell head over heels in love with this rich root veggie. Years of eating beets with a tad of grass-fed better and salt got me thinking, “maybe I can do more with these”.

And so the experiments started. I was blown away at how versatile beets were to use in recipes ranging from muffins, pesto, smoothie bowls, and more!

Before we dive right in, I wanted to share a few ways how you can make beets ‘plain’, to enjoy in it’s purest form. Like I said above, try these with a little butter and salt…perfection.

How to make beets

1. Boiling: cut the tops and bottoms of raw beets and slice off the skin. Cut the beet(s) in half and submerge into boiling water for 25-35 minutes until soft (cooking time will depend on size of beets). Drain water and serve.
2. Roasting: preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice off the skins of the beets and cut into small 1.5″ cubes. Place beets on a baking sheet and drizzle with oil of choice and salt. Roast for 45-50 minutes, until beets are softened.
3. Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker: place beets on trivet (skin on) and pour 1 cup of water in the pressure cooker. Close the lid and seal. Set the timer to 25 minutes for roughly 7″ diameter beet. Larger beets will require more cooking time (roughly 30-38 minutes). Timing will vary greatly depending on the circumference of the beet. Once timer is up, flip the valve to manually release the pressure. The skins of the beets should peel off easily to serve.

Now that we know how to cook beets, let’s get to the creative ways to use beets!

Beets 3 Ways

#1: Baked Goods

Previously cooked beets can be a great addition to add to baked goods as a sneaky hidden veggie! I love using beets in chocolate muffins, brownies, and bars like these Flourless Red Velvet Beet Mini Muffins. You won’t even taste the beets! Kid love ’em too.

Check out that recipe HERE.

#2: Pesto

This recipe may be for the more advanced beet-lovers, but it’s quickly become one of my favorite pesto recipes. I’ll throw this beet pesto on turkey burgers, chicken, and even use it as a base for homemade pizza in lieu of pizza sauce!

Beets 3 Ways: Recipe #2 Beet Pesto

Nutty and slightly sweet, this beet pesto is great on fish, burgers, or on pizza. Paleo + Whole30

• Author: Physical Kitchness
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Total Time: 5 minutes

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 1 cup cooked, pureed beets (about 2 small to medium sized beets)
• 3/4 cup fresh basil
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup almonds
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 1/4 cup olive oil (or more if needed)
• garlic if desired

Instructions

1. To cook the beets on stove top, slice the skin off the beets and cut in half. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil add the beets. Boil for roughly 25-30 minutes until beets are soft to poke with a fork. Drain the water. To cook the beets in a pressure cooker, place the beets (washed but skin on) in the pressure cooker with 1 cup of water. Set on manual cook for 25 minutes. Once the time is up, quick release the pressure, remove the beets, and let cool. You should be able to gently peel off the skin
2. Place the cooked beets into a food processor and pulse until broken down. Add the basil, lemon juice, salt, almonds, pine nuts, olive oil, and garlic if desired
3. Serve with turkey burgers, chicken, as a dip, or even on flatbread or pizza

#3: Smoothie Bowls

Smoothies are a fantastic way to add veggies you don’t normally consume on a daily basis. And using cooked beets to make a smoothie bowl is a great way to add major nutrition to your routine. This thick smoothie bowl is perfection with sliced almonds and raw cacao bits. If you’re new to beets, you may want to half the beet in this recipe to ease into the flavor a bit.

Beets 3 Ways: Recipe #3 Beet Smoothie Bowl

• Author: Physical Kitchness

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• ½ cup cooked beet (roughly ½ medium-sized beet)
• 1/3 cup almond milk (or more if mixture is too thick to blend)
• 1–2 scoops chocolate protein powder of choice
• 1 frozen banana
• ½ cup frozen cauliflower rice
• 1 small handful of spinach
• 1 tablespoon raw honey (*optional for sweeter taste)
• Topping options: sliced almonds, toasted coconut, cacao nibs

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients in a blender
2. Blend until thick and creamy. This may required a few stops to scrape down the sides. Add more almond milk if too thick to blend
3. Sprinkle top with desired toppings.

Honorable Mention:

Roasted beets are fantastic in most salads and side dishes too! This Honey Thyme Roasted Root Veggies with Bacon is one of my favorite fall dishes packed with goodness to feed your family or share with a crowd.

Now it’s time to stock up on some fresh beets and get cookin’!

If using one ingredient three different ways is totally your jam, be sure to check out these other posts with the same concept:

Canned Coconut Milk 3 Ways

Medjool Dates 3 Ways

Fresh Cilantro 3 Ways

Microwave Egg Bake 3 Ways

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