Plus six more of my favorite beet recipes! This simple beet salad highlights ingredients fresh from a local farmers’ market. Steam the beets until tender, then toss them with a zesty vinaigrette made with green garlic scapes—the curly shoots from hardneck garlic that bring a bright, garlicky note similar to scallions but with more garlic character.
Choose young or baby beets for the best texture and flavor. I recommend steaming beets until they are just cooked through so the skins slip off easily; this preserves more of their delicate phytonutrients, like betalains, which are sensitive to heat. If you prefer a deeper, caramelized flavor, roasted beets are also delicious—they simply cook longer and have a sweeter, earthier profile.
About Garlic Scapes
Garlic scapes are the flowering shoots of hardneck garlic plants. Growers typically remove the flower bud to help the bulb develop more fully. The tender green stems that remain have a milder, fresher garlic flavor—think somewhere between garlic cloves, chives, and scallions. Use the tender tops whole or thinly sliced; the thicker stems can be sliced thinly for cooking.
How to use garlic scapes: Because they taste like a bright, green version of garlic, you can substitute them wherever you would use garlic. They make wonderful pesto, add a lively note to sautés and stir-fries, pair beautifully with potatoes, and are excellent tossed with pasta, olive oil, and grated Parmesan. When sold in bunches, garlic scapes are particularly good made into a batch of pesto for vibrant color and mellow garlic flavor.
Beet Nutrition Highlights
Beets offer meaningful nutritional benefits: They are a good source of vitamins and minerals, including B vitamins, iron, magnesium, potassium, fiber, folate, and vitamin C. Regularly including beets in your diet may support healthy blood pressure, contribute to cardiovascular health, aid digestion, and provide anti-inflammatory nutrients. A half-cup serving of cooked beets contains roughly 55 calories, making them a nutrient-dense option.
Common beet varieties include red beets, golden beets, and Chioggia beets (striped red and white, sometimes called candy cane beets). Don’t forget beet greens—tender and nutritious, they can be used like chard or spinach and are rich in vitamin K, copper, manganese, iron, and calcium.
Try these other creative beet recipes featured here:
Enjoy these vibrant beet dishes—fresh, colorful, and full of flavor. Happy cooking!
Karen