Roasted Beets With Maple Butter

Are you looking for a quick vegetable side dish that’s guaranteed to bring smiles to everyone’s faces at your next dinner event?

Roasted beets with maple butter is a solid choice to achieve plenty of smiles. The sweet taste makes everyone feel happier right?

Roasted beets are a gift from nature since they are naturally sweet, but that doesn’t mean another variation of the sweet flavor isn’t a welcome addition.

Maple syrup comes to us directly from the sap of maple trees. It, too, is a special ingredient. Maple syrup has a clear, yet complex, sweet flavor that includes a little bitter taste.

The maple syrup in this recipe helps to round out the flavor profile of this simple vegetarian side dish in a good way … and then there’s the butter.

Imagine, complex natural sweet flavors caramelized in rich, creamy butter.

It’s so good!

Then, finally some sliced red onions introduce a welcome contrasting bite.

Place whole, unpeeled beets in an ovenproof baking dish and cover with a lid or aluminum foil.

Roast in a 400 degree Fahrenheit oven for 25–30 minutes until the beets are tender.

For best results, choose beets of a similar size for even cooking.

Covering your baking dish is very important because it allows the beets to cook in their own juices (steam), and in the process release their skins.

Once the beets are roasted, and they cool enough to handle, you will be able to easily slip off the skins with your fingers.

This beats peeling beets with a peeler when they are raw.

It is also really beautiful when you expose the shiny beets underneath the peel. They look like giant jewels don’t they?

Seriously. What other vegetable turns into a shiny jewel when roasted?

Fat mixes well with syrup, and there is nothing else you need to do besides adding a little salt and pepper.

As a variation, try drizzling maple butter on mashed potatoes or roasted sweet potatoes for some comfort food on a cloudy day.

In this recipe, you will caramelize the onions and roasted beets in the butter before adding the maple syrup.

Golden beets have a milder taste, and less of the earthy flavor of red beets. Another advantage is that they don’t stain your fingers red.

However, red beets are the most common type of beet. So if red beets are all you can find, you can definitely use them for this recipe.

There are also chiogga beets out there, which have pink and white stripes throughout.

I really like cooking with golden beets because they retain their own beauty as an individual ingredient.

I have to admit that it kind of bothers me when I combine red beets with other vegetables and they stain the entire dish red.

With golden beets you can still admire the color of the onions, and enjoy the swirling maple syrup and foamy butter in the process of making this dish.

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Servings: 3 servings

Calories: 198 KCAL

Author: Andrea at Buttered Veg

A naturally sweet vegetables side dish made from roasted beets and maple butter. Only 6 ingredients and easy to make.

Place whole beets in an oven-proof dish. Cover with a lid or aluminum foil. Roast in a 400 degree Fahrenheit oven for 25–30 minutes until beets are tender. Remove from the oven and allow to cool until you can handle them with your hands. Slip off the skins with your fingers. If necessary, cut off the root and stem ends. Slice into half-inch wedges and set aside until needed.

Heat a large skillet on medium heat. Add butter and red onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions start to soften and brown. Add sliced roasted beets, salt, and black pepper, and stir well. Arrange the beets in a single layer on the bottom of the skillet so that each beet is in contact with the cooking surface. Cook undisturbed for 4–5 minutes until the beets start to caramelize. Add the maple syrup and mix gently for about a minute.

Transfer to a serving bowl. Garnish with minced parsley for added color.

I used golden beets for this recipe. Golden beets have a milder taste, and less of the earthy flavor of red beets.

However, if red beets are all you can find, you can definitely use them for this recipe.

There are also chiogga beets out there, which have pink and white stripes throughout. These can also be used.

Calories: 198kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 617mg | Potassium: 820mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin A: 250IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 2mg