Beet greens can be a little coarse on their own, but you can harness their mildly sweet and earthy flavor. Cook them in a little garlic and olive oil and they become silky and flavored with all the delicious things you cook them in. Try this Warm Whole Beet Salad and youโll never throw out your beet greens again.
Makes 6 Servings
Ingredients
- 2 lbs beets, with leaves attached, washed
- 3 tbsp Imperfect Foods olive oil, divided
- ยผ cup Imperfect Foods Broken Walnut Pieces or Hazelnuts
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ยฝ cup crumbled feta cheese or goat cheese
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 3 tsp fresh oregano, or thyme, chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
- Preheat the oven to 450F. Remove stems and leaves from the beets. Chop stems and leaves into 2-inch pieces and set aside.
- Place beets in a large baking dish and rub all sides with 1-2 tbsp of olive oil, salt and pepper. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45-55 minutes, or until fork tender. Set aside to cool.
- Place walnuts in a pan over medium-low heat. Toast walnuts, shaking the pan, until walnuts turn golden brown, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.
- Wipe down the pan and add enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Heat over medium heat. Add beet greens and garlic and saute until greens are wilted and tender, about 5-8 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter.ย ย
- Use a sharp paring knife to carefully peel the roasted beets and cut into 1-inch cubes. Place in a medium bowl. Add cheese, balsamic vinegar, nuts, and herbs. Gently toss to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste. Arrange mixture on top of the sauteed beet greens and serve.ย
Recipe Notes and Variations
- Be sure to add homemade croutons or roasted chickpeas for a little extra crunch.
- Have some extra beets hanging around? Try our Beet, Arugula, and Goat Cheese Quiche.
21 Comments
Sarah
January 26, 2022 at 12:35 pmI think you forgot to put beets in the ingredients?
Imperfect
January 27, 2022 at 3:44 pmWe’ve since fixed this! Thanks so much for flagging this! ๐
myboysmama
January 26, 2022 at 1:11 pmwhat is the amount of beets to use in this recipe? They are not listed in the ingredients… Thanks!
Imperfect
January 27, 2022 at 3:50 pmWe suggest 2 lbs of beets with the stems still attached! ๐
Laura
January 26, 2022 at 4:47 pmHow many beets do you use in this recipe?
Imperfect
January 27, 2022 at 3:47 pm2lbs of beets with the stems still attached! ๐
Mindy
January 26, 2022 at 5:26 pmIt is my imagination or is the ingredient list missing beets?
j
January 26, 2022 at 7:29 pmthere are no beets listed in the ingredients list
Imperfect
January 27, 2022 at 3:47 pmThank you for flagging this! We’ve gone ahead and added the beets in! ๐
Jill
January 26, 2022 at 8:41 pmHow many beets should I be using? I did not find that in the ingredients list or instructions. Thanks
Imperfect
January 27, 2022 at 3:51 pmThe recipe calls for 2 lbs of beets with the stems still attached! ๐
Louis
January 27, 2022 at 7:34 amMissing beets in the ingredient list. How many/much?
Imperfect
January 27, 2022 at 3:48 pm2lbs of beets with the stems still attached! ๐
Kathleen Charles
January 27, 2022 at 8:07 amHow many beets would you recommend?
Imperfect
January 27, 2022 at 3:48 pmWe suggest 2lbs with the stems still attached! ๐
Elizabeth
January 27, 2022 at 8:12 amThe ingredients list appears to be missing the more important part – the beets!
Imperfect
January 27, 2022 at 3:49 pmOops! We’ve since fixed this! ๐
Susan Finnell
January 28, 2022 at 5:26 amThe first step seems a bit misleading. I think you mean to chop the beet greens in 2″ pieces not the beets themselves. I assume beets are to be roasted whole since it would be much easier to peel after roasting.
Imperfect
February 8, 2022 at 3:07 pmWe hear you, and we’ve gone ahead and have adjusted the recipe to read to only chop the beet greens into 2″ pieces – not the beets themselves ๐
Susan L.
February 5, 2022 at 10:02 amI believe it would be helpful to clarify in step 1 that you are cutting up the beet greens into 2 inch pieces., not the beets. If someone doesnโt read the entire recipe or hasnโt cooked with beets previously, they could end up peeling 2 inch pieces of roasted beets ๐ Thank you!
Imperfect
February 8, 2022 at 3:07 pmThank you! We’ve gone ahead and made it more clear in the recipe now ๐โจ