If you’re looking to add some sweetness to your daily vegetables, it’s time to feel the beet. Those little red roots are packed with natural sugars, so they can provide a burst of sweet flavor to salads, savory one-pan dinners and even snack time.
But unlike added sweeteners, the natural sugars from beets won’t send your blood levels soaring: Beets rank in the “low to medium” range for the glycemic index, which means your blood sugar won’t spike as it would with a sugary treat loaded with simple carbs.
And unlike added sugars, the sweetness of beets comes with disease-fighting health benefits and filling nutrients your body needs. Beetroot has been shown to lower blood pressure, increase blood flow to the brain for a healthier mind, and reduce chronic inflammation, which may be a factor in several diseases, including heart disease and certain cancers.
Beets are also loaded with filling fiber: One cup of sliced, cooked beets has 3.4 grams of dietary fiber, a nutrient that can help you feel full faster—and feel fuller for longer. Fiber helps calm your appetite, fights off belly fat, and can improve your overall gut health.
So beet it! These 15 easy beet recipes make it simple to incorporate more of this sweet red vegetable into your daily diet.
Besides its creamy goat cheese, sweetness from beets, and peppery arugula flavor, this Balsamic Beet and Goat Cheese Salad has another benefit: It provides all four of your daily non-starchy vegetable servings in a single dish! And that’s huge for your goals.
Nutrisystem programs have members eat four or more servings of non-starchy vegetables per day for some simple reason: These veggies are weight loss superchargers! They fill you up, give your body nutrients it needs to function, fight off disease and keep your energy levels high. Plus, they’re low in calories to help power your weight loss success.
Potatoes aren’t the only vegetables that make delicious chips! The Leaf offers ways to make them from kale for a light, crunchy taste, and in this Root Vegetable Chips recipe, from beets, parsnips and sweet potatoes.
By baking thin slices of the vegetables for 20 to 30 minutes, you’ll have a tray full of crunchy, salty, satisfying chips that help you conquer snack time with salty goodness while staying on track to your goals. Try them with your own seasoning mixes for a personal twist, or go for an even crunchier version by experimenting with an air fryer!
This dish a smorgasbord of superfoods: Dark, leafy kale is high in fiber and low in calories, and is loaded with nutrients and antioxidants like potassium. Salmon is a superstar of Omega-3 fatty acids. And beets have all those can’t-beet-it benefits outlined above.
But when the three come together in this Miso Salmon with Kale and Beets recipe, they’ve got another super power: They’re delicious! Topped with a homemade miso-ginger glaze and flavored with onions and garlic, this dish is so tasty that you’ll forget it’s great for your health!
Double the dessert flavor while reducing your calories and sugar intake with this Red Velvet Beet Brownies recipe. This healthy bake combines the flavors of red velvet cake and classic brownies into a single pan—and reduces sugar thanks to the natural sweetness of beets and a stevia baking blend.
The chocolate flavor is all there, with cocoa powder in the batter and chocolate chips on top. The result are rich, red brownies that are weight loss approved—and delicious.
Give your Meatless Monday a filling, flavorful kick with this mouthwatering Mega Beet Burger recipe. It’s loaded with protein, fiber and nutrients not just from beets, but from oats, lentils, walnuts and flax. All these ingredients—plus some onions and spices—get mixed in the food processor to create a mix that’s got the same consistency as ground meat, but with far fewer calories. And they’re topped with something even more surprising: a goat cheese and honey spread that adds sweetness, creaminess, and—thanks to Greek yogurt—even more protein to this filling meal.
Nothing says fall flavor like maple … except maybe roasted root veggies. Combine their autumnal powers and satisfy your sweet tooth with this simple to prepare side dish: Just toss sliced carrots, beets, and parsnips in a mix of oil, light butter, maple syrup, and orange juice before baking for 40 minutes. The result? Concentrated sweetness from the natural sugars of the vegetables, plus even more sugary goodness from a maple glaze. You’ll hardly believe this Maple Roasted Root Vegetables recipe is only 152 calories per serving.
Roasting vegetables concentrates their flavors and brings out their natural sweetness. And when it’s beets and carrots, you’re roasting two of the most flavor- and natural sugar-packed veggies you can find! In this Roasted Rosemary Beets and Carrots recipe, they’re slow-roasted with red onion and topped with rosemary for an herby side that’s got all the flavors of harvest time. Best of all, it’s all made on one pan: Just toss the ingredients together, roast them together, and then devour them together!
Beets and goat cheese are a classic combination. There’s something about the sweetness of the vegetable and the cool, creamy flavor of the cheese that marries perfectly. This Beet and Goat Cheese Appetizer recipe gives that pairing a gourmet spin that’s worthy of a classic party.
Square slices of beets are layered with a goat cheese, yogurt, milk and lemon mixture to make a striking, red-and-white striped bite that’s straight out of a cooking competition. But unlike those impossible dishes on TV, this layered dish is easy to make, so you can wow your friends and guests with the app’s looks and flavor while sticking to your healthy eating plan.
This Arugula Beet and Orange Salad recipe is a sweet, refreshing way to get two of your daily non-starchy vegetable servings for just 101 little calories—and there’s no cooking required! Spicy, peppery arugula is topped with canned, sliced beets, sharp red onion, cool cucumber slices and sweet, tangy orange. It’s all topped off with a simple, tasty dressing you make yourself from orange juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt and honey.
Yes, it’s made of superfoods, so it’s loaded with nutrients like protein and fiber from quinoa, and vitamins and minerals in the beets and kale. But this Beetroot and Quinoa Superfood Salad recipe isn’t just healthy, it’s tasty, too, made with lemon, thyme and low-fat feta cheese. It’s got cheesiness, sweetness, crunch, citrusy zest and aromatic herbs … a serious mix of flavors and textures that could make this easy to make salad your new favorite Flex Meal or side dish.
Power bowls are a delicious way to pack in lots of great-for-you foods in a single, easy-to-eat meal … and they’re always topped with a tasty dressing that ties all the ingredients together. This Chicken Root Power Bowl recipe is no different. It’s loaded with hearty chicken, grains, and vegetables like beets, spinach, cauliflower and sweet potato.
It’s all topped by a simple, flavorful white balsamic dressing, made with vinegar, sharp Dijon mustard, honey, olive oil and black pepper. Toss it all together and you’ve got a lunch that will fill you with power—energy for your day and, thanks to the high fiber and protein content, a full stomach that gives you the willpower to feel satisfied until supper.
Beets give this Spring Beet Orzo Risotto recipe a bright, tantalizing red hue. The meal starts by roasting some beets—just toss them in olive oil and pop them in the oven on a baking sheet for 40 minutes. While they cook, you’ll prepare the orzo the same way rice is prepared for risotto, sautéing it and then cooking it in broth for added flavor.
The pasta is combined with balsamic vinegar and pureed beets for a delicious finish that’s topped with goat cheese and sliced almonds. This side dish has a creamy, crunchy texture you’ll love.
It’s a protein shake that tastes like cake. Need we say more? Well, we will anyway! This Red Velvet Protein Shake recipe has a rich, chocolate fudge flavor that’s enhanced by coffee, and is hiding a secret: It’s packed with vegetable nutrition from beets and a cup of leafy green spinach. The beets provide added sweetness and a deep, ruby color, but otherwise, you’d never know it’s healthy. The fudge and coffee combo masks the vegetables, so all you taste through your straw is scrumptious cake.
If you haven’t had a smoothie bowl, they’re part smoothie, part pudding … and all delicious. They’re a nutrient-packed way to energize your morning with vitamins, minerals and good stuff your body needs. Plus, they have a mix of flavors and textures that will tantalize your taste buds.
This Superfood Smoothie Bowl recipe has sweet cherries, beets, crunchy pistachios and creamy Greek yogurt that all help to mask the fiber-and-nutrition bonus of riced cauliflower. All you taste is sweet and crunch, though, brightening your a.m. hours and powering you up to tackle the day and stay satisfied until lunch.
Roasted vegetable salads combine the nutritional punch of a cold side salad with the warm, satisfying flavors and textures of roasted veggies. This Farro Roasted Vegetable Salad recipe features beets, Brussels sprouts, kale and carrots. It gets a bonus bit of filling fiber and nutrition from farro, an often-overlooked, nutrient-dense grain that provides 12 percent of your daily fiber—plus iron and calcium—in a single serving. The farro also makes this already-heaping and -hearty dish even more satisfying, so you’ll feel more full and satiated than you ever have from a salad.
Get ready to elevate your hummus game with a recipe that will make your taste buds sing. The stunning color of this Roasted Beet Hummus recipe might steal the show, but it’s the earthy sweetness that will keep you coming back for more. By adding beets to the classic chickpea and tahini mix, you’re not only making the dip more nutritious, but also adding a depth of flavor that will have everyone asking for the recipe. Say goodbye to boring old hummus and hello to your new favorite snack.
