Meet the Beets and Make Them Sweet

Wondering how to eat more vegetables when you don’t like them? Some of you have asked about tips for using beets and offered some wonderfully creative suggestions. I have been taking my time on responding because I know that others among you really dislike beets. Beets seem to be one of the more divisive vegetables: either you love them or you hate them.

While it’s fine to have personal preferences, I continue to encourage you to try things in different ways because we have more options and flexibility if we have a broad palate.

So the first thing I always ask someone when they claim they don’t like to eat a certain vegetable is, why? What is it that you don’t like? Is it the color? The texture? If it’s the flavor itself, what is it about the flavor that turns you off? It seems like everyone has an inclination toward a particular taste. Michael tends to like things sweeter than I do. I like sour and even a little bitter. What about salty? Let’s not forget umami. (Have you grown tired of hearing about that one yet?)

The most common complaint I hear about beets is that they taste like “dirt”. Okay, let’s reframe that as “earthy”. In wine terms, we would call it “terroir” and that’s actually desirable…

So what do we need to do with this earthy vegetable to make it more palatable for you? Does it need some fat or salt or sweetness for balance? There is a reason why so many salads with beets contain nuts, goat cheese or fruit in them. What about an herbal component? Remember our friend, pesto?

I like beets roasted, but you may prefer them simply boiled and matched with the appropriate counterpart.

When I was a child, I disliked the way beets turned everything on my plate red. Here’s an easy solution: Put them on a separate plate! Or if you put them into a salad, make sure your dressing is of the same hue. It works great. Pictured above, I put them on top of the fennel after dressing it. Then drizzled a little more dressing on top.

You can also try the golden variety if you want to introduce yourself to them gradually. The flavor is milder and they don’t stain everything.

What about the texture? You can peel them if they’re too fibrous for you. I prefer to simply scrub them, but I do cut just a little bit around the the top where the stem meets the root to smooth out the parts that are too rough. If there are any hair-like roots still attached or rough spots, I scrape those off with a paring knife too.

For a more subtle way to incorporate beets in a meal, read Take Your Burger Further With This Surprise Ingredient.