Have you ever seen a golf cart drag a plane? I hadn't until this past Monday when two friends and I weaved through country roads to a tiny rural airport.
Our actual destination? The restaurant next door, which serves a breakfast that's a step up from the usual greasy spoon. (Think organic eggs, ricotta pancakes, and a "benedict" menu.)
My friend Louise brought her sweet one-year-old, who enjoyed banging a lightweight coffee lid on the table for entertainment between bites of scrambled eggs.
Our time together gave me a chance to check in about dinner. "What kind of ideas do you need?" I asked.
"Beets," said Louise. "I get so many beets from my CSA, and I want ideas for cooking them without turning on the oven."
Usually, if I want to cook beets without heating the house, I pressure cook them in the Instant Pot, but Louise doesn't have one.
"Sometimes, I'll thinly slice them and cook them in a pan with greens," I said.
"I'm looking for something that's as hands-free as possible," she said.
"How do you feel about microwaving beets?" I texted later.
"I am pro microwaving beets," she said.
Normally, when Louise cooks beets, she cuts them into chunks and roasts them with the skin on so the edges get a little crispy.
"You can't really tell the peels are there after roasting," she wrote. "It's like magic."
I'm a huge fan of not peeling vegetables if I don't have to. Skipping this step saves on work, and the peels can add more nutrition.
I had always peeled beets out of habit, but I decided to try steaming them in the microwave with the skin on. And you know what? It totally worked! I barely noticed the skins were there.
(If you skip peeling beets or other vegetables, I highly recommend buying organic!)
Once you have your cooked beets, you can do what you like with them. Put them in grain bowls, chill them to include in salads, serve them as a simple dish.
You can also flavor the steaming liquid by adding different herbs or spices.
Since beets with goat cheese is a classic combo that just works, I thought, what if I paired them with cheese ravioli? And to create the tang you'd get from goat cheese, I'll toss the beets with a little lemon.
The result was even tastier than I had hoped.
Cheese Ravioli with Lemony Beets
Serves 3 to 4
While yes, you could cook the beets in the same skillet as everything else, using the microwave helps you get a head start and brings the dish together faster. Plus, you could always cook more beets than you need and save the leftovers for salads.
I made this dish with 3 beets, but if you’d like it less beet-heavy, use 2.
For a superfast version, you can use pre-cooked vacuum-packed beets.
2 to 3 medium beets (about 4 ounces each), preferably with tops
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Salt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 small spring thyme (optional)
1 small onion
One 20-ounce package fresh cheese ravioli
Freshly ground black pepper
Prep and cook the beets
Separate the beets from the tops. Scrub the beets and cut into bite-sized pieces (¼ to ½ inch). Don’t worry about peeling them.
Put the beets in a microwave safe bowl. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, the sprig of thyme, and ¼ teaspoon salt and stir to combine, then add ¼ cup water. Cover the bowl with a microwave-safe lid or a wet paper towel.
Microwave on high power for 5 minutes, then stir. Repeat two more times, so the beets cook for a total of 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, test the beets. Microwave in 1 minute intervals until the beets are tender when poked with a fork. (They should also look a little bit translucent.)
When the beets are done, stir in the lemon juice.
While the beets cook, prep and cook the onion and beet tops
Peel and chop the onion into bite-sized pieces.
Rinse the beet tops well. Separate the stems from the leaves. Chop the stems crosswise into bite-sized pieces. Thinly slice the leaves.
In a deep skillet with a lid, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and ¼ teaspoon salt and cook until just starting to turn translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the beet stems and cook until they start to become tender, about 2 minutes.
Add the beet tops and 2 tablespoons of water. Cover and cook until wilted, about 1 minute. Uncover, add 2 more tablespoons of water and cook until the greens are tender and the water has nearly evaporated, 3 to 4 minutes.
Cook the ravioli
Add ¾ cup water to the skillet and bring to a simmer over medium high heat. Carefully stir in the ravioli and cover and cook for 1 minute.
Uncover and cook, stirring, until the ravioli are tender and the liquid has nearly evaporated, about 3 minutes longer.
Add the beets and serve
Remove the thyme sprig from the beets.
Add the beets and any liquid to the ravioli and cook, stirring to incorporate, for 1 minute. Taste and season with more salt along with a few grinds of pepper, if desired.
Transfer the ravioli and beets to a platter and serve.
The short version
Chop the beets and steam them how you like. (See microwave instructions above.)
Chop the onion. Separate the beet greens from the leaves and chop the stems and leaves. In a deep skillet, cook the onion in 2 tablespoons of olive oil until translucent. Season with salt. Add the beet stems and cook until soft. Add the greens and cook until wilted and tender.
Add ¾ cup water and the ravioli, cover and cook for 1 minute, then cook until tender and the liquid has evaporated, about 3 minutes longer.
Add the beets and gently stir them in. Season everything with salt and pepper and serve.
Fun for kids
Microwave the beets.
Separate the beet greens from the leaves.
Add the lemon juice to the beets.
Swaps
Instead of cheese ravioli, try mushroom ravioli (or any fresh filled pasta you like!)
If you don’t have beet tops, try 2 packed cups of baby spinach.
Bonus points
You could finish the dish with some dill or mint.
Sprinkle some toasted, chopped hazelnuts, walnuts, or pistachios on top.