We Asked 3 Chefs Their Favorite Vegetable—They All Said the Same One

With so many species of cultivated vegetables to choose from, you would think there would be more diversity on the average dinner table. Yet, many people (myself included) get stuck in a rut, rotating the same ones on repeat. To broaden the options, I tapped top Los Angeles–based chefs to learn their favorite vegetable… and they all said beets.

Root vegetables like carrots and potatoes get a lot of love, but beets tend to get overlooked. Maybe that’s because home cooks aren’t quite sure what to do with them or just that they require a bit of scrubbing and TLC to get them plate-ready. If you find yourself nodding your head, a word from the chefs may change your mind about the squat taproot veggie.

A Brief Background on Beets

Beets are believed to have originated in the Mediterranean sometime around the 8th century, and ancient Greeks and Romans enjoyed beets so much that they developed techniques that made it possible to grow them outside of their normal growing season, making beets widely available for a greater part of the year. Several centuries later, the root vegetable eventually made its way to North America by way of European immigrants in the early 1800s where it became a food staple especially valued for its long shelf life.

Why Beets Are Better Than You Think

Beets boast high levels of fiber and potassium—crucial nutrients for maintaining optimal digestive and heart health. And a recent study even found them to lower blood pressure and to contain antioxidant and antitumor abilities. Outside of beets’ impressive health benefits, chefs especially appreciate their versatility and earthy qualities.

“I love the versatility behind them. They’re great steamed, grilled, pickled, raw; you can do so much with them,” says Mindy Oh, executive chef of Downtown Los Angeles’ iconic Music Center.

It’s this versatile quality that makes beets an ideal choice for use in both sweet and savory recipes. “I use beets in desserts, such as a beet cheesecake, and in savory dishes, like soups. You can puree them for a meat dish or steam them for a beet tartare […],” says Hendrix Vega, executive chef of Amour in West Hollywood, “I also have fond memories of my grandma using them to make Borscht for me.” 

The Best Ways to Prep Beets, According to Chefs

No matter the type of beet you have on hand—red, golden, Chioggia (sometimes called candy cane or candy stripe beets)—the preparation possibilities are practically limitless. And with a few tips from the culinary experts, you’ll be on your way to enjoying them in your home.

Slow-Roasted for Meaty Texture

“The best way to cook beets at home is to wash them carefully to get all the dirt off, dry them off, then toss in olive oil, salt and pepper. Next, wrap them up in foil, place them in a preheated 375-degree oven and cook for one and a half hours. Check them with a cake tester or the tip of a sharp knife to see if they’re cooked. Once done cooking, peel the outer skin and cool. Now you can use them in multiple ways. You can add them to stews, puree them for a soup, add them to a salad or serve them on the side with a nice steak,” says Mazen Mustafa, chef de cuisine at asterid in Downtown Los Angeles, explaining that slow-roasting beets gives them a nice meaty quality that satisfies vegans—or pescatarians like himself.

Braised and Boiled to Retain Color

“I love braising [beets] in the oven or stovetop. I put them in water with a little bit of vinegar, chili flakes, sugar and salt. It’s my preferred way of cooking them because you can set and forget them. By the time you remember you were cooking beets, they’re fully cooked,” says Chef Oh, adding that boiling them with a bit of vinegar and sugar also helps them retain their color and lessens their earthiness, making them more appealing.

Beet Juice for Drinking and Curing

Juicing beets isn’t a new method by any means; still, Chef Hendrix says it’s great for more than drinking. “I use beets as a natural colorant when I make purple-cured salmon. I recommend making a beet juice base to cure your fish. I use 50 grams of beet juice per kilo of salt and 300 grams of sugar. It makes a crudo look amazing! 

Even More Ways To Explore Beets

“At work, we cook them in so many ways. We slow-roast them, brine and cook them, smoke them, and juice them. Among my favorite ways that we do it at asterid is incorporating all those methods into one dish, which is slow-roasted beets, XO sauce, tomato marmalade, [and] crystal lettuce. We will steam the brined beets until tender, then put them into a super-low oven to dehydrate them. After that, we smoke them to get them a bit of depth, then glaze them in a reduced beet juice with a bit of black garlic vinegar,” says Chef Mazen.

With so many healthy and delicious reasons to eat beets, plus tips from the experts for preparing them at home, you’ll want to add beets to your list for your next grocery store trip.