There are various ways to cook beets for this dip. The first is roasting them in the oven, which is my favorite method because slow roasting really concentrates the flavor of the beetroot and makes them sweeter, and taste earthier. However, if you don’t have an oven, you can boil them unpeeled in water for 30 minutes or till they are fork tender. You can also microwave them for 10 minutes with a little water in the dish – this effectively creates steam in the microwave, and is the fastest way to cook beets. Another way to cook beets is to steam them in a steamer for 30 minutes. This reduces any nutrient loss and keeps most of the color intact too.
Once you have the beets cooked, peel and chop them into smaller pieces and then just blend everything in a food processor till smooth and creamy. I like using greek yogurt in this recipe because it keeps things healthier, but I have tried this dip with cream cheese if you want to be more indulgent. The salt in the cream cheese really balances the sweetness of the beets. However, if you are using cream cheese, don’t add any extra salt to this recipe.
Ingredients
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 180c.
- 2. Drizzle beetroot with a little olive oil and wrap separately in foil. Place onto an oven tray and roast until tender, about 1 hour.
- 3. Remove foil and allow to cool, then peel and discard skin.
- 4. Coarsely chop beetroot and place into a food processor with remaining ingredients and process until smooth.
- 5. Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.