Roasted beets are high in folate, vitamin C and even better – low in calories! Beets are a highly versatile vegetable. Roasted beets are delicious over salads or tossed in olive oil and cheese and sliced into savory fries!
Do you like beets? They have a distinct flavor. I sure love both red beets and golden beets. I love them roasted, pickled, and sautéed. My husband and the littles not so much. They don’t like the “root and dirt flavor”. For me it’s a different experience. I taste a hearty sweet flavor when I roast them. Come to round 495 of trying to get my boys to like them in different ways, this is one roasted beets recipe they prefer! Turn them into a man’s favorite food (and one I love too!), Fries!
After all, fries are really hard to resist. And there are so many delicious options such as zucchini fries, French fries, sweet potato fries and now this roasted beet fries – which is super easy to make.
First, peel red or golden beets to remove the skin. I used red beets for their vibrant beautiful color. Then slice off both ends. Slice them up into ¼ inch long slices. Lay the beet slices on a baking pan (layered in parchment paper to prevent sticking). Dress them in olive oil, harissa spice, cumin. Roast, flipping them throughout the process. Remove them from the oven and sprinkle some Parmesan cheese on top and serve right away with non fat Greek yogurt or your favorite dip.
But before the recipe… have you ever used harissa spice yet? I had not until my friend Lauren, an amazing nutritionist introduced me to it. She made our family a lovely dinner one night and used this spice over potatoes cooked in a dehydrator. Then tossed them into a fresh salad. It was so delicious! Ever since then it is a spice that doesn’t run out in our home. It can be found at most specialty grocery stores but if you want to make it at home here is a great harissa recipe.
And this spice is delicious on root vegetables and beets.
Are you convinced yet to try another yummy way to eat vegetables? And it only takes about 20 minutes to roast. That means Dinner and snacks in less than 30 minutes. Just roast up a big batch of this roasted beet recipe and reheat beet fries for days!
And it gets even better. Beets are an excellent way to get more potassium, calcium, iron, beta carotene, and vitamin C into your diet. They are also super low in calories, at about 59 calories per cup. Cooking beets is also very beneficial to your body, especially the greens. The greens are the most nutritious part of the vegetable. The green leaves can be sauteed in a bit of garlic and served like spinach or Swiss chard. Beets can aid in cancer prevention and enhance the immunity due to the beta carotene and high vitamin C. And a half-cup serving of beets provides about ¼ of the adult Recommended Daily Allowance. The tops are the most nutritious, so sauté those baby’s up in some olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper and you have a quick and easy healthy side dish for another night.
- 2 large red or golden beets
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon harissa spice
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- salt and pepper
- parsley, chopped (optional)
- 2 Tablespoons of Parmesan sprinkles
- Preheat oven 400 degrees F. Line a baking pan with parchment paper.
- Peel red or golden beets. Then slice off both ends. Slice them up into ¼ inch long slices to resemble fries.
- Lay the beet slices on prepared baking pan. Drizzle olive oil over them and coat with your hands. Then sprinkle harissa spice, cumin and a dash of salt and pepper.
- Roast them at 400 degrees F for 15-25 minutes, flipping them through the process after 10 minutes. To see if they are done, poke them with a fork, they should be nice and soft.
- Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle some Parmesan cheese on top and serve right away with your favorite sauce or dip.
Beet fries? What a genius idea! They look incredible!