Healthy Beets Side Dish Recipes

Sweet, quick-pickled beets, peppery watercress and the delicate licorice flavor of crunchy fennel make a healthy salad that artfully balances flavor, texture and color.

This easy-to-make roasted beet and horseradish relish recipe is a great sandwich topper, burger condiment or zesty side for the classic German pairing of sauerbraten and spaetzle (pickled roast beef and egg noodles or dumplings).

This centerpiece-worthy salad calls for buying up the most colorful roots in the produce section. We like using a rainbow of beets and carrots for the most stunning presentation.

A nutty, buttery crust filled with roasted root vegetables makes for a beautiful vegetarian crostata recipe perfect for the holidays. And since it's a free-form crust, you don't have to worry about perfection. A layer of feta whipped with lemon provides a bright, tart contrast. Best of all, each component can be made ahead, so the day-of assembly is easy as pie.

The entire beet plant--roots, stems and greens--can be used in this stunning appetizer. The beets are roasted then pureed with goat cheese for a creamy ruby-red spread. The greens and stems are sautéed with olive oil and garlic for the topping.

Pairing beets with fresh, ripe fruit is a wonderful alternative to the typical beet and goat cheese salad recipe. Be sure to use whole-milk yogurt for the dressing--lower-fat versions yield watery results.

Smashing vegetables creates cracks that soak up this savory vinaigrette for an easy and super-flavorful veggie side dish. You can try this technique with other root vegetables, such as parsnips and celery root, as well.

This beet and potato salad, tossed with a combo of sour cream, vinegar and sweet pickles, is slightly sweet and tangy. To make prep go faster, you can skip roasting the beets yourself and use prepackaged cooked beets instead.

The gorgeous colors of yellow and Chioggia beets shine in this recipe thanks to a white vinegar in the glaze. If you're using red beets, regular balsamic vinegar is also a good option. Serve with grilled steak or roasted salmon fillets.

This quinoa and roasted vegetable salad is an excellent side for chicken or steak, or skip the meat entirely and you've got a delicious vegetarian main dish. Leftovers are a perfect choice for lunch--just make an extra batch of dressing and add a touch to the cold salad before eating the next day.

Put a vegetarian spin on this classic Italian dish. Thin slices of beet, glossy with olive oil, make this salad look like beef carpaccio, especially if you use red beets.

The sweetness of the roasted beets works well with tart grapefruit in this healthy beet salad recipe. Turn this beet salad into an entree by adding seared scallops or white fish, such as halibut or cod.

This pickled beets recipe is super simple, yet full of big flavor. This is partly because we roast beets first (which concentrates their sweetness) and also add a healthy dose of fennel seeds for dynamite flavor. Once the beets sufficiently pickled, add them to salads or alongside your favorite grilled meats for a pleasant hit of acidity.

Beets are packed full of vitamins and minerals, and they're delicious, too. Roasting beets brings out their natural sweetness. This healthy and full-of-flavor side dish combines beets with mild shallots.

Tangy horseradish and dill dress pickled beets in this simple, colorful side dish. Make it a meal: Serve alongside Smorgastarta.

Try a variety of beets in this dish. The simple Dijon vinaigrette really makes the earthy beet flavor sing.

This unusual salad ties together earthy greens, sweet-tart cranberries, smoky cheese and crunchy croutons with a spicy-sweet dressing. Baby chard and beet greens have bright-colored ribs and veins, which give this salad a beautiful look.

Precooked baby beets make this healthy vegetable side dish come together in a flash. If horseradish is too spicy for your taste, try stirring in chopped dill pickles instead.

Here delicate white fish is topped with crunchy breadcrumbs and diced pickled beets for a simple Danish dish that combines sweet, salty and sour flavors.

Ginger and pomegranate juice help to perfect this slow cooker side dish.

Sweet beets, peppery arugula and toasted pecans are blended together in this dairy-free, healthy pesto recipe. Try it spread on crostini or spooned over grilled chicken or pork.

Black-eyed peas' earthy, nutty sweetness gets oomph from tangy hot sauce. In this recipe, they're mixed with plenty of crunchy vegetables for a satisfying vegetarian salad.

Earthy and smoky have a natural affinity in this colorful and healthy side dish. The beets soften and take on flavor over the heat and then, in the last few minutes, an herby raspberry glaze adds a sweet sheen. A schmear of tangy goat cheese paired with the sweet and savory roots is the final piece of this well-balanced side.

This salad is a wonderful combination of roasted beets, fresh pears, and shaved Gouda cheese. Served on a bed of arugula in a mustardy dressing and topped with toasted slivered almonds, it's a refreshing side to serve with any meal.