Recipe Trophy

Pink Greens

Your Best Way to Cook Greens Contest Winner!

Pink Greens

Photo by Sarah Shatz

Slideshow
  • This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Way to Cook Greens
  • A&M's Testing Notes: This may be the most thoughtful sauteed greens recipe we've ever encountered. Beet greens (which we think deserve more attention in the kitchen) are usually wilted in hot olive oil with a...

    Expand Collapse
  • Chef

    Marissa Grace's Notes: Whenever I cooked beets I felt like I needed to do something with the greens. They are always so beautiful and it seemed a shame to waste them so I did some tests and found my favorite way...

    Expand

Serves 2

  1. Wash and trim your beet greens. If the stems are very thick it is worth trimming them back a bit.

    Ask the hotline about this step!
  2. On medium heat, saute the garlic, shallot and red pepper flake in the olive oil until slightly browned. Add black pepper, sugar and salt.

    Ask the hotline about this step!
  3. Place the beet greens into the pan, pour the water on and immediately cover. Do not remove the lid for a few minutes to allow the greens to wilt. Once they have cooked down, remove the lid and stir all of the ingredients together. Cook for a few more minutes allowing the water to evaporate.

    Ask the hotline about this step!
  4. Just before removing pour the vinegar over the greens. Remove, serve and enjoy!

    Ask the hotline about this step!
Reply

I made Nigel Slater's chocolate-beet cake tonight and this was a terrific precursor -- since i had the greens on hand. Cut the sugar down to 1 tsp, which was all the greens needed. Brilliant call on the sherry vinegar, thanks for a great recipe!

Reply

So wonderful! @maryvelasquez, this reminds me of a dish I used to eat in Rome- a 'spaghetti saltata in padella' - with the addition of cabbage and mushrooms. Add a little provolone or parmigiano, and voila, transported to an eclectic little restaurant near Campo dei Fiori.

Still, this is fantastic as is. What a delicious way to enjoy beet greens. Now, what to do with those beets. . .

Reply

Well almost 2 years later I finally tried these. Absolutely fabulous! I used chard because that was what I had on hand, but any greens would be great. I have flight plans later this week and plan to tote a sandwich of these greens with fried halloumi cheese for lunch enroute. I will be a very happy traveler.

Reply

I made this tonight...awesome! Everyone loved it, even the veg haters.

Title01 Reply

I finally got to make this Sunday night. It was great!

Reply

I was underwhelmed by this recipe. But maybe I did something wrong?

Reply

Needs more salt...

Reply

This recipe would work great for various types of Asian greens (which I typically just cook with a bit of oil, kosher salt, and some soy/fish sauce and maybe some chicken broth). This will be much more interesting!

Wedding_pictures_162 Reply

Hi Marissa--I made this last night with spinach and arugula instead of beet greens. It was great.

Img_1763 Reply

Saving. Thanks!

Winnie100 Reply

I made these pink greens tonight- was cooking up the beets for the beet recipe challenge and have been wanting to try these forever- they are fantastic! I substituted a little chopped onion for the shallot and used Meyer lemon juice instead of the vinegar. I'd never think of adding sugar but it works so well here...great recipe!

Reply

Absolute beet green fan (as well as swiss chard -- which could work with this as well??) ......can't wait to try this!

Img_0598 Reply

I've used both chard and kale for this recipe and they have come out well. I like the beet greens the best as they give the pink hue to the sauce and are more tender!

P1020611 Reply

I usually use garlic, lemon and parmesan to cook greens (sometimes a bit of pancetta), but this is an excellent alternative. Yes, it would be great with pasta!

Junepr05 Reply

I have never used sugar in my sauteed greens. Will have to give it a try.

Reply

This dish is very flavorful! It would be great with pasta.

Lnd_jen Reply

This is exactly the way I cook my greens, minus the sugar - beet greens, kale, chard, they're all great like this. If the stems aren't too woody, I slice them very thin, too, and saute them before adding the greens to the pan.

Meet our Hotliners:

Leah Koenig

Leah2

Leah is the author of The Hadassah Everyday Cookbook on seasonal Jewish cooking.