Recipes for dishes made from beet tops

Over the past 100 years, beet tops in Russia have ceased to enjoy due respect, but in vain. In southern countries, Europe and America, it is still considered an even more valuable product than beets themselves. And recipes from beet tops are so varied that even green salads and herbs cannot compare with it. Indeed, in fact, it is the beet tops that contain more vitamins and nutrients than the beet roots.

What can you cook from beet tops?

Experienced chefs are well aware of the fact that beet tops can add unusual taste qualities to a variety of dishes and convey their beneficial properties. It is not for nothing that in traditional national cuisines it is difficult to imagine some dishes without it. So, in Russian cuisine not a single botvinya can do without it, and in Belarusian cuisine - khlodnik. The famous Georgian pkhali and fillings for Ossetian pies are prepared from young beet tops, and among Armenians it goes well with fermented milk products and herbs.

From beet tops you can prepare not only first and second courses and salads, but even casseroles and other various baked goods. Moreover, they even prepare a sauce that tastes delicious from it. The most delicious recipes for various dishes made from beet tops with photos are described in detail in the article.

For the happy owners of their own plots of land, growing beets is not difficult. The rest, when choosing beet tops on the market, should prefer bright and elastic greens with strong and short petioles.

The main stage of preparing beet tops for culinary processing is to thoroughly wash them. This is done first in a large container filled with water. Finally, the greens are washed under running water and lightly dried on a towel.

That is, in most recipes these green products are interchangeable.

Beet tops salads

Salads made from beet tops are very popular, first of all, because they completely retain all the beneficial elements.

Vitamin salad from beet tops

This salad is prepared from the freshest and most tender vegetables and herbs, so it is an indispensable and very healthy dish for a hot summer day.

You will need:

• a bunch of beet tops;
• a bunch of green garlic or onion, parsley and dill;
• 1 fresh cucumber;
• 1 sweet pepper;
• 1 tbsp. l. natural apple cider vinegar;
• 3 tbsp. l. olive or sesame oil;
• salt to taste.

The main thing in this recipe is to stock up on a sharp and comfortable knife and chop everything finely.

1. All vegetables and herbs are rinsed in cool water.
2. After which they chop finely.
3. Cucumber and sweet pepper are cut into small cubes.
4. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl, add salt, add apple cider vinegar and vegetable oil.
5. Mix thoroughly and serve in a spectacular vase.

Delicious beet top salad with egg

Eggs add heartiness and nutrition to a fresh beet green salad.

You will need:

• 200 g of fresh young beet tops;
• 50 g green salad leaves;
• 30-50 g of dill and parsley - optional;
• 1 hard-boiled egg;
• ½ lemon;
• 50 ml sunflower oil;
• salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. All beet tops and greens are finely chopped;
2. The egg is peeled, finely chopped and mixed with juice from half a lemon. Beat thoroughly.
3. The chopped herbs are mixed with butter, an egg beaten with lemon, and some salt is added.

“Peasant” salad with beet tops

It’s hard to imagine anything simpler than this salad in terms of ingredients, it’s not for nothing that it has such a telling name. Meanwhile, a properly prepared dish according to the recipe turns out incredibly tasty and very healthy.

For 2 servings you will need:

• 200 g beet tops;
• 2 medium sized onions;
• 4 tbsp. l. vegetable oil;
• salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. Beet tops are divided into petioles and leaf blades.
2. The petioles are cut into small pieces (about 1 cm) and boiled in boiling water for 3 minutes. Then remove and cool.
3. The leaf blades are washed, finely chopped and kneaded by hand, mixed with a small amount of salt.
4. Finely chop the onion into cubes.
5. Mix an equal amount of decoction from the petioles and vegetable oil.
6. Leaves, boiled cuttings and onions are combined in one container, watered with the prepared mixture and added with salt if necessary.

Healthy salad with greens and beet tops

The salad according to this recipe is usually made from young beet tops. If you use tops from ripened beets, they are first boiled.

You will need:

• 200 g beet tops;
• 200 g of radish along with herbs;
• a small bunch of green salad (50 g);
• a bunch of dill, celery, parsley;
• 2 tbsp. l. vegetable oil;
• 1 tbsp. l. grape vinegar;
• salt and ground black pepper to taste.

Preparation:

1. The tops of already ripened beets are boiled in salted water for 10 minutes. The young ones are used fresh.
2. The cooled greens are finely chopped.
3. Lettuce leaves are cut into thin strips, radishes - into cubes, greens - finely chopped.
4. In a separate small container, mix oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.
5. This sauce is poured over the salad, mixed thoroughly and after 10 minutes of infusion it can be tasted.

Georgian-style appetizer salad from beet tops

In this national dish, the taste of beet greens is very harmoniously complemented by nuts and garlic.

You will need:

• 100 g beet tops;
• 1 red onion;
• 2 cloves of garlic;
• 50 g parsley;
• 50 g cilantro;
• 1/3 cup shelled walnuts;
• 1 tbsp. l. adjika;
• 2 tbsp. l. sunflower oil;
• 2 tbsp. l. balsamic vinegar;
• salt as needed and to taste.

Preparation:

1. The beet tops are washed, cut into small pieces and, dipped in boiling water, boiled for 10 minutes.
2. Cool by draining in a colander.
3. The onion is cut into thin half rings, the garlic and herbs are finely chopped.
4. The nuts are crushed using a masher or rolling pin.
5. Mix the tops with onions and herbs, season with a mixture of adjika, oil and vinegar, and salt to taste.
6. You can serve it either in a small salad bowl or by forming small balls from the green mass.

First courses with beet tops

Beet tops are one of the main ingredients for making many national first courses. This includes beetroot, and botvinya, and chlodnik, and sarnapur, and even borscht.

Classic recipe for botvinya made from beet tops

Botvinya is a national Russian dish, which is a cold kvass soup with the addition of beet tops and a variety of garden herbs, cucumbers and boiled or smoked fish.

The dish has practically disappeared from use, since it is quite labor-intensive to prepare and, according to the classic recipe, requires the use of expensive types of fish. However, you can try preparing it as a holiday dish for a special occasion.

You will need:

• 1.25 l of sweet and sour natural kvass;
• 1 cup each chopped sorrel and nettle;
• 100 g dill;
• 3 young beets with tops;
• 1.5 tbsp. l. grated horseradish;
• ½ cup chopped green onions;
• 1.5 fresh cucumber;
• 100 g of borage (borage) if possible and desired;
• ½ lemon;
• 1 tsp. ready mustard;
• 1 tsp each salt and sugar;
• 0.5 cups beet broth;
• 0.4-0.5 kg of a mixture of red fish (stellate sturgeon, sturgeon, salmon).

Manufacturing:

1. The beets along with the tops are washed and boiled until softened in boiling water for 5-10 minutes.
2. The sorrel is steamed in the same broth for no more than 3 minutes.
3. The nettles are simply scalded with boiling water and drained in a colander.
4. Chop all greens, including dill and green onions, as finely as possible.
5. Grate the beets on a coarse grater.
6. Combine beets with chopped herbs and mash with salt.
7. At the same time, cut the zest from half a lemon, chop it with a knife and combine it with squeezed lemon juice, mustard, horseradish, and beetroot broth.
8. All this dressing is mixed with kvass and the resulting liquid is poured into the botanical mass.
9. Add finely chopped cucumber and place in a cold place to infuse for 15-20 minutes.
10. Meanwhile, the fish is being prepared. For botvinya, you can use both raw and freshly salted and even smoked fish.
11. A set of small pieces of different types of fish are boiled in a small amount of water with the addition of salt, black pepper, dill and bay leaf.
    
    Attention! Fresh fish is boiled for 10 minutes, and salted or smoked fish - 2-3 minutes. Boiling fish to use it in botvinya is mandatory!
12. Pieces of boiled fish are placed in a chilled soup base and placed all together on the table.

How to make botvinya with fish from beet leaves

There is a slightly different, slightly simpler recipe for making botvinya, in which less valuable species of fish are used, to which crayfish necks are added if desired.

For 4 servings you will need:

• 220 g beet tops;
• 170 g beets;
• 120 g each of pike perch and salmon;
• 1 onion;
• 1 carrot;
• 8 cancer necks (optional and possible);
• 60 g sorrel;
• 80 g cucumbers;
• 30 g green onions;
• 20 g dill;
• several stems each of thyme and tarragon;
• 240 ml bread kvass;
• 30 g each of horseradish and mustard;
• 5 bay leaves;
• 20 ml lemon juice;
• salt and sugar to taste;
• 1 g black pepper.

Manufacturing:

1. Pour 1 liter of water into a saucepan with a thick bottom and add onions, dill, carrots, thyme, tarragon, bay leaf and black pepper.
2. Place on fire and after boiling, add fish and crayfish necks to the water.
3. Boil for about 7-8 minutes, then remove the fish and crayfish, cool, and filter the broth and pour 240 ml into a separate container.
4. Boil the beets until tender and pour 120 ml of the broth.
5. Blanch the beet tops for 1-2 minutes in boiling salted water and cool.
6. Blanched tops and other greens are finely chopped, cucumbers and boiled beets are cut into cubes.
7. In a separate container, mix all the chopped ingredients, add horseradish, mustard, a little sugar and salt, and lemon juice.
8. Pour in beet broth, fish broth and kvass.
9. At the last moment, add fish pieces and crayfish necks and leave for about 10 minutes.

Beetroot soup recipe

To prepare an unusual fermented milk soup from beet tops, the recipe of which belongs to Armenian cuisine, you will need:

• ½ cup dry green split peas;
• ¼ cup rice;
• a bunch of beet tops;
• 750 g kefir;
• a few sprigs of cilantro and mint;
• ground black and red pepper and salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. Wash the peas, place them in a saucepan, add 1 liter of cold water and cook until tender for about 40 minutes, periodically skimming off any foam that appears.
2. 8 minutes before cooking, add rice to the pan.
3. In a separate saucepan, boil beet tops cut into strips in 200 ml of water for 5 minutes over low heat.
4. Pour the tops along with the broth into a saucepan where peas and rice are cooked, and salt.
   
5. Add chopped herbs and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
6. Remove the finished soup from the stove, add kefir or yogurt (matsun is used in the original Armenian recipe).
7. In bowls, season the soup with ground pepper.

Beetroot recipe from young beets with tops

You will need:

• 1 kg of beets including tops;
• 1 lemon;
• 150 g each of dill, parsley and green onions;
• 300 g cucumbers;
• 300 g radish;
• about 2.5 liters of water;
• 4 chicken eggs;
• 200 g sour cream;
• salt and ground pepper to taste.

Manufacturing:

1. Beet roots are peeled and grated. The tops are finely chopped.
2. Stew the beets along with the tops in a saucepan with a thick bottom, adding sunflower oil and covering with a lid until soft.
3. Add lemon juice and water according to the recipe.
4. Boil the eggs, separate the white from the yolk. The white is cut into strips, and the yolk is mashed into a paste, after which they are added to the pan with the soup.
5. Cucumbers, greens and radishes are cut into strips and also added to the soup.
6. Add salt, spices and sour cream and cool in a cold place for about 2 hours.

Step-by-step recipe for borscht made from beet tops

A very tasty and vitamin-rich borscht is also prepared with young beet tops.

For this you will need:

• 300 g of new potatoes;
• 1 carrot;
• 1 onion;
• 2 beets;
• 500 g beet tops;
• 4 tbsp. l. tomato paste or sauce;
• 4 tbsp. l. vegetable oil;
• 1 tbsp. l. wine vinegar
• salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. Cut the potatoes into small cubes, pour in 2.5 liters of water, add salt and place on the fire.
2. Carrots and onions are cut into strips and stewed in a frying pan along with tomato paste for about 10 minutes, after which they are added to the pan with potatoes.
3. Finely chop the beets and their tops and place them in a frying pan with sunflower oil, where vinegar is also added. Simmer for about a quarter of an hour until soft.
4. When all the vegetables are ready, add stewed beets with tops to the borscht, mix and remove from heat.

Interestingly, on hot summer days, borscht with beet tops prepared according to this recipe can also be eaten cold.

Soup with beet tops and mushrooms

You will need:

• 500 g fresh mushrooms or 100 g dried;
• 200 g beet tops;
• 600 g potatoes;
• 200 g cucumbers:
• 80 g green onions;
• 20 g horseradish;
• salt and vinegar to taste.

This soup is made from young beet tops and is very tasty.

Preparation:

1. Boil the mushrooms until tender (dry ones are pre-soaked in warm water until they swell). Then cut into strips and placed again in the broth.
2. At the same time, cook the potatoes and cool.
3. Beet tops, cucumbers and green onions are cut into small pieces, and horseradish is grated.
4. Add all the ingredients to the mushrooms, salt and boil for another 5-10 minutes.
5. At the very end add vinegar and sour cream.

Second courses from beet leaves

And the variety of delicious main courses that can be prepared from beet tops is simply surprising. And again, most of the recipes belong to the national cuisines of the southern peoples.

Recipe for cutlets from beet tops

You will need:

• 2-3 bunches of beet leaves;
• 1 egg;
• 4 tbsp. l. wheat flour;
• 3 tbsp. l. sunflower oil;
• ½ tsp each hops-suneli and salts.

Preparation:

1. The beet greens are washed, poured with boiling water for 5-7 minutes and chopped using a meat grinder or blender.
2. Add salt to the mixture, stir in an egg, half a portion of flour and suneli hops.
3. Form small cutlets.
4. Each is breaded in the remaining flour and fried in hot oil on each side for 3-4 minutes.

Stuffed cabbage rolls from beet tops

You will need:

• 1 bunch of beet tops;
• 1 beet, carrot, onion;
• 2 potatoes;
• 2 cloves of garlic;
• salt and ground black pepper to taste;
• 2 tbsp. l. sunflower oil;
• 100 g sour cream.

Manufacturing:

1. The beet tops are washed, poured with boiling water and left for 7-8 minutes.
2. The onion is cut into half rings.
3. The remaining vegetables are peeled, cut into strips or grated for Korean carrots.
4. Then they are fried in a frying pan with hot oil for 5-6 minutes, pepper and salt are added.
5. Beet leaves are lightly crushed at the thickest vein to soften, and 1-2 tbsp is placed on each leaf. l. prepared vegetable filling.
6. Wrap it like an envelope and place it, seam side down, in a flat pan with a thick bottom.
7. Top with chopped garlic and sour cream.
8. Turn on moderate heat and cook covered for about a quarter of an hour.

Stewed beet tops in Armenian style

This versatile dish can be prepared in several ways. It is the most delicious and tender when using young tops. But mature greens are also suitable, you just need to increase the cooking time.

And the ingredients used in the recipe are the simplest:

• a couple of bunches of beet tops;
• 100 g butter;
• 100 g sour cream (originally thick matsun);
• a few cloves of garlic;
• salt and black pepper to taste;
• 1-2 onions optional.

Manufacturing:

1. First, the tops are divided into two parts: coarser burgundy petioles and delicate green leaves.
   
2. The petioles are cut into pieces 4-6 cm long, and the leaves into strips 1.5 cm wide.
3. Pour a little water into the bottom of a deep frying pan and place the chopped petioles. Simmer covered for 3 minutes.
4. Then add chopped leaves and simmer for the same amount, turning the green mass for even heating.
5. Then add butter, pepper, salt, mix everything properly and, cover with a lid, simmer until done for about 5-10 minutes.
   Attention! The finished petioles should remain slightly crispy, and the bottom of the pan should not be completely dry - you can see the remains of vegetable juice on it.
6. The dish is almost ready, but it must be accompanied by garlic sauce, which is prepared from fermented milk products (matsuna, sour cream) mixed with crushed garlic.
7. You can diversify the dish by adding separately fried onions at the end of the stew.
   

Vegetable stew with beet tops

In this recipe, beet leaves act as an auxiliary component, but add harmony and healthiness to the overall dish.

You will need:

• 500 g beet tops;
• 500 g zucchini;
• 1 sweet pepper;
• 200 g carrots;
• 1 large onion;
• 3 cloves of garlic;
• 100 g cheese;
• 2 tbsp. l. balsamic vinegar;
• 2-3 tbsp. l. olive oil;
• a bunch of parsley;
• salt and pepper to taste.

Manufacturing:

1. In a frying pan heated with oil, first place the onion cut into half rings, then thin slices of zucchini.
2. Fry for about a quarter of an hour until golden brown.
3. Then add grated carrots, sweet peppers cut into strips, and after 5 minutes finely chopped beet tops.
   
4. Add a little water, salt, pepper.
5. Preheat the oven to + 180-200 °C.
6. The dish is supplemented with chopped garlic and parsley, vinegar, sprinkled with grated cheese on top and placed in the oven for 5-10 minutes.

Omelette with beet leaves

You will need:

• several bunches of beet tops;
• 2-3 tbsp. l. olive oil;
• 1 large onion;
• 4-5 eggs;
• pepper and salt.

Preparation:

1. The beet tops are cut crosswise into small ribbons and steamed in a colander until softened.
2. Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the onion cut into rings.
3. Add the chopped tops and fry for a few more minutes, stirring the contents of the frying pan.
4. In a separate bowl, beat eggs, season with pepper and salt.
5. Pour the egg mixture into the fried vegetables and let them brown for 6-7 minutes.
6. Then, using a large flat plate, carefully turn the omelette over to the other side and heat it for another couple of minutes.

Beetroot sauce

The sauce made according to this recipe is distinguished not only by its delicate texture and seductive aroma. It can even be used as a separate dish, as a spread on bread.

You will need:

• 2 bunches of beet tops;
• 1 bunch of dill;
• 2 tbsp. l. tomato paste;
• 1 bell pepper;
• 3 cloves of garlic;
• 2 tbsp. l. soy sauce;
• 1 tbsp. l. vegetable oil;
• 0.5 tsp. a mixture of ground black and allspice peppers.

Preparation:

1. All ingredients are cleaned of all excess, washed and cut into pieces of arbitrary size.
2. Place in a frying pan with oil, add 100 ml of water and simmer for about 20 minutes.
3. Then the contents are slightly cooled and pureed using an immersion blender.
   
4. Add spices, soy sauce, tomato paste and heat again to a boil.

The sauce is ready, pour it into a glass container and store it in the refrigerator.

Bakery

But most surprising are the recipes for baking using beet tops. It turns out that it harmonizes perfectly with the dough and makes delicious and healthy fillings.

Recipe for Ossetian pie with beet tops

You will need:

• 2 cups each of flour and water;
• 5 tbsp. l. vegetable oil;
• 1 tsp. dry yeast;
• 2 bunches of beet tops;
• 1 bunch of greens;
• 1 tbsp. l. salt;
• 1.5 tsp. Sahara;
• a pinch of hops-suneli;
• 200 g of Adyghe cheese.

Manufacturing:

1. Yeast and sugar are diluted in 220 ml of warm water and left until foam forms on the surface.
2. The flour sifted through a sieve is poured into a deep bowl, a glass of water with yeast and the same amount of regular warm water are poured in the middle.
3. Add vegetable oil and salt, knead a loose dough and set aside in a warm place for 22-25 minutes.
   
4. At this time, prepare the filling: finely chop the tops and greens, add crumbled cheese and, if desired, salt.
5. The risen dough is divided into approximately 3 parts (for three pies) and one part is placed on a flat plate, thickly sprinkled with flour.
   Advice! Grease your hands with vegetable oil to prevent the dough from sticking.
6. Using your hands, create a circle of dough on a plate with a diameter of about 25 cm, place a cake of filling in its center and wrap all the edges on top so that the filling is completely covered with dough.
   
7. Sprinkle flour on top and knead the future cake with your hands, so that you end up with a flat cake with a diameter of 40 cm.
8. Sprinkle a baking tray with flour, carefully place the resulting cake on it, and make a through hole in the middle to allow steam to escape.
   
9. Place the oven on the lower level in a preheated temperature of + 250 °C for 10 minutes, and then move it to the upper level for the same time.
10. Remove from the oven and grease the surface with butter.

Khachapuri stuffed with beet tops

Khachapuri with beetroot and cheese filling is prepared using exactly the same principle. The difference between these two pies is only in the composition of the dough. And the whole cooking process and even the appearance of the baked goods are very similar.

Only a flatbread with the filling already enclosed inside can even be carefully rolled out with a rolling pin.

But the dough for khachapuri is used without yeast, made with kefir and soda.

Prepare:

• 500 ml kefir;
• 1 egg;
• 1 tsp each sugar and salt;
• 4-5 glasses of flour;
• 1-2 tbsp. l. vegetable oil;
• 1 tsp. soda;
• 200 g each of beet tops and hard cheese for filling.

Cottage cheese casserole with beet leaves

You will need:

• 300 g tops;
• 200 g cottage cheese;
• 300 g cream cheese;
• 2 eggs;
• 80 g sugar;
• 1 tbsp. l. flour;
• 1 tbsp. l. lemon juice.

Preparation:

1. Finely chop the tops and cook for 5 minutes in boiling water with lemon juice and 1 tbsp. l. Sahara.
2. Drain in a colander and allow to dry.
3. Mix cottage cheese, cheese, eggs in a bowl, beat with a mixer and add flour and remaining sugar. Beat the resulting mixture again.
4. Add chopped tops to it and mix gently.
5. Grease a deep dish with oil and place the casserole mixture in it.
6. Place in an oven preheated to + 180 °C and bake for 50 minutes.

Pie with beet tops and mushrooms

The recipe for pie with mushrooms and beet tops is more related to Russian national cuisine.

You will need:

• 300 g of ready-made puff pastry or regular yeast dough;
• 120 g suluguni;
• 100 g beet tops;
• 300 g of mushrooms (chanterelles or champignons);
• 1 egg;
• 1 onion;
• salt, pepper to taste;
• 10 g garlic;
• 2 tbsp. l. vegetable oil.

Preparation:

1. To make the filling, beet tops are blanched in boiling water for several minutes and finely chopped. Garlic, onion and cheese are also chopped and mixed with beet leaves.
2. The dough is divided into 2 unequal parts. Most of it is rolled out and placed in a baking dish, making punctures with a fork over the entire surface.
3. Then spread the filling evenly and cover it with a thin layer of dough obtained from another, smaller part of it.
4. The top of the pie is brushed with beaten egg and baked in the oven at + 200 °C for 25 minutes.

Beet tops pancakes

For this summer recipe, it is advisable to use young beets.

For 6 portioned pancakes you will need:

• about 200 g of tops;
• 30 ml 10% cream;
• 1 egg;
• 1 onion and several cloves of garlic;
• several sprigs of any greenery - optional;
• 1 tbsp. l. whole grain flour;
• pepper, salt.

Manufacturing:

1. The tops are cut into thin strips, egg, cream, flour, herbs and spices are added to taste. Mix thoroughly.
2. Place in small portions on a frying pan heated with oil and fry on both sides until golden brown.

Conclusion

The recipes from beet tops presented in the article demonstrate the variety of dishes that can be prepared from this healthy green, which some young housewives underestimate.

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