Sauteed Beet Greens Recipe

This sauteed beet greens recipe treats the leafy tops most home cooks throw out like the side dish they actually are. I cook them in olive oil with shallots, garlic, and fresh thyme, finish with lemon, and the pan is ready in 8 minutes.

As I have gotten older, I have tried hard to get more vegetables on the dinner table, and the honest truth is that they have to taste good or nobody at my house is going to eat them. If you are in the same boat, I would point you at my Italian spinach or my roasted zucchini recipe next.

Beet Greens

Beet greens are the leafy greens that come from the stem end of a fresh beet. They can be eaten raw, added to soups, or sauteed and eaten as a side dish. The flavor is mild, slightly sweet, and earthy, and the stems are actually a touch sweeter than the leaves, which is why I always use both together. 

Where I grew up, on the Italian-American side of my family, throwing out the tops of a bunch of beets would have been treated as a small kitchen crime. My grandmother was the kind of cook who made dinner out of whatever was in the kitchen, and the leaves and the stems off a beet went into the pan with garlic and olive oil the same night the roots went into the oven.

That same cooking habit stayed with me, and this is the way I cook them at home now. I highly recommend making a pan of these sauteed beet greens recipe the next time you pick up beets with the tops still attached.

Ingredients and Substitutions

This is a short ingredient list, which is most of why I love cooking these on a weeknight:

• Beet Greens – I use fresh beet greens with the stems still attached. Both the leaves and the stems go in the pan.
• Fat – Extra virgin olive oil is what I reach for first. Avocado oil, ghee, or clarified butter all work.
• Shallot – I use a small shallot for a sweeter mellower aromatic. A small red, white, yellow, or sweet onion will substitute fine.
• Garlic – Fresh cloves, finely minced. Jarred minced garlic does not have the same punch and will get bitter in the hot oil.
• Butter – Unsalted butter goes in with the shallot and garlic at the end.
• Herbs – Some fresh thyme will add nice flavors to the greens. This is optional.
• Lemon – A little lemon will help balance the bite in the beet greens.
• Spices – I like adding crushed red pepper flakes to the dish.
• Salt and pepper – Coarse salt and fresh cracked black pepper, to taste.

How to Make Beet Greens

Rinse the greens: I give the leaves and stems a good rinse under cold water to wash away any dirt and grit. Beet tops hide a lot of soil in the folds of the leaves, so I do this in a bowl of cool water if the bunch looks especially dirty.

Separate stems from leaves: Then, cut the stems away from the leaves and set them aside. The stems take longer to cook, so they need a head start.

Slice the leaves: I stack a handful of leaves on top of each other, roll them up like a cigar, and cut 1-inch ribbons across the roll. This is a quick chiffonade and it keeps the leaves from clumping in the pan.

Slice the stems: I cut the stems thin, about the thickness of a pencil lead, so they cook in roughly the same time as the leaves once both are in the pan together.

Heat the pan: I add olive oil to a large frying pan or rondeau over medium-high heat and let it warm for about 45 seconds, until the oil shimmers and moves easily across the pan.

Saute the stems and leaves: I add the sliced stems and leaves to the hot oil and saute for 2 to 3 minutes, tossing the pan, until the leaves start to wilt.

Push the greens to one side: I lower the heat to medium and scoot all the greens to one side of the pan. On the empty side, I add the butter, shallot, and garlic, and cook for about 2 minutes while I stir constantly so the garlic does not burn.

Finish the pan: I fold everything together, squeeze in the lemon juice, season with salt and pepper, and toss in the minced fresh thyme.

Serve: Enjoy it with additional minced fresh thyme.

Serving Suggestions

This is the green I plate on a weeknight when I am searing a piece of fish or slicing an oven roasted tri tip steak, and I want a vegetable on the table in 8 minutes. On a weekend with more time, I will add them next to a bowl of cream of broccoli soup and a tray of mustard roasted potatoes, and dinner is done.

For a vegetable-heavy plate, I will pair the greens with a tray of roasted broccoli and let the two play off each other, one charred and one bright. Leftover greens are surprisingly good cold the next day, folded into scrambled eggs the way I would use sauteed spinach, or piled on a piece of grilled chicken margarita for a quick lunch plate.

Make-Ahead and Storage

Make-Ahead: I cook this dish to order. The greens are at their best the moment they come off the heat, and they lose their brightness if they sit. If I want to save time, I will prep the greens in advance, rinse, separate, and slice everything, and stash the prepped greens in the fridge until I am ready to cook.

How to Store: I keep leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

How to Reheat: I warm 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat until it shimmers, drop the cold greens in, and saute for 1 to 2 minutes until they are heated through. The greens can release liquid as they reheat, so I keep the heat steady and the pan moving. If the oil ever flares from the moisture, I lift the pan off the burner for a second and the flame dies on its own.

More Vegetable Recipes

• Sauteed Green Beans
• Stir Fry Noodles
• Roasted Red Peppers
• Roasted Italian Potatoes
• Black Bean and Corn Salsa