Description
Roasted Beets with Dill Cream is a colorful, flavor-packed side dish featuring tender caramelized beets over a cool, creamy dill sauce. Finished with crunchy pistachios, fresh dill, and a drizzle of olive oil, it’s an easy yet impressive vegetarian recipe for weeknight dinners, holidays, or entertaining.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Roasted Beets
- 2 pounds beets, red and/or golden
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the Dill Cream
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 small garlic clove, finely grated
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- Black pepper, to taste
For Serving
- 1/3 cup shelled pistachios, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: Heat the oven to 425°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper for easier cleanup.
- Prepare the beets: Peel the beets and cut them into roughly 1/2-inch-thick rounds or wedges. If using both red and golden beets, keep them slightly separated to prevent the red beets from staining everything.
- Season: Toss the beets with 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, and black pepper. Arrange them in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.
- Roast: Roast for 35–45 minutes, flipping halfway through, until the beets are tender and lightly caramelized around the edges.
- Make the dill cream: While the beets roast, combine Greek yogurt, chopped dill, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, salt, and black pepper. Stir until smooth and creamy. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Toast the pistachios: Add the pistachios to a dry skillet over medium-low heat. Toast for 2–3 minutes, stirring frequently, until fragrant. Watch them closely—they can go from golden to “well, there goes that batch” surprisingly fast.
- Assemble: Spread the dill cream generously over a serving platter. Arrange the warm or room-temperature roasted beets on top.
- Finish and serve: Scatter the toasted pistachios and fresh dill over the beets. Drizzle with olive oil, add a little freshly ground black pepper, and serve.
Notes
- Wear disposable gloves when peeling red beets if you want to avoid stained hands.
- Cut the beets to a similar thickness so they roast evenly.
- The dill cream can be prepared up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container.
- For the best presentation, let the roasted beets cool slightly before placing them over the cream. Very hot beets can make the yogurt sauce thinner.
- Walnuts or pecans can replace the pistachios.
- For a vegan version, use a thick unsweetened plant-based Greek-style yogurt.
- Leftover roasted beets and dill cream should be stored separately when possible and refrigerated for up to 3–4 days.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: side dish
- Method: Roasting
- Cuisine: American / Mediterranean-Inspired
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6 of recipe
- Calories: 230 kcal
- Sugar: 10 g
- Sodium: 310 mg
- Fat: 14 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10.5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 7 g
- Cholesterol: 5 mg