Sautéed Beet Greens with Garlic and Olive Oil
- Total Time
- 20 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1pound beet greens (2 large or 3 small bunches)
- Salt
- 1 to 2tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, to taste
- 2garlic cloves, minced
- ¼teaspoon dried red pepper flakes (optional)
- Freshly ground pepper
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
73 calories; 5 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 6 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 3 grams protein; 280 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Bring a large pot of water to a boil while you stem the greens and wash the leaves in 2 rinses of water. When the water comes to a boil, add 1 tablespoon of salt and the greens. Blanch for 2 minutes, until tender. Transfer immediately to a bowl of ice water, then drain and squeeze the water out from its leaves. Chop coarsely.
- Step 2
Heat the oil over medium heat in a large, heavy nonstick skillet. Add the garlic and hot red pepper flakes (if using) and cook, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant and translucent, 30 to 60 seconds. Stir in the greens. Stir for a couple of minutes, until the greens are nicely seasoned with garlic and oil. Season with salt and pepper, remove from the heat, and serve.
- Some people enjoy a few drops of lemon juice with their cooked greens, so you might want to pass a plate of lemon wedges.
Private Notes
Comments
Delicious, but actually you don't even need to blanch the greens first. After rinsing just place the greens with water still clinging to the leaves in the warmed olive oil and it will cook down nice and tender. If the pan is not overcrowded the extra water will evaporate away. I do use more olive oil than suggested (using flavorful olive oil makes a difference), which turns the leaves silky, and you don't even need the garlic, just some salt, it is that tasty.
30 years ago, grieving my mother's death and overwhelmed with a new baby, I was approached by a small older woman, dressed in black with an accent I couldn't place, at the market. Seeing me ripping greens off the beets, she said gently, as my mother might have: You're throwing the best part away. She told me how to make them this way, only cooked longer in the water. That night tears rolled down my face as the delicious greens melted in my mouth. I still think of her every time I make them.
I saved up greens for a week: beet, escarole, a motley assortment of others. Blanched for a minute, then cooled. Hours later I sauteed them with with garlic in olive oil and they tasted like a million bucks. Sometimes the simplest things are the best.
Sara J has it right – it can all be done without blanching the greens first, and Martha Rose Shulman agrees in her recipe "Simmered Beet Greens With Roasted Beets, Lemon and Yogurt". See https://approvedpromo.info/recipes/12305-simmered-beet-greens-with-roasted-beets-lemon-and-yogurt%3C/a%3E Heat a large, wide skillet over high heat and add the greens by the handful, stirring each handful until the greens wilt in the water left on the leaves after washing. Once one batch has wilted, add another...
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