I always love recipes that utilize the outcast part of an ingredient. When you realize you can make something delicious out of something you thought was useless it’s like discovering a whole new ingredient. I was first experienced this when I discovered carrot top pesto. It was kind of mind blowing for me, and exciting to tell the grocery store cashier not to remove the tops (it’s the little things). That is how I feel about this recipe. I never really thought of using these parts when I buy beets. As you can imagine the stems and leaves are slightly bitter, but don’t let that deter you. It’s really good, and we added citrus and champagne vinegar to balance out the taste. The result is a refreshing dish that is a really perfect side for almost anything. Hope you guys like it!
♥ Teri
Citrus Sautéed Beet Stems
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 bunch beet stems, cleaned and chopped
1 shallot, diced
1 bunch beet leaves, cleaned and torn into pieces
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
zest and juice of 1 orange
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Place oil in a medium skillet, over medium high heat. Add stems and shallot and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes. Add beet leaves and continue to sauté for 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Add garlic, champagne vinegar and orange juice and simmer until all juice has evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes. Adjust seasonings.
3. Top with orange zest and serve.
Yum! I love the orange zest on top–so pretty!
Wow, what a fun way to use the beautiful part of my organic 3 color beets.
I did a quick simmer with some fresh garlic, a little vinegar, orange zest, and squeezed 3 or 4 oranges in. Let is simmer for about 30′ Served it as a garnish for my Rib eye, with roasted new potatoes. All said it was a very romantic Red side for Valentines dinner. Thank you for the amazing idea to salvage an oft discarded item.
Great taste, great texture, great color. Just perfect to compliment a meaty cut like Rib Eye.
Absolutely delicious, I enjoyed this recipe. I couldn’t believe you can use every part of the BEET GREAT.
I know the feeling! I used to throw away carrot tops and beet root tops but now, nothing goes for a waste. It’s all used one way or the other :)
I make a great vegetable soup using all the outer cauliflower leaves and stalks as a base.
Fantastic idea! I am doing it just now and the taste is great! thank you! Got more such lovely ideas??? ;-)
This looks lovely. I understand beet leaves are even more nutritious than the roots.
I love this! I always feel guilty when I buy beets at the market and the guy asks me if I want the stems cut and I say “yes”. Up until now the only place I’d utilized beet leaves and stems was when making stock. So this is super helpful!
I love utilizing all the veg parts too. I usually just try to save them for a smoothie, but this is a great idea!
This sounds awesome! I love using up all the veggies!
gorgeous photos, as usual. I’ve never had beet stems before but you’ve got me interested.
This recipe couldn’t have come at a more perfect time! Using this recipe ASAP!
Yes…I agree! I actually love to munch on broccoli stems that have been peeled! Or to cook them up with a little scrambled egg and parmesan. As always…loving your photos! Thank you.
oh wow this is awesome! this such a great idea to make vegetables taste good!
I love that you used up the stems, there are so many places where we can cut back and use as much as possible from vegetables and fruits. The citrus makes it sound extra tasty!
Hello! I am teaching myself to avoid wasting as much as possible, and have just finished eating my huge plate of “citrus sautéed beet stems à la Spoon Fork Bacon”! I just replaced the orange with lemon, as that is what I had in my pantry. I loved it! It was super delicious, filling, and “different” (as in different from sautéed spinach or chard). Thank you!
So glad to hear you enjoyed it! I also like switching up the citrus with done lime juice and zest. If you’re able to get ahold of a Buddha’s hand…it’s really awesome :) thanks for your feedback!
I am seriously going to the store in the morning to get the ingredients to make this amazing salad. Thank you!
In Poland we make cold beetroot soup. It’s perfect for hot summer days and it’s made of beetroot steams :) I also cook sometimes hot beetroot steams soup too. It’s not borscht. Salad is perfect idea. I will try this recipe for sure :)
Made this recipe this morning. WOW! So wonderful. I’m paleo so I used coconut oil instead of olive oil and it added an almost buttery taste to the greens. Usually I throw out the stems and just sauté the greens but now I have a great use for both. I’ll be asking for extra beets (and greens!) in all my CSA boxes now :)
I just made this tonight. It was awesome! I did make some changes though. I used coconut oil instead of olive, used 1/2 an orange (chopped), and apple cider vinegar. It was the first time I ever cooked with beet stems & leaves. Your recipe gave me a great first impression of how yummy beet dishes can be. Thanks so much! Oh, I did use extra garlic as well. Along with this, we had baked jicama fries (another first) and chicken seasoned with curry and chili powder.
Made tonight. Usually I throw the stems out so it was great to be able to use the and for a delicious recipe too!
Just made it for lunch. Substituted pomegranate syrup & lemon juice for the vinegar and oranges. Yum! Your recipe was inspiring. You might be interested in the book, Beet the Odds by Nathan S. Bryan and Carolyn Pierini.
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Just made this for lunch and I had to stop to say thank you! The orange zest is the secret ingredient. Delicious.
I was wondering if the shallots can be replaced with red onion and the champagne vinegar be replaced with Braggs Apple cider vinegar? Thanks!
Totally!
This was absolutely delicious! Thanks for posting (:
I want to email this to a friend ?
Your blog doesn’t show where to do that ?
So delicious!
Excellent flavour combination and a wonderful end result. Thank you for the brilliant use for the above-ground beet goodness.
Phenomenal! I doubled it and almost ate the whole thing. A lime and zest and white balsamic vinegar were substituted because that was what was in my kitchen today. Paired w/ baked chicken breast and a glass of white wine made me think I was in a gourmet restaurant. Thank you! Now my bumper crop of beet greens will not be wasted.
Just made this, just as written! Delicious! Thanks for your wonderful website!!
What does moderation mean?
Absolutely delicious! I had used the leaves before but never the stalks.
It feels like such a healthy dish to eat.
ROCKin’!
I subbed finely diced apples (no orange about) and some beet-water from boiling the actual beets…arugala thrown in at end.
Much better than I expected.
KUDOS!
Made this for supper tonight…cooked it a little longer, it was awesome!
We made this last night. It was so yummy! I had white wine vinegar on hand and a couple of clementines, so that’s what I used. I also sprinkled a few pine nuts on top. Great way to use up the stems and leaves. Thanks for the recipe.
This is so simple and tasty! I didn’t have a shallot, so I used a little minced onion.
Made this tonight as I didn’t want to waste the stems. Tasted the stems raw and thought they were quite earthy. But after cooking them with the ingredients of this recipe and serving them up with baked chicken breast stuffed with spinach, feta and cream cheese, I have changed my mind. This recipe is one I will keep.
I made this and had no oranges but I had mandarins and kumquats. it was wonderful and my friend and I decided we will make this often.
Didn’t have shallots so used onion. Orange rind looked dry so didn’t add zest. I ate it as if it were the main course.
I have always loved beets, but today followed your recipe for stems and leaves! It was wonderful and I will definitely make i bargain! Thank you!
Bought a bunch of beets at the farmer’s market today with a lovely head of leaves and long stems. At home washed and diced all the stems, some diced onion and garlic and sautéed all in a bit of butter/water for 5 min. Sprinkled Montreal steak spice on the soft veggies, then squeezed 1/2 lime on top. Delicious. The tops will be used up another day. Then I came across this recipe and will definitely try it somtime.
I love this recipe! I tried beet greens for the 1st time this evening and they are better than I expected! I was pleasantly surprised. I substituted not from concentrate orange juice for the juice from an orange. I didn’t have shallots or the champagne vinegar on hand and just used garlic salt and it was great! Thanks for the recipe. My 11 year old daughter enjoyed them too!
I normally give the greens to my parrots. I tired this today and it came out wonderful! Thank you!
In Portugal, unless you grow them yourself, you have no access to the beet’s stems or leaves, or carrot tops. Anyway, it sounds like a great ideia for when I start growing my own veggies! :)
I just made this tonight – it was delicious. I cooked the chopped stems in a fry pan with bacon and garlic. I cooked the torn leaves in water with about 1 tsp of chicken bouillon. Drained the leaves and added it to the stems and bacon. Then added about 1/2 cup of the liquid I cooked the leaves in, and finished off with the orange zest which was a very nice addition. I’ll boil the beets tomorrow and perhaps use a part of one in a spinach smoothie. I’m thinking I will boil beets in the the leaves/chicken bouillon mix. Butter and salt is all I need on boiled beets.