Roasted Beets with Labneh and Chives

In this easy oven-roasted beets recipe, red and golden beets bake together until deliciously sweet and tender. You can keep it simple and serve this vegetarian side dish all by itself. Or dress up your roasted beets with creamy, cooling labneh and a sprinkling of fresh chives.

I often pair beet’s sweet and earthy flavors in a salad with other sweet things like pears or citrus. But something very special happens when you allow colorful beets to take center stage, getting all the glory they deserve! 

And there’s no better way to coax the earthy sweetness of beets than by roasting them in the oven until their edges are perfectly caramelized. They need nothing more! But this easy oven roasted beets recipe, inspired by the Roasted Roots recipe on page 155 of my cookbook, takes the flavor up a notch with spicy Aleppo pepper, creamy labneh, and fresh herbs.

Labneh brings a tangy, cooling quality, which you’ll want to spread over each bite. A sprinkling of snipped chives plays up the sweet and savory nature while adding freshness.

As a final touch, I dress the buttery-tender roasted roots in Apple Cider Vinaigrette with honey, which adds a zippy flavor and a nice glaze. It’s a beautiful balance of rich, savory, sweet, creamy, tangy, and refreshing!

Table of Contents

1. Ingredients for Oven Roasted Beets
2. Ingredient Spotlight
3. Swaps and Substitutions
4. Are Beets Good For You? 
5. How to Roast Beets
1. Season the Beets
2. Roast the Beets
6. Ways to Mix It Up
7. What to Serve with Roasted Beets
8. More Beet Recipes You’ll Love
9. The Mediterranean Dish Cookbook
10. Roasted Beets with Labneh and Chives Recipe

Ingredients for Oven Roasted Beets

You really only need three things to roast beets: olive oil, salt, and beets. But I like to dress it up a little with some optional embellishments. The result is an easy roasted beet recipe with a flavor and presentation that feels very special. You’ll need: 

• Beets: I love the color and flavor variety of mixing golden and red beets, with golden beets tending to be lighter and sweeter and red beets being a bit richer and more earthy.
• Kosher salt and black pepper enhance the flavor. 
• Aleppo pepper adds a very mild kick. 
• Apple Cider Vinaigrette is zippy and peppery, which balances the earthy sweetness of beets. 
• Labneh is a thick strained yogurt that gives the beets a delicious creamy tang. The labneh is very much optional, but it's an easy addition and takes this recipe up a notch. You can even make your own labneh if you’d like to go the extra mile.
• Chives add a subtle onion flavor and an additional pop of color. 

Ingredient Spotlight

Aleppo pepper, also known as halaby pepper, is a dried chili flake named after the northern Syrian city of Aleppo where it has been grown for centuries. It has a moderate heat that’s quite a bit milder than your typical red pepper flakes. It also boasts a fruity, tangy, sun-dried complexity.

In this roasted beets recipe, Aleppo pepper gives the beets a very subtle spice with just a hint of citrusy tartness–the perfect complement to the beet’s earthy notes and natural sweetness. But you can feel free to substitute with ground black pepper or red chili flakes.

• READ MORE: What Is Aleppo Pepper And How To Use It?
• TRY IT: You can find Aleppo Pepper in our shop and have it shipped straight to your door.

Swaps and Substitutions

This oven-roasted beets recipe is endlessly versatile. Tweak, adjust, and alter the recipe to fit what you have. Here are my recommended swaps: 

• Beets: Though a variety of colors makes the plate pop, feel free to use just one or the other if you’d like. 
• Aleppo pepper: Leave it off, or substitute with another dried ground chili like Urfa biber or red pepper flakes.
• Apple Cider Vinaigrette: For a vegan/honey-free version, substitute with Dijon Vinaigrette.
• Labneh: Leave it off, or substitute with Greek yogurt or crumbled feta or goat cheese.
• Chives: Substitute with other tender green herbs, like parsley, dill, mint, or cilantro. 

Are Beets Good For You? 

In short: yes, beets are healthy! Beets are rich in essential nutrients, including potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, and vitamin C–see the USDA for the full nutritional breakdown. 

They’re also low in calories (about 44 calories per beet) but boast healthy antioxidants, namely betalains. A 2021 study published by the National Library of Medicine states, “Betalains have been proven to eliminate oxidative and nitrative stress by scavenging DPPH, preventing DNA damage, and reducing LDL.”

How to Roast Beets

The short answer to how to roast beets is to peel and slice them into wedges, then coat with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and roast in a 425°F oven, turning until tender (about 45 minutes).

Red beets will bleed color onto just about everything they touch, which is why we keep them separate for this recipe, but you can take a more casual approach with this oven-roasted beet recipe and toss them together if you prefer. The golden beets just won't be quite as golden. However, it's worth it to me to keep the two colors separated, and this is how I do it:

Season the Beets

• Get ready. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil (or use a nonstick).
• Season the golden beets. Trim off the tops and squiggly bits at the bottom of the golden beets, then peel and cut into 1 ½-inch pieces. Add to a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper (about ¼ teaspoon each) and ½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper.
Toss to coat well, then transfer to the sheet pan and arrange them in a single layer. 
• Season the red beets. Trim, peel, and slice the red beets into 1 ½-inch pieces. Add to the same bowl you used for the golden beets and add a drizzle of olive oil. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper (about ¼ teaspoon each) and ½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper. Toss to coat well, then spread on the sheet pan in a single layer next to the golden beets.

Roast the Beets

• Roast. Roast the beets for 30 minutes, then use a pair of tongs to carefully turn them over and return them to the oven to roast for another 10 to 15 minutes, until they’re quite tender and charred in some places.
• While the beets are roasting: Make the Apple Cider Vinaigrette. Mince 1 clove of garlic and add to a mixing bowl. Add ¼ cup apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon honey, and 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard. Whisk to combine, then continue whisking as you drizzle in ½ cup olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Get the serving platter ready. If you’re using the labneh, scoop it onto your serving platter and use the back of a spoon to spread it onto the platter in a mostly even layer with a few swoops and swirls. 
• Dress, finish, and serve. When the beets are very tender and charred at the edges, transfer the golden beets to a mixing bowl and toss with enough apple cider vinaigrette to coat. Arrange on the serving platter on top of the labneh. Do the same with the red beets, layering the two colors together. Sprinkle on the minced chives and serve. 

Ways to Mix It Up

This roasted beets recipe can easily turn into a roasted whatever’s-in-my-fridge recipe. You can also dress it up with some herbs and such. Here are some ideas: 

• Make herbed labneh: Whisk in minced garlic cloves, and chopped fresh herbs like parsley, oregano, and tarragon. Add richness with a drizzle of olive oil and season to taste with lemon juice, salt and pepper. 
• Add other vegetables: I often make this same recipe with Yukon gold potatoes and carrots–simply peel and cut them to be the same size as the beets. Or use other starchy vegetables you have on hand, like turnips or butternut squash. 

What to Serve with Roasted Beets

These roasted beets are sweet and rich, so they go very well with lighter meats or fish. Throw them in your oven while you make Lemon Garlic Chicken. Or Roast Halibut at the same time–just throw the halibut in the oven in the final 15 minutes. 

For a satisfying vegetarian meal, serve with a hearty protein-packed salad, like Balela or Mediterranean Chickpea Salad.

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