Bold, beautiful and brilliantly versatile, beetroot is an often overlooked root vegetable. While typically in season from June to March in the UK, handy packs of vac-packed beetroot are available in greengrocers and supermarkets all year round.
There’s a lot you can do with beetroot: slice or grate raw into salads; roast whole for an all-star salad ingredient, or blitz into a super-summery dip; thinly slice for a batch of beetroot crisps or pickle for a next-level cheese accompaniment. Tender, young beetroot leaves are delicious eaten raw in a salad, while the larger leaves are best lightly cooked, like spinach.
Just remember, when boiling beetroot, make sure you leave the skin on so that their colour doesn’t seep out into the water. Here are our favourite beetroot recipes to get you inspired.
Vibrant, fresh, and full of flavour, this seasonal salad is a real treat for your taste buds. The earthy beetroot pairs perfectly with sweet clementines and tangy goat’s cheese – delicious.
Beetroot works beautifully in a curry – if you’ve never tried it like this before, you’re in for something truly special.
Spice up your Sunday roast with this colourful gratin of tender beetroot, sweet parsnips, rosemary, garlic and orange zest – give it a go.
Make the most of beetroot (and their leaves) in this twist on a French classic. Tossed with quail eggs, tarragon and capers – it’s the right kind of posh!
Elevate avo on toast with smashed beetroot, houmous and cottage cheese. A great way to start the day.
Go all out with this Swedish-style beetroot gravadlax recipe – it’s elegant, fresh and surprisingly straightforward to make. It makes a fantastic centrepiece at a dinner party.
Make a batch of this pickled beetroot recipe when in season – they make fantastic foodie gifts. Delicious on crackers with mature Cheddar or Kirkham’s Lancashire.
A strong start to any dinner party, this brilliant beetroot starter recipe is sure to go down a treat. So good with crisp juniper toasts, delicate salad and fresh dill.
Vibrant, creamy and luxurious, beetroot makes for an incredible pasta sauce. Max La Manna shows us how. Plus, you can use the same sauce on pizza, too!
Beetroot makes a surprise appearance here, which results in a super-moist chocolate cake. This is a brilliant one to do with kids – give it a go!
