The Little Hedgehog Cooks: Beet Greens

One of the items in my CSA box from last week was beet greens. 

Now, I have never cooked with them before and honestly, until recently, I didn't know that they were actually edible! Since I didn't know what to do with them, I went hunting for some recipe inspiration on the internet. I can across a recipe that included bacon as one of the ingredients, and since I happened to have some on hand, I thought I would try it out! Besides, you can't go wrong with bacon! 

Beet Greens

{recipe credit: Simply Recipes}

Ingredients:

• 1 pound beet greens (I just used my bunch of greens, which was less than a pound)   
• 1 strip of thick cut bacon, chopped (I used some from Trader Joe's)    
• 1/4 cup chopped onion    
• 1 large garlic clove, minced    
• 3/4 cup of water    
• 1 Tbsp granulated sugar    
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (I didn't add any red pepper)
• 1/6 cup of cider vinegar

*recipe note: You can also cook the stems, if they aren't too woody. Just cut them into 1-inch segments and add them to the onions after the onions have been cooking for a minute.*

Directions:

Wash the greens in a sink filled with cold water. Drain greens and wash a second time. Drain greens and cut away any heavy stems. Cut leaves into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.

In a large skillet or 3-qt saucepan, cook bacon until lightly browned on medium heat (or heat 1 Tbsp of bacon fat). Add onions, cook over medium heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions soften and start to brown. Stir in garlic. Add water to the hot pan, stirring to loosen any particles from bottom of pan. Stir in sugar and red pepper. Bring mixture to a boil.

Add the beet greens, gently toss in the onion mixture so the greens are well coated. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 5-15 minutes until the greens are tender. Stir in vinegar. 

All done!

I thought that the sugar really brought our the sweetness in the dish and the bacon was great for flavoring! The beet greens had a really good flavor (it was similar to swiss chard). Beet greens are packed with good-for-you nutrients too! Tasty and good for you - definitely a plus! This makes a great side dish and they are in season  too - I'm sure you can find some at your local farmer's market or grocery store (try Sprouts, Whole Foods, Henry's, etc.)

Enjoy!