Make Beets More Flavorful With One Easy Method

Whether you love them or hate them, beets have the power to elevate any dish — if you know how to bring out their full flavor. On their own, beets are known for their earthy, bitter, and mildly sweet taste. While you can use certain cooking methods to tame their flavor, you can also try enhancing the taste of beets by marinating them.

Marinades are commonly used to infuse flavor into meats or vegetables via the use of oils and spices, and can also tenderize them with acids such as vinegar or lemon. Beets are a particularly excellent vegetable to use with this method, as their earthy sweetness can be balanced with the tanginess of a marinade and their natural hard texture will be softened, making them easier to cook or eat.

If you don't want to worry about the time and ingredients it takes to marinate beets for a recipe, you can often find ready-to-go options at the grocery store. Otherwise, cook your beets (boiled, roasted, etc.) and mix together your marinade of choice. Then, coat the cooked veggies and let them sit for eight hours or overnight.

One of the best parts about marinating food is how customizable it is. Depending on how you're serving your beets and what they're paired with, you can modify the ingredients in dozens of ways. One of the easiest and most classic marinades is a mix of oil, acid, and flavoring. 

Olive oil is the most popular oil base, while the acid can come from balsamic, white, or red wine vinegar, as well as lemon juice. For flavorings, add spices such as salt, pepper, garlic, and herbs. You can also balance out the sharp flavors with a bit of sweetener, such as honey. The flavors of this classic style of marinade can pair with almost any dish, such as a beet salad with pistachio and goat cheese, or something more hearty and rich like marinated lamb chops.

If you're making an Asian-style dish, try marinating your beets in rice vinegar, oil, and ginger and then topping them with green onions and sesame seeds. Alternatively, you can mix together a marinade with soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, and ginger for a sweet and savory take. For Mediterranean-inspired beets, marinate them in oil with cumin, mint, and orange juice, and serve with a sprinkle of pomegranate seeds and a simple Greek avgolemono soup.