Beet greens are the leaves of the beetroot plant. They usually come attached to the stems when purchasing beets at the grocery store or farmers market. While sometimes tossed aside, beet greens, and the stems of the beets, are delicious, healthy and easy to use in a variety of ways, and should never be thrown away! Sautéed beet greens are a tasty side dish. They're also delicious mixed into pasta dishes, eggs, frittatas, salads and other recipes!
To start this recipe, separate the beet stems from the beet greens, then clean them by running them under cold water and making sure to remove any dirt. Dry the leaves in a salad spinner, or with paper towels.
After they're thoroughly cleaned, dice the beet stems and chop the beet greens.
Add the olive oil to a large skillet on the stove over medium-high heat.
Once the oil is hot, add the minced beet stems and garlic, cook for 1 minute.
Add the beet greens, salt and pepper, and saute for 3-4 minutes.
Turn off the heat on the stove, then stir in the lemon juice and zest, and stir to combine.
Serve immediately as a side dish, or mix it with cooked pasta or into an omelette.
Notes
One bunch of beets will give you about 3 cups of chopped beet greens and 2 cups of diced beet stems.
To make a beet green frittata, refer to the blog post above.