What are Beetroots?
Cooking with Beetroot
Beetroot Recipes
More Beetroot Meal Ideas
Why Beetroots?
Baking with Beets 

Beetroot has been classified as one of the super foods due to its immense nutritional value. This radiant vegetable can benefit the health in many ways. It is low in calories, containing only 45 calories per 100 grams. And its fat content is almost non-existent.

According to experts, consuming beetroots can help reduce blood pressure, while also aiding in the production of red blood cells. This natural blood purifier is an excellent source of iron and other minerals. It even has anti-ageing properties, allowing you to maintain your glowing skin and shiny hair.

Beetroots offer such great health benefits that they are currently being studied for their ability to inhibit cancer cell mutation. Who knows what other benefits will be discovered in the future?

It’s interesting to think that in the ancient times, only the beets were consumed. It was in the 19th Century that the natural sweetness of beets came to be appreciated. Not long after that, people began using it as a source of sugar.

Nowadays, companies use sugar beets as a raw material for the production of sugar. More and more people are also incorporating beetroots into their diet. It can be eaten raw, served as juice, baked, or used as the main ingredient in a recipe. Today, we will be talking about some of the best recipes you can try out if you are interested in the health benefits of beetroots.

What are Beetroots?

But before we get into detail about these delicious recipes, let’s have a look at the ingredient of the day. What are beetroots exactly?

Beetroot is a vegetable that’s nutrient-dense. It contains Vitamins A, B, and C, as well as antioxidants like beta-carotene and beta-cyanine. It also has minerals like magnesium, potassium, phosphorous, and iron. The beetroot powder you’ll find in markets today is the ground-up form of this vegetable. This means you can enjoy it as a drink if you’re not interested in using it as a part of your meals.

Beetroots are full of nitrates. These are converted into nitric oxide. But if beetroots are known for anything, it’s definitely their red pigmentation. The pigments are called betalains and there are two color types. There’s one called betacyanin which creates a vibrant red and violet hue in the beetroot. The betaxanthins, on the other hand, are more yellowish.

Betalains contain nitrogen, regardless of its form and pigmentation. These aren’t just pigments though: they also work as antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents.

These pigments do cause one side effect that may alarm people who are unaware of it. After eating large amounts of beetroots, you may notice some pink coloration in your urine and/or stool. Do not worry about it. This is completely harmless.

In fact, beetroots are even used as food coloring ingredients because of their vibrant color. But it’s easy to see why some people may be surprised by this side effect.

In rare cases, eating too much beetroot may also cause mild gastrointestinal discomfort. These are the only two known side effects of eating beetroots—and one of them is rarely encountered. Too much of a good thing is still bad, after all. So just incorporate the vegetable into your diet. Don’t go overboard with it and you’ll be just fine.

Cooking with Beetroots

Beets and beetroots are well-recommended vegetables that people should eat more of. If you’re looking for new vegetables to include into your diet, this is a good one to start with. Not only is it good for your body, it is also very delicious.

You’ll enjoy its sweet, earthy flavor, while also reaping its various nutritional benefits. You can improve your health in many ways just by eating one vegetable! For athletes, this should help them take their performance to the next level.

Now let’s get down to business and talk about some of the best recipes that you can try with your beetroots. Because who says you have to eat them raw? Bring out your inner chef and try these dishes at home.

What these recipes have in common is the fact that they’re all vibrant and sweet. Beetroots serve as the main ingredient, and it has a great way of owning the spotlight. If you like keeping your meals Instagram-worthy, these recipes are nice enough for your feed—and also delicious enough to feed on!

If you’re craving for something new, here are seven simple recipes that have beetroots as the main ingredient.

Recipe Number 1: Beetroot and Goat’s Cheese Salad

Beetroots and goat’s cheese: these are two ingredients you don’t hear about very often. But when combined, they can make a delicious meal—and it’s one of the most popular beetroot dishes around! This is a nice and simple salad that you can serve for lunch, or even just an appetizer for a bigger meal.

If you’re on a diet, or trying to lose weight, this is a great choice for you. Just prepare 6 beetroots, 75 grams of soft goat’s cheese, 60 grams of toasted walnuts, 2 tbsp. of extra-virgin olive oil, 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar, and 100 grams of spinach leaves. You also need one pinch each of salt, black pepper, and dried oregano.

Place the six beetroots into a pan of boiling salted water and let it simmer for 15 to 40 minutes until it is fork tender. Once you take them out, set them aside for a while until they are cool enough to handle. Peel the skin off and pat them dry, before chopping into bite-sized chunks.

Next, whisk the oil, vinegar, oregano, salt, and black pepper together. Gently drizzle it over the beetroots. Divide the spinach leaves between six plates, and then place the beetroots over them evenly.

Then add the goat’s cheese over the beetroots and top with some toasted walnuts. You can add extra salt and pepper to taste. The salad is ready to go!

Recipe Number 2: Beetroot Hash Browns

Now, many of these recipes are salads, but that doesn’t mean it’s the only thing you can make using beetroots. Case in point: beetroot hash browns. It’s very simple.

Chop an onion and cook it in a spoonful of oil until soft and golden. Cut 200 grams each of cooked potatoes and cooked beetroot into dice, then mix them with the onions. Add some Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper.

If you have leftover scraps like duck and lamb, add them into the mix. One teacupful would do. Add one beaten egg as well. Next, form the mixture into smaller pucks.

After that you can refrigerate it for one hour. To serve, dip the pucks in a saucer of breadcrumbs and fry in oil. This should serve 2 to 3 people. Not only do you have a delicious beetroot meal, you were also able to put that leftover meat to good use.

Recipe Number 3: Pink and White Chocolate Muffins

Another lovely recipe to try if you’re not into salads: beetroot muffins! Okay, that may not sound as appetizing as other muffins, but you won’t regret giving it a try. Pink muffins make the perfect snack for a lovely picnic.

Just whizz 300 grams of cooked beetroot to a puree in a food processor. Next, melt 110 grams of butter before adding it to the processor. Also add 110ml of milk, 85 grams of caster sugar, and two large eggs.

Blend all the ingredients well. Sift this mixture over 225 grams of self raising flour and 1 teaspoon of baking powder. Blend it thoroughly. Next, take out the processor blade and scatter over 50 grams of white chocolate chips.

Prepare the lined mini muffin tins, and then spoon the mixture into it. This recipe should be enough for 20 to 24 pieces. Bake it at 180C for 25 minutes. Cool on a rack before serving.

Who says vegetables can’t be sweet?

Recipe Number 4: Shukhi

What exactly is Shukhi? It’s a Ukrainian dish that’s traditionally eaten at Christmas. Shukhi is warm beetroot and mushroom salad that’s best served on toasted rye bread. Just talking about it is already making us hungry.

To make one of these delicious and nutritious salads, heat the oven to 180C. Next, hear 1 tbsp of oil in a frying pan. Make sure to use an ovenproof frying pan for this. Then add some shallots and cook over a medium-low heat for 5 to 10 minutes. You’ll know that the shallots are ready once they start coloring.

Add the beetroot and season well. Put the pan in the oven and cook for 10 minutes. After that, stir the pan and return to the oven for another 10 minutes until the shallots are golden. This should cook the beetroot while still keeping it firm.

Heat the remaining oil in a large, non-stick frying pan and fry the mushrooms until golden. Then mix the vinegar, sugar, garlic, and some seasoning together. This should make the dressing. Taste to make sure it’s a good balance of sweet and sour flavors. The dressing could be described as garlicky.

Once the beetroot is done, stir in the dressing and mix in some tarragon. Take the rye bread slices and top it with the warm beetroot salad.

Recipe Number 5: Honey-Roasted Beetroot and Carrot Salad

Some people don’t like eating beetroot raw—but many of those people have probably never tried it in the first place. It is surprisingly good, even in its raw form. But put it in a good salad and beetroots should be a bit more appealing for those who don’t want to try.

Even a simple beetroot and carrot salad can do the trick. In fact, it’s perfect for summer parties, as the salad is a good way to cool off while having fun under the sun.

Just peel and grate a large raw beetroot and two large carrots. Try to have an equal quantity of the two vegetables. Mix 2tbsps of olive oil, 1 tbsp of sesame oil, and 1tbsp of lemon juice with a pinch of salt. Mix the two veggies in, and sprinkle a generous amount of pumpkin and sesame seeds. The salad is ready to go!

If that’s not enough, you can even try the honey-roasted variant. It involves roasting the root vegetables in a sweet balsamic glaze to bring out their natural sweetness.

Heat the oven to 180C. Toss together the carrots, vinegar, honey, and olive oil into a large bowl. Spread it on a baking tray then roast for 30 minutes. Remove it 5 minutes before the end of cooking time, and then add the beetroot to the tray before putting it back in the oven.

Once cooked, remove it from the oven and let it cool for a while before finishing with some pumpkin seeds and herbs. This should be a sweet and sensational ride for your taste buds—and it should change the mind of those who don’t like beetroots.

Recipe Number 6: Beetroot Brownies

Speaking of sweet and sensational, have you ever heard of beetroot brownies? They are as good as they sound. And what’s great about this recipe is that it has half the fat of regular brownies! Why have a guilty pleasure snack when you can have one that’s totally guilt free? You will still have that intense chocolate hit that you crave from your conventional brownies.

The ingredients are as follows: 500 grams of raw beetroot (this would be about 4 medium-sized beetroots), 100 grams of unsalted butter, 200 grams of bar plain chocolate (70% cocoa), 1tsp vanilla extract, 25 grams of cocoa powder, 10 grams of plain flour, 250 grams of golden caster sugar, and three eggs.

If you want to avoid stains on your hands while peeling the beetroots, wear a pair of rubber gloves. For this recipe, you’ll need about 400 grams of beetroot flesh. Chop it up and put into a large, microwave safe bowl then add a splash of water. Cover it with cling film then microwave on high for 12 minutes or until the beetroots are tender.

Heat the oven to 180C while the beetroot cooks. Butter then line a small roasting tin. Chop the chocolate and cut the butter into cubes. Tip the cooked beetroot into a sieve so you could easily drain any excess liquid. Put it into a food processor or blender. Add the chocolate, butter, and vanilla. Whizz until the mix is as smooth as it can be. Expect both the chocolate and the butter to melt as you do this.

Meanwhile, put the sugar and eggs into a large bowl, and then beat using an electric hand whisk until it is thick and foamy. This should take about 2 minutes. Spoon the beetroot mix into the bowl, then use a large metal spoon to fold it into the whisked eggs. Sift in the flour and cocoa powder, gently fold these in, and you should have a smooth batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 25 minutes, or until it is risen all over. You’ll know it is ready when there’s barely a quiver under the center of the crust when you shake the pan.

Cool completely, cut into squares, and serve. Enjoy your sweet and healthy dessert!

Recipe Number 7: Char-Grilled Mackerel with Sweet and Sour Beetroot

We’re capping off this list with an unusual sounding recipe. On paper, beetroots and mackerel shouldn’t mix well. But this recipe proves that they can go quite well together. If you pull this off, you’ll feel like a professional chef.

The pickled beetroot adds an extra tang in a deliciously charred mackerel recipe. It’s perfect for parties, and will surely be a hit for the health-conscious crowd.

For this you’ll need 3 mackerel, filleted and boned, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 thinly sliced banana shallot, 25 grams of finely sliced ginger, 3tsp of toasted black sesame seeds, 3tsp of finely snipped chives, 2tsp of vegetable oil, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

For the sweet and sour beetroot, you need 500g of cooked beetroot, 1 bay leaf, 150ml of red wine vinegar, 100g of clear honey, and 1tbsp black peppercorns.

You’ll also need 2tsp of wasabi and 100 grams of crème fraîche for the dressing.

Just mix all the ingredients for the sweet and sour beetroot together, except the beetroot, with 125ml water in a medium pan and bring to a boil. Then take the pan off the heat and leave it to cool. Next, drain and rinse the cooked beetroot, and slice into thin rounds. If you want a contrasting texture, you can slice half of the beetroot into larger chunks.

Once the picking liquor is completely cold, pour it into a large jar, add the beetroot, and then chill overnight.

The following day, you can brush the mackerel all over with the soy sauce and leave it to marinate for 20 minutes. During this time, you can start making the dressing. Just whisk together the wasabi and crème fraîche, and then season to taste.

Heat your grill to its highest setting. Remove the beetroot from the pickling liquor and divide evenly between each plate. Top with shallot, pickled ginger, toasted sesame seeds, and scatter the chives to create a salad.

Next, put a wire rack over a baking tray and brush with oil. Put the fillets on top of the wire rack, and then grill the fish, putting the skin side up. Grill it for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the fish is lightly cooked.

Place the fish on top of each salad with a spoonful of the dressing to serve.

More Beetroot Recipe Ideas

1. Beetroot Kebab

What’s better than a regular kebab? A tasty and healthy beetroot kebab. Mix together beetroot and tofu to arrive at these sensational patties.

2. Beetroot Milkshake

If beetroot juice isn’t your thing, try having beetroot milkshakes! It’s an exciting blend of beetroot, cinnamon and vanilla ice cream.

3. Beetroot and Coconut Soup

Another unusual combination that’s surprisingly good, beetroot and coconut soup is simple, delicious, and perfect for cold weather.

Why Include Beetroots in Your Recipe?

Beetroots contain a lot of nutrients. Here are some of its most common benefits:

Beetroot powder can help lower high blood pressure and elevate low blood pressure. Basically, if you need to regulate your blood pressure, this is the best vegetable to eat.

It is also an excellent source of iron and folate—both nutrients are needed by pregnant women in order to stay healthy. They’re eating for two now, and so it’s a good idea to eat healthy.

Beetroot powder has even been shown to have significant anti-cancer properties, thanks to its betaine. Experts are still studying how beetroots work to inhibit the formation of cancer-causing cells in the body. In the future, it may benefit those with colon and stomach cancer, as it slows down the development of the cancer cells.

The fiber content of beetroot powder is great for improving bowel movements. If you’re suffering from chronic constipation, beetroot powder may relieve your discomfort, especially if you drink it on a regular basis. Beetroot powder can even help detoxify your liver.

On top of all this, it has properties that relax the mind and create a feeling of well-being—much like chocolate!

So if you’re looking for a food supplement that’s natural and beneficial, this might be the right choice for you. Now here are some of the specific benefits that may appeal to athletes, and those who try to maintain an active lifestyle.

Baking with Beetroot: Does it lose its Health Value?

Eating beetroots raw or drinking it as a juice is the best way to enjoy all of its nutritional content. Cooking beetroots can diminish the nutrients contained within—but that only makes it similar to other vegetables. Just keep in mind that as cooking time and temperature increases, the betalains and Vitamin C content also steadily decreases. Betalains, as well as many other nutrients, are sensitive to heat.

If you want to avoid this, it is a good idea to steam beets for less than 15 minutes, or bake them at lower temperatures for less than an hour. This should retain most of its nutrients.

If all else fails, juicing any vegetable is the best way to maintain its nutrients without having to chew any cellulose fiber. Beetroot juice is known as a blood purifier and antioxidant. It may even improve the composition of blood by stimulating the production of red blood cells. This is why it’s considered one of the super foods.