One of our favorite vegetables we grow in our garden is beets! Beets are one of those vegetables that people say they don’t like, but we are convinced that they just haven’t had beets prepared the “Greek” way! This recipe for Simple Greek Beets along with the greens is easy to make and full of flavor. It’s a vibrant, colorful salad packed with rich nutrients. If you’re willing to give it a try, we’re ready to show you how easy it is!
Ingredients
- Red Beets
- Garlic Cloves
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Red Wine Vinegar
- Lemons
- Salt & Pepper
Preparing Simple Greek Beets
Now that you have gathered your ingredients, let’s get started! Remove the leaves from the beets, leaving about one inch of the stem. Scrub the beets gently to remove any dirt, but be careful not to break the skin. The skin is left on while the beets are cooking because it makes them easier to peel. Roasting beets is popular, but for this recipe, we are simply going to boil them. Boiling the beets should take about 40 minutes to 1 hour. If your beets are smaller, about 20 minutes and medium beets cook in about 30 minutes.
Fill a large pot with water and place over medium heat. Once the water is boiling, add in your beets. Reduce the heat to a gentle boil and cook until the beets are tender when pierced with a knife.
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Preparing The Greens
While the beets are cooking, prepare the beet greens. Rinse the beet greens in a sink filled with cold water, repeat two more times with fresh water to ensure all the dirt and grainy sand in between the leaves has been removed. Cut and discard any stems that are heavy, and coarsely chop the greens. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add the beet greens, and cook uncovered until tender. Drain the greens in a colander, then place the greens in a bowl. Add the olive oil, fresh lemon juice, salt and pepper. Lightly toss and set aside.
Finishing the Beets
Once the beets are cooked, remove the pot from the stove and place the pot under cool running water, until the beets are comfortable to the touch. Using your fingers or a paper towel, rub the skins off the beets. Be prepared, your fingers may get a little stained, but a squeeze of fresh lemon juice on your hands and a rinse of soap and water should remove the beet juice stains.
Slice the beets in rounds. Combine the beets, chopped garlic, olive oil, and vinegar in a bowl and mix. Add salt and pepper to taste. Arrange beets on a serving platter along with the beet greens. Serve beets warm, at room temperature, or refrigerate for several hours for a refreshing taste. Enjoy!
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Simple Greek Beets
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. red beets with leaves attached
- 2-3 cloves garlic chopped
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 lemons
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Remove the leaves from the beets and set aside, leaving about one inch of the stem.
- Scrub the beets gently to remove any dirt, but be careful not to break the skin.
- Fill a large pot with water placed over medium heat. Once the water is boiling, gently add in your beets.
- Reduce heat and boil until beets are tender when pierced with a knife. Large beets take about 40 minutes, medium beets 30 minutes and small beets 20 minutes.
- While the beets are cooking, prepare the beet greens. Rinse the beet greens in a sink filled with cold water, repeat two more times with fresh water.
- Cut away any stems that are heavy, and coarsely chop the greens.
- Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil, Add the beet greens, and cook uncovered until tender.
- Add the beet greens, and cook uncovered until tender. Drain the greens in a colander, then place the greens in a bowl. Add ¼ cup of olive oil, juice of one lemon, salt and pepper to taste. Mix gently, and set aside.
- Once the beets are cooked, remove the pot from the stove and place the pot under cool running water, until the beets are comfortable to the touch. Using your fingers or a paper towel, rub the skins off the beets.
- Slice the beets in rounds. Combine the beets, chopped garlic, ¼ cup of the olive oil, and vinegar in a bowl and mix. If you like a more tangy flavor, feel free to add more vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Arrange beets on a serving platter, along with the beet greens. Add fresh lemon slices for those who like an extra drizzle of lemon juice. Serve beets warm, at room temperature or refrigerate for several hours for a refreshing taste. Enjoy!
This recipe brought back such wonderful family childhood memories growing up; us kids loved mom’s Greek Beets especially the sweetness of the chopped onions in the beet juices. We kids used to drink the marinated juice afterwards. Thanks for allowing me those memories as I am the only surviving member of my family left.
This recipe brought back many memories to me also. My mom would also go to a salad buffet at a restaurant and always added the olive oil and vinegar. She would put in onions and lemons that she found around the salad bar to make it Greek beets.
wonderful healthy and scrumptious recipes. Thank you
Thank you so much Gail! We enjoy creating and cooking healthy, but tasty recipes for our families that we can share with you!
– Christina & Alexa
Seems like a little oregano would be helpful
Hi David, While we’ve never included oregano in our recipe before, it does sound like a flavorful addition you could experiment with. Appreciate the input.
– Christina & Alexa