Sautéed Beet Greens

Ahhhh, beets!  They're one of my favorite vegetables. (Admittedly though, one may hear me say that about each vegetable I come across!)  The sweet goodness that is in season all year round can hardly be matched!

You ever make a beet dish and then you're left with all these beautiful beet greens that you would just hate to throw away?  Well, this is a quick and simple recipe to have your greens and eat them too! 

(sorry, I couldn't resist!) 

It both adds diversity in nutrition to your plate as well as provides a great way to spice up a meal!   The challenge is that the tender, leafy greens seem to need attention before the more resilient, meaty beets.  So I also find this recipe useful for that time you open the fridge and realize that the leaves should be eaten soon before they wilt. 

As a side note to this recipe, I usually choose add in pepper flake or the lemon juice, but rarely both at the same time. 

Sautéed Beet Greens With Garlic and Olive Oil


1 beet greens from 2 large bunches of beets

Salt

1  Tbs of olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes (optional)

Freshly ground pepper
lemon juice (optional)

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  While you are waiting for the water to heat up, stem and wash the greens.  Beet greens tend to have a good amount of dirt on them, so wash well! Chop coarsely.

2. When the water comes to a boil, add salt and the greens. Blanch for 2 minutes, until tender. Transfer immediately to colander and rinse under cold water.  Drain and squeeze the water from the leaves.

3. To save dishes, you can use the same pan you used to blanch the greens; just dump the water out first.  Heat oil in the pan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and hot red pepper flakes and let sizzle for a half a minute or so.  

4. Stir in the blanched greens. Stir for a until more of the water is cooked out and the greens are nicely seasoned with garlic and oil. Season with lemon juice, salt, and pepper.  Remove from the heat and serve.

 

Beet Greens Served with Polenta

Inspiration from nytimes.