It’s Canadian Agriculture Day today – a chance to celebrate the abundance of incredible food grown in Canada and the hard-working farmers and producers who cultivate it! We’ve been mindful of supporting our local, independent suppliers wherever possible under normal circumstances, but especially so this year. One way is ordering fresh produce straight from your local farms, like the fresh veg + fruit haul from Marques Family Farm we enjoyed last week, including 2lbs of beets! We roasted them up on the sheet pan – our flavour-ite way to enjoy them – and made three more recipes out of them: 1) Roasted Beet + Goat Cheese Salad with Balsamic Glaze Dressing; 2) Roasted Beet + Whipped Chive Cream Cheese Crostini; and 3) Roasted Beet Alfredo Sauce with Casareccia Pasta! And you bet MJ’s “Just Beat It” played in my head the whole time we made these ;). If you guys enjoyed our roasted potato and sweet potato recipes, you’ll love this one – same process, different veg. If beets ignite an ew-factor among your crew, here are 4 Roasted Beet Recipes Your Family Will Love!
Make a big batch of the roasted beets to enjoy in a variety of ways – sauces, soups, appetizers, baking, salads, dips, pastas, sandwiches & more! © House of Kerrs – All Rights Reserved
About the Roasted Beet Recipe Ingredients
- Beets are a beautiful way to get a whole wack of nutrition into your family recipes & can be cooked by steaming, boiling or, our fave, roasting! In addition to chopping them up for salads and appetizers and blending & sauteeing them for sauces, you could also add them to your homemade hummus, soup and baked dessert recipes. I love them on sandwiches & pita pockets too. TIP: Beet juice is a natural dye, so beware of the stain potential! You bet I got some on the white sweater I was wearing and you probably won’t want to use your favourite tea towel for clean up. If you want to avoid stains on your hands while you chop them up, wear food service gloves.
Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese Salad smothered in a Balsamic Reduction dressing & sprinkled with toasted almonds – deelish! © House of Kerrs – All Rights Reserved
- We use a blend of Italiano seasoning on our roasted veggies, but dried thyme, sage and similar herbs work great too.
- We used Red Leaf Lettuce for the salad, but roasted beets taste delish on Spring Mix, Arugula & Baby Spinach mixes too!
- We used Whipped Chive Cream cheese for our crostini topping simply because that’s what we had on-hand – any other spreadable cheese you love works great too!
Top your favourite appetizers or crostini with finely chopped, roasted beets! © House of Kerrs – All Rights Reserved
- Most beet recipes with nuts use Walnuts because of the complimentary “earthy” flavours, but I straight up don’t like them very much and used chopped baker’s almonds instead. TIP: if your nuts are going a bit stale like ours were, chop em’ up & roast em’ – 400 F for about 5 mins until they turn a deeper brown (*watch closely as I almost burnt ours!*).
- For the Balsamic Glaze dressing, we free-wheeled it by drizzling the oil & balsamic reduction right on the salad. If you prefer stirring up your dressing in a mixer first, the typical rule is 2-3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar/glaze/acidic ingredient. For a better idea on how much oil, generally 1 tbsp per 2 cups of lettuce does the trick.
- We used Casareccia Pasta for this Roasted Beet Alfredo recipe because, well, it looks so dang pretty with the purply pink sauce. Casareccia is a twisted tube-shaped pasta that catches and holds sauce very well. For the “alfredo” sauce, we used olive oil instead of the traditional butter & almond milk instead of cream simply because I had to use it up, but we LOVE all the dairy, so feel free to use milk/cream instead.
- We used about 8 medium sized beets to make all 3 of these recipes with about 3/4 cup leftover. Add/modify portion as need according to your family size & needs.
Italian Casareccia pasta holds the Roasted Beet Alfredo sauce beautifully, but feel free to use whatever you have on-hand or your family’s favourite! © House of Kerrs – All Rights Reserved
Roasted Beet Salad, Crostini & Pasta | La Cucina di Kerrs
Equipment
- Large baking sheet
- Large pot
- Sauce pan
Ingredients
Sheet Pan Roasted Beets
- 2 lbs Beets about 8 medium-sized beets - wash, peel & chop into cubes
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil approx. 2-3 tbsp - enough to lightly coat the chopped beets
- 1 tbsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tbsp Italiano Seasoning *we use Club House*
- Coarse Salt & Ground Black Pepper to taste
Roasted Beet & Goat Cheese Salad
- 1 head Red Leaf Lettuce wash & chop
- Soft, Unripened Goat's Milk Cheese to taste, break up into small portions
- portion of your roasted beets
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil 2 parts oil to 1 part balsamic reduction
- Balsamic Reduction 1 part balsamic reduction to 2 parts oil; we used a pomegranate-flavoured version
- Coarse salt + ground black pepper to taste
- roasted almonds to taste, chopped or slivered
Roasted Beet & Whipped Chive Cream Cheese Crostini
- 8 slices of a fresh baguette *cut the slices of baguette on an angel*
- Roasted Beets *dice into smaller pieces; you'll need about 2-3 tablespoons for 8 slices of bread*
- 3/4 cup Whipped Chive Cream Cheese *or your family's favourite spreadable cheese; 3/4 cup was enough for 6-8 slices of bread; add/reduce as needed*
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil *about 1.5 -2 tbsp to brush on top of the bread slices*
- garlic powder *add a few shakes to the olive oil in a small dish*
- Fresh Chive Stalks or Basil Leaves *snipped or cut into small pieces for garnish*
Roasted Beet Alfredo Pasta
- 500 g Casareccia Pasta *or your family's favourite pasta*
- 1 cup roasted beets heaping
- 2 cups unsweetened almond milk *dairy works well too - milk, cream, etc.*
- ¾ cup parmigiano reggiano cheese freshly grated; regular parmesan works too
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- 4 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 4 leaves fresh basil chopped
- coarse salt & ground black pepper *to taste*
Instructions
Sheet Pan Roasted Beets
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Add cubed beets to a mixing bowl, drizzle on olive oil, sprinkle seasoning & a few pinches each salt + pepper. Toss well.
- Line large baking sheet with parchment paper & add seasoned beets. Space evenly & bake on middle rack about 35 mins (or until your desired tenderness), flipping once at mid-way mark. Set aside to cool. *If you won't be using the roasted beets right away, they can be refrigerated in a sealed container for 2-3 days*).
Roasted Beet + Goat Cheese Salad with Balsamic Glaze Dressing
- Wash, pat dry & tear up the head of leaf lettuce. Add to a large bowl or serving platter. If only making a small portion (say single or 2-person serving), store some of the pre-washed lettuce in a Ziploc bag with a paper towel & refrigerate.
- Add enough roasted beets to compliment the portion of lettuce you're using (for the whole head of lettuce, about 1 cup). Add small bits of goat's milk cheese and your chopped/slivered almonds, to taste.
- If your almonds aren't roasted & you'd prefer them to be, simply bake on a sheet pan at 400°F approx. 5 mins. If they're whole, chop them up before roasting.
Roasted Beet & Whipped Chive Cream Cheese Crostini
- In a small bowl, add olive oil & a few shakes of garlic powder - mix. Brush olive oil mix onto sliced baguette & lay out on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake at 400°F on middle rack of oven approx. 8 mins (until tops turn slightly golden).
- Spread your whipped cream cheese (or similar spreadable cheese) on top of each crostini. Add about 1 tsp of your finely chopped roasted beets to each, lay out on your serving platter, then sprinkle some chopped, fresh chives or basil over top for garnish. Serve immediately.
Roasted Beet Alfredo Pasta
- Add the almond milk & roasted beets to a blender and put through 1 round of the PUREE setting.
- Heat olive oil on medium in a sauce pan. Add chopped garlic & saute until softened (about 2 mins). Add the beet & almond milk blend and bring to a gentle simmer. Add the parmesan/parmiggiano reggiano cheese & whisk/stir until the sauce comes to a frothy/slightly thickened texture (the colour of the sauce will turn a deeper magenta hue). Add the fresh basil, stir & turn the heat off.
- Cook the pasta in water seasoned like the sea with salt according to "al dente" directions. Drain, reserving a bit of the pasta water. Add the pasta to a serving plater or large pasta bowl and smother with the roasted beet sauce. Garnish with more fresh basil & grated cheese. Serve immediately. Buon appetito!
- We love when you share your recipe creations with us, so tag us @House_of_Kerrs or comment below if you try!
Notes
Roasted Beet Crostini Recipe | La Cucina di Kerrs
Roasted Beet & Goat Cheese Salad Recipe | La Cucina di Kerrs
Roasted Beet Alfredo Pasta Recipe | La Cucina di Kerrs
More Roasted Vegetable Recipes To Try
If you’re in the mood for more roasty recipes, here are some of our other family faves for starters, sides, dips & mains:
Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Deviled Eggs & Dip
Roasted Chicken + Seasonal Vegetables Bake
Sheet Pan Roasted Shaped Potatoes
We love seeing you guys get your cook-on with your families so tag us @House_of_Kerrs or comment below if you try! We’d also love to know your favourite ways, shops or recipes that incorporate Canadian agriculture!
Keep well, eat well,
Some good ways to try beets. Love the recipes.
Thanks so much 🙂 They’re all yummy & hopeful inspire those who have a beet aversion to give them a chance 🙂