Don’t toss those greens! The next time you roast up a bunch of beets, go ahead and trim, wash, and sauté the mild-flavored greens and use them in this nutrient rich, protein-packed Beet Green Omelet.
Beet greens are not bitter; they’re surprisingly mild and have a slightly sweet flavor. Who knew!?
They contain the antioxidant, betalain, which research shows may protect against blood vessel damage and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Beet greens are also a good source of immune-boosting vitamin A and vitamin K, a bone builder.
How to Cook Beet Greens
For this recipe, I started with a 1½ pound bunch of beets. I trimmed the leaves from the woody stems and roughly chopped the leaves, which yielded 2 heaping chopped cups. From there, I simply sautéed the leaves in olive oil until tender, 2½ to 3 minutes.
Two cups of the beet greens cooked down to half a cup.
Who needs a spinach omelet when you can have a beet green omelet!
If your kids are squeamish about green veggies, don’t despair. Each omelet gets just a quarter cup of the greens, so it’s not intimidating.
- Serves: 2
- Serving size: 1 omelet
- Calories: 280
- Fat: 21g
- Saturated fat: 7g
- Carbohydrates: 5g
- Sodium: 440mg
- Fiber: 2g,
- Protein: 19g
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 to 3 green onions, white and light green parts thinly sliced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 heaping cups roughly chopped beet greens
- 4 large eggs, divided
- 6 tablespoons shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese, divided
- Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add the green onions and cook, stirring frequently, until tender, 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook an additional 30 seconds to 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add the beet greens and cook, stirring frequently, until wilted and tender, 2½ to 3 minutes. Remove the cooked greens and set aside.
- To make the first omelet, raise the heat to medium high. Whisk together 2 of the eggs, 1 teaspoon water, and a pinch of kosher salt and pepper. Pour the mixture into the skillet. Once the edges have set (about 30 seconds), pull back each corner with a spatula and tilt the pan so that the uncooked egg falls to the edges. Allow eggs to set, 30 seconds.
- Arrange ¼ cup of the cooked greens and 3 tablespoons of the cheese over the top. Give the pan a shake to dislodge the omelet and allow it to completely set up, 40 seconds to 1 minute.
- Fold omelet in half and serve. Repeat with remaining egg, water, greens, and cheese. {For a Youtube tutorial on how to make the perfect omelet, check out Jamie Oliver's video.)
Are you a fan of beet greens? How do you prepare them?
Beet greens don’t get enough love! Next time I make an omelet, I’ll definitely have to add them in!
Your recipe for using beet greens in an omelette was very good. Thanks for sharing.
Our pleasure 🙂
Yum!! This is a really delicious one! I’ve never cooked beet greens before. This makes a seriously good omelet. Thanks.
Perfect as written. My husband complimented the omelettes. Thank you very much. We are trying to support local agriculture and are enjoying the local beets (steaming them), but I had extra greens and did not want them to go to waste.
Tender beet greens are also excellent in roast beef sandwiches with horseradish.
LOL. I’m literally making a roast beef sandwich now! Using arugula for the greens!