Dinner Plans: Beets

Prep 3 Delicious Meals From 1 Batch of Roasted Beets

By
Debbie Koenig
Debbie Koenig
Debbie is a food writer, cookbook author and recipe developer with expertise in parenting, health and nutrition.
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Updated on 07/19/21
Beets

Kevin Summers / Getty Images

Sweet and earthy, roasted beets add a burst of color and flavor to meals with very little effort. Roast a dozen medium ones all at once, and you’ll have the basis for three easy but sophisticated dinners.

Game Plan

Prep Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

  1. Prep 12 medium beets (about 3 pounds) and roast.
  2. Peel all the beets. Dice four for tonight and set aside to finish cooling. Slice three more (about 1/4-inch thick) to use with the salmon, and leave the rest whole.
  3. While you peel and prep the beets, toast the pecans and cook the bacon for prep day dinner.
  4. Refrigerate the leftover beets separately in air-tight containers.
1:16

See How to Make This Beet Salad With Spinach and Balsamic Vinaigrette

Prep Day Roasted Beets and Feta Salad

The mellow sweetness of roasted beets works perfectly with salty, creamy feta, tender greens, toasted pecans, and meaty bacon. This salad needs no accompaniment, but serve with crusty bread to make it extra filling.

Beet Salad
The Spruce 

Getting Dinner on the Table

  • Dress the salad at the last minute for the freshest results.
  • Toss each serving individually and then top with bacon, onion, nuts, and beets. Any dressing-free servings can be saved for lunch the next day.

Borscht Night

Time: 35 minutes

Roasting the beets for borscht, an Eastern European soup, yields a deeper, richer flavor than boiling them does. Serve it with a Polish salad and boiled or roasted potatoes.

Polish Borscht
The Spruce

Getting Dinner on the Table

  • If you're roasting the potatoes, prep and put them in the oven before starting on the soup.
  • Use the whole beets tonight. You can slice them right after roasting if you like, but they’re easier to hold when they’re cold. 
  • Once the soup is simmering, start making the salad. It should all be ready at the same time.

Salmon Night

Time: 30 minutes

Swapping roasted beets for canned takes this salmon dish to a whole new level. The best part: Your main and vegetable cook together on a single baking sheet. Serve it with rice to soak up that irresistible marinade.

Roasted Salmon and Beets
The Spruce / Lora-Wiley-Lennartz 

Getting Dinner on the Table

  • Marinate the salmon while the oven preheats. Skip roasting the beets and onions and just roast the salmon and veggies all at one time.
  • Get the rice cooking while the salmon is marinating and it’ll be perfectly fluffy by the time the salmon is done.
  • Now it’s time for the sliced beets. Cutting them into hearts is not required.
  • A tip to dirty only one skillet: Do step 13, toasting the almonds, before step 11, searing the salmon.

Essential Info

Here's some helpful info about beets:

About Dinner Plans

Making quick weeknight dinners is easier when you start with a few building blocks. Dinner Plans is a realistic roadmap to help you achieve that goal, by putting in a few hours of work (planning, shopping, and prepping) at the outset. Preparing a big batch of one ingredient (protein, vegetables, or grains) gives you the flexibility to plan a variety of meals. And who knows? You just might discover your new favorite weeknight recipe in the process!

Show everyone how together you are: Instagram your meal prep photos and tag them #thespruceeats.