Vegetarian and Vegan Baked Beet Casserole

Baked Beet Casserole

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Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Total: 40 mins
Servings: 4 to 6 servings

Fresh beets may seem a bit intimidating to cook, but they are easier to handle than their rough exterior suggests. This recipe will produce perfectly cooked and delicious beets every time with minimal effort. Simply peel the beets using a vegetable or Y-peeler and slice into thick slices. Combined with spices, lemon, onion, and a little margarine, it's a colorful and delicious vegetarian side dish.

This baked beet casserole recipe sweetens the root vegetable up with a bit of sugar and adds just a touch of spices, so the natural flavors really shine through. Beet casserole is the perfect colorful side dish for your vegetarian or vegan Passover or Seder meal. Or serve alongside sweet brisket or roast chicken and roasted potatoes or latkes for a feast. But don't reserve baked beet casserole for special occasions only—it's delicious with any family meal.

This recipe was reprinted with permission from "The Compassionate Cook Cookbook."

Ingredients

  • 4 cups fresh beets, trimmed, peeled, and sliced (about 5 to 6 medium to large beets)

  • 1 tablespoon sugar

  • 3/4 teaspoon salt

  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika

  • 1 tablespoon margarine

  • 1/3 cup water

  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

  • 1 tablespoon grated onion

  • 1 slice fresh ginger

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Lightly oil a 7-inch baking dish.

  2. Layer the sliced beets in the baking dish and sprinkle with the sugar, salt, and paprika.

  3. Dot the beets with the margarine, then add the water, lemon juice, grated onion, and slice of ginger.

  4. Cover with a lid or aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes, stirring once halfway through the bake time. The beets should be tender.

  5. Serve warm with a drizzle of the cooking liquid.

Recipe Variations

  • If you don't have fresh ginger handy, add a sprinkle of ground ginger instead.
  • To use the beets and beet greens all in one dish, wash and chop the greens and add them to the casserole halfway through baking. Stir and finish baking.
  • You can swap the sugar for honey or another sweetener if you like.
  • Add a sprinkle of chopped fresh parsley or dill after baking for some freshness.

Tips

  • Look for beets that are firm, deeply colored, and free of blemishes. The greens, if attached, should be vibrant and perky. Remove the greens and store beets in the crisper drawer for up to a week.
  • To prepare the beets, give them a good scrub under cool water. Rinse and dry. If the greens are still attached, remove them and set aside for another recipe. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the peel and a paring knife to trim off any remaining pieces of the green stalks. Slice the beets into thick rounds.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
79 Calories
2g Fat
14g Carbs
2g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories 79
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 2g 3%
Saturated Fat 0g 2%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 338mg 15%
Total Carbohydrate 14g 5%
Dietary Fiber 3g 11%
Total Sugars 9g
Protein 2g
Vitamin C 6mg 29%
Calcium 19mg 1%
Iron 1mg 5%
Potassium 370mg 8%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)