Sauerkraut-Ish Pickled Beets Recipe

When you go to a salad bar, do you walk past the beets, or do you pile them on? Beets tend to be a love 'em or hate 'em kind of veggie. Even though they have a few quirks, they can be made many different ways to please the most adamant of haters. This recipe brought to us by wellness coach and recipe developer Miriam Hahn may just turn you into a beet fan if give these a try. "I love incorporating beets into my diet because they offer a huge lineup of health benefits ranging from being nutrient-packed, helping to lower blood pressure, and even improving your workouts" (via Healthline). Years ago, beets got a bad rap when they were served straight from a can, and plopped on a plate. Today, there are many other creative ways to work with beets, and this sauerkraut-ish pickled beets recipe is one of them.

For this recipe, we will, of course, need some beets of any color. "I like to use golden beets for this recipe in particular because you are handling them quite a bit, and the golden variety won't stain your hands and utensils like the red will," Hahn shares. "However," she goes on to say, "you can always work with gloves, and that can keep the staining to a minimum." We'll also need some apple cider vinegar, water, rice vinegar, sugar, non-iodized salt, and pickling spice. Hahn uses pink Himalayan salt because it doesn't have iodine, or anti-caking agents included, which can discolor the brine. The pickling spice is a blend of mustard seed, black peppercorns, dill seed, cardamom, cassia, ginger, coriander, allspice, chili flakes, cloves, and bay leaves. If you don't have that blend, you can add a pinch of each spice that you happen to have.

We'll start by cutting off the stems of each beet, and peeling the skin with either a paring knife or a potato peeler. The easiest way to grate your beets is to use a food processor with a grating blade (This is not the "S" blade, folks). Once you chop the beets into strips, or small enough to fit through the grating tube, grate away until it looks like the texture of shredded carrots. If you don't have a food processor, you can use a good ole box grater. 

Combine the apple cider vinegar, water, rice vinegar, sugar, salt, and pickling spice in a medium pot. Bring it to a boil, then lower the heat, and simmer for about 10 minutes. Stir for a few minutes to make sure the sugar and salt are dissolved. Then, remove from heat, and let it cool.

While the brine is cooling, add the grated beets to 2 32-ounce jars. "Wide mouth mason or Weck jars work really well for this," Hahn remarks. "I typically switch out the metal lids for the plastic lids to make it easier to get in and out of the jars," she goes on to say. If you don't have mason jars on hand, you can use any glass container that has an air-tight lid. Before putting the lids on the jars, press the grated beets down firmly, so that the liquid rises slightly above the surface. If you find there isn't enough liquid, just add more water.

Now, just seal up your jars, and put them in the fridge for 24 hours to let the brine do its magic. Now that you have these handy jars of sauerkraut-ish pickled beets in your fridge, they make a great topper for a burger or sandwich, and are delicious added to a green salad. You can add them to eggs, avocado toast, or tofu to liven up your breakfast, or as a side dish to add a salty component to your meal. The beets will last for up to 2 months in a sealed container in your fridge.