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About Roasting Beets in Foil
When it comes to a no mess, no stain experience of roasting red beets, the best way is to roast them whole. And the best way to roast beets whole is to roast them in foil. You peel them and cut them once they are done.
This method can be used with yellow beets too, but it makes more sense with the red variety because the yellow ones do not contain betanin - the pigment responsible for the magenta staining associated with red beets, which so many home cooks try to avoid at all cost.
Once whole red beets have been oven roasted they can be peeled and sliced with very minimal staining.
To create more flavor and make the surface of the slices more appetizing we like to sear the sliced pieces with a bit of olive oil, herbs and a simple salt and pepper seasoning. This incremental upgrade is more than worth the effort!
What You Will Need
To make oven roasted beets in foil prepare:
- aluminium foil
- a pan in which the beets can all fit
- about 1 pound of red beets (on average 6 heads), washed & patted dry
- cooking oil (we like olive oil), additional quantity if you plan to sear them before serving
- kosher salt and black pepper
- thyme or other fresh herb such as sage or oregano (to flavor the beets if searing)
How to Roast Beets in Foil: Step-by-Step
The goal is to roast the red beets until they are soft, that is to say - perfectly fork tender. Then if you are after an appetizing sear you can always briefly saute/sear them after they have been cut into pieces (this is what we always do... why skip on extra flavor?)
The step-by-step instructions with accompanying images are presented below in the Recipe Card.
- Overall, the process entails washing and drying the beets, brushing them with oil, wrapping them in foil and roasting them at 400 F until they are fork-tender when pierced through the foil.
- Next, the beets are allowed to cool down, their skins peeled off and the bulbs cut into pieces - wedges, rounds, thick sticks, large dice.
How Long Does It Take
At 400 degrees Fahrenheit it takes at least 45 to 50 minutes to roast beets in foil. Larger heads require over an hour.
We typically group smaller heads together in one aluminum foil bundle and larger ones in another. In this way even roasting is ensured for each bundle and it is easy to remove one foil packet from the oven once it tests fork-tender and leave the other one for additional time, as needed.
Cool Down, Peel and Cut
After the roasted red beets are tender to your liking unwrap them and allow them to rest onto a board to cool down faster.
Once comfortable to touch you can easily peel the skins by gently lifting them at the center of the root with a knife and pulling them down with your fingers.
Cut the peeled beets into wedges or circles, depending on how you want to use them. The pigment staining will be minimal at this point.
Roasted Red Beets with Goat Cheese
To make a goat cheese red beet appetizer, slice the roasted heads in thicker circles, brush with olive oil and top with goat cheese, fresh thyme and sea salt.
Roasted Red Beets Salad with Feta Cheese
To add the roasted in foil beets to a salad, cut them into wedges and (optional) - do the pan searing step described above. Prepare greens such as arugula or red leaf bibb lettuce and thinly sliced red onions. Assemble the salad with pieces of red beets on top and generously crumble feta cheese on top. Drizzle with oil and vinegar, season to taste, and serve.
Pros and Cons of Roasting Beetroot in Foil
Pluses of roasting the whole vegetable in foil:
- the pigment staining is minimized almost completely because you peel the beets after raosting
- the peeling of the skins is easier
- the beets can be kept whole in the refrigerator until needed to be sliced for use in a salad etc.
Minuses of roasting whole beets in foil:
- the roasting time is longer than for beets cut into pieces
- the cut pieces do not have a delicious thin crust such as they acquire if roasted already peeled, cut and flavored
- therefore a secondary step of pan-searing the pieces becomes necessary to impart extra flavor (if desired)
Our personal preference is to peel beets before roasting them. The messy peeling and cutting is easy to contain if the actions are performed over a cutting board placed at the bottom of the sink. Otherwise the method is exactly as shown in this post with yellow beets.
You Might Enjoy
Roasted Golden Beets | Goat Cheese and Mushrooms | Roasted Summer Squash | Roasted Peppers | Roasted Yukon Gold Potatoes | Pickled Eggs with Red Beets
Recipe
No Mess Roasted Beets in Foil (Delicious!)
Equipment
- aluminium foil, as needed
- 1 roasting pan or baking sheet
- 1 brush
Ingredients
To Roast Beets in Foil
- 1 lb red beets, on average 5-6 beetroot heads
- 1 tablespoon neutral cooking oil
To Sear the Cut Foil Roasted Beets (Optional)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- kosher salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
- fresh thyme, to taste
Instructions
To Roast Beets in Foil
- Preheat the oven to 400 F. Wash and pat dry beetroot.
- Place 2 or 3 beets in a piece of aluminium foil large enough to wrap them fully. Brush them with cooking oil and wrap tightly. Repeat with the rest of the beets you have.* Place the packets in a roasting pan or onto baking sheet.
- Roast for about 45 to 50 minutes before you check for tenderness by piercing with a fork through the foil. Typically, smaller heads are fork tender around that time, medium ones take about 60 minutes and larger ones longer, close to 80 minutes.
- When satisfied with the tenderness of the beets remove them from the oven, unwrap the foil and transfer them onto a cutting board to cool down.
- Peel off the skins (you can get them started with the tip of a knife, after that they come off easily).
- Cut into wedges or rounds, as needed. Either use right away (you can do the sear shown below) or store refrigerated in an air-tight container for later use.
To Sear the Cut Foil Roasted Beets (Optional)
- In a skillet over medium-high heat add 1 tablespoon olive oil and the sliced beets. Season with salt, pepper and thyme.
- Allow the beets to acquire a thin crust, stir around as needed. Remove from the heat and serve as a side or use in salads.
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