Meatless Monday–Roasted Beet Quinoa

Stop!  Don’t run!  Beets aren’t scary, I promise.  In fact, they’re really, really tasty! 

I both love beets, so I knew I’d be making this recipe as soon as I saw it.  In fact, I would list every ingredient in this recipe among my favorites.  Plus the health value of this dish is fantastic–the quinoa brings the protein content way up and the beets are just chock full of fiber, folic acid, vitamins A and C, and nutrients that fight colon cancer.  With lemon, tarragon, and just a bit of goat cheese, the flavor definitely doesn’t suffer.

If you claim to be a beet hater or you’ve never tried them, please make this.  I mean c’mon…how many chances in life do you get to eat something that is naturally hot pink?

roasted beet quinoa

Roasted Beet Quinoa

adapted from The Novice Chef

originally from Running with Tweezers

Ingredients:

3 large beets, washed and roots trimmed

1 tsp. olive oil

2 whole sprigs tarragon

2 c. quinoa

4 c. vegetable stock

zest and juice of one lemon

2 TBSP olive oil

4 TBSP fresh tarragon, minced

1/2 c. crumbled goat cheese

salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1.  To prepare the beets: preheat oven to 375 degrees Farenheit.  In a foil pouch, drizzle one TBSP olive oil over the beets. Lay tarragon sprigs on top.  Wrap tightly with the foil and bake until tender – pierce with the end of a sharp knife to test – which should take about 60 minutes (depending on the size of your beets).  Once tender, remove from oven and allow to cool.  Peel and discard the skins and cut into 1/2-inch squares.

2.  While the beets are roasting, cook the quinoa. Bring stock up to a boil. Add the quinoa, boil for one to two minutes, then turn heat down to a simmer. Cover and cook for 15 minutes until tender. Remove from heat and allow to sit covered until ready to use.

3.  To assemble the quinoa, whisk together the lemon juice and remaining olive oil. Add the beets and toss to coat. Add the quinoa, then mix together (Have fun watching it turn bright pink!).  Season to taste with salt and fresh ground pepper. 

4.  To serve, place in large serving bowl or four individual dishes.  Top with goat cheese and shopped tarragon.  Serve warm or at room temperature.  Keeps up to two days in the refrigerator. 

two years ago: banana-walnut chocolate chip cookie bars

three years ago: grown up strawberry shortcake

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9 Comments

  1. Pretend Chef
    April 18, 2011 / 12:31 pm

    I LOVE beets! This sounds so yummy! I need to make this sometime. Adding it to my list of "need to make".

  2. Kim (Feed Me, Seymour)
    April 18, 2011 / 1:53 pm

    I love love love quinoa! It's so tasty and super good for you. But I've never seen it prepared this way before. I can't wait to try it! You're so creative!!! 🙂

  3. Kelsey
    April 18, 2011 / 4:05 pm

    Thanks Kim. I wish I could take the credit for the dish. I just followed another recipe with a few adaptations!

  4. Nicole
    April 18, 2011 / 5:06 pm

    So excited to try this .. beets + quinoa, excellent! We always have beets around, as they are our little one's very favorite thing to eat!

  5. That Girl
    April 18, 2011 / 6:44 pm

    Love beets and quinoa. Especially at Passover.

  6. Kira
    April 19, 2011 / 2:31 am

    I haven't ever had beets at home! Hopefully I'll get some in my CSA this year so I can make something yummy like this.

  7. tami
    April 21, 2011 / 1:19 am

    I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe! I knew it would be just as good with red beets as golden…but it's what I had on hand. All of these flavors are wonderful…and thank you for sharing it with your readers..and thanks for reading my blog! 🙂

  8. Allison
    April 22, 2011 / 3:12 pm

    I love beets and keep getting them in my csa basket. Beets, tarragon and goat cheese … yum. I better get more beets next week.

  9. Kelsey
    April 23, 2011 / 5:15 am

    Tami,Thank you so much for coming over here to comment. How exciting for me! I look forward to sharing more of your recipes. You have an incredible blog!

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