Smashed Beets with Lemon Cashew Cream is a fun and healthy way to cook beets. It’s a colorful and tasty plant-based dish that’s Vegan, Paleo, and Whole30.
I have cooked many a beet in my day, but this smashing technique might be my new favorite method.
I first came across it in the stellar cookbook Six Seasons by Joshua McFadden (highly recommend), and it totally blew my mind.
By precooking beets, crushing them, then cooking them again, you get the skin a little crispy and reveal plenty of surface area to absorb whatever flavors you throw on them.
It’s kind of like smashed potatoes…but with beets!
Ingredients for Smashed Beets with Lemon Cashew Cream
While this recipe might sound a little fancy pants, it only requires a few simple ingredients.
- Fresh Beets: The smaller, the better. If your beets are unreasonably large, cut them in half or quarters before boiling.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Sherry Vinegar: There’s something magical about the combination of sherry vinegar and beets, but you can also substitute with red wine or white wine vinegar
- Raw Unsalted Cashews
- Fresh Lemon: You’ll need both the zest and the juice. This usually works out to be exactly one lemon for me.
- Garlic: Surprisingly, just one clove.
- Fresh Parsley: This is mostly for garnish. Sometimes I’ll also add some micro greens or baby watercress if I feel like getting crazy.
- Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
How to Make Smashed Beets with Lemon Cashew Cream
First, you’ll need to soak the cashews. Place a cup of cashews in a bowl or jar, and cover them with water.
Soak the cashews for at least 4 hours at room temperature or overnight in the fridge.
When it’s beet smashing time, scrub the beets well and place them in a large saucepan.
Cover the beets with at least 2 inches of water, add a pinch of salt, and bring the water to a boil.
Lower the heat to maintain a gentle boil, then cook the beets for around 30-35 minutes until they are extremely tender.
For this particular recipe, the beets must be T-E-N-D-E-R. Otherwise, they will shoot across your kitchen like a wayward pin pong ball when you try to smash them (not like that’s happened to me or anything).
Check for their doneness with a pairing knife. It should be able to go all the way through to the center with zero resistance.
Drain the beets and let them cool off enough until you can handle them, then placed them on a baking sheet lined with a mat or parchment paper.
Use the bottom of a clean bowl or jar and give them a good smash.
Try to get the beets under an inch thick while still keeping their shape. It’s okay if they slightly fall apart.
Drizzle some olive oil on top of the beets and season them with salt and pepper.
Transfer the baking sheet to a preheated 450°F oven and cook the beets for about 30 minutes, flipping once, until they are crispy and slightly charred.
While the beets are roasting, drain and rinse the cashews, then toss them in a high-speed blender along with a garlic clove, lemon juice, lemon zest, half a cup of water, and a pinch of salt.
Blend everything together for at least two minutes until it is smooth and creamy.
Sometimes this will take several rounds of scraping down the sides of the blender.
You can also add a little more water until you get a good consistency.
Spread the cashew cream on a large plate, then place the smashed beets on top.
Sprinkle the sherry vinegar and a little more olive oil on top of the beets, season with more salt and pepper to taste, and garnish with parsley. YUM!
We Got The Beet Recipes
Smashed Beets with Lemon Cashew Cream
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 1 1/2 pounds beets about 8 small
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley roughly chopped
- sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Place the cashews in a bowl or jar and cover with water. Soak for at least 4 hours at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator.
- Preheat the oven to 450°F.
- Wash and scrub the beets, then place them in a large saucepan. Cover with at least 2 inches of water and add a large pinch of salt. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook the beets for 30-35 minutes until they are extremely tender.
- Drain the beets and allow them to slightly cool, then transfer them to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Use the bottom of a clean bowl or jar and smash the beets down to a 3/4 inch thickness. Drizzle one tablespoon of olive oil over the beets and season them with sea salt and pepper.
- Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and roast the beets for 25-30 minutes, flipping once, until they are crispy and slightly charred.
- Meanwhile, drain and rinse the cashews, then transfer them to a high-speed blender. Add the garlic, water, lemon juice, lemon zest, and 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt. Blend for 1-2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the blender occasionally, until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
- Spread the cashew cream on a large plate, then arrange the smashed beets on top. Drizzle the sherry vinegar and the remaining tablespoon of olive oil on top of the beets and season with more salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with parsley and serve immediately.
Equipment
- Baking Sheet
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