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Beet

Roasted Yellow Beet and Ricotta Tian

by:
March 17, 2011
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars /
3 Ratings4.3 total ratings /
  • Serves 4
Author Notes

I wanted to call this a lasagna, but technically it isn't. Thinly sliced beets replace pasta in this simple yet elegant dish. Fresh ricotta, stirred up with basil, garlic and cheese, is smeared between the beets, adding a creamy background redolent of pesto. I prefer the milder, nuttier yellow beet for this recipe, but red works as well - especially if you prefer pink ricotta. - TasteFood —TasteFood

Test Kitchen Notes

This dish combines a ricotta filling and sliced yellow beets into something deliciously akin to lasagna. The ricotta and basil filling is a perfect accompaniment to the sweet and earthy tasting beets. The lemon adds a perfect amount of bright flavor. My husband and I polished off the entire batch in one sitting—it's that tasty! My only piece of advice for making this is to test your beet slices for tenderness when boiling them; they do not soften much during the baking stage. This dish makes a great side or even a light main course, and I will be serving it again! —hardlikearmour

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 pounds yellow beets (4 large or 8 small)
  • Salt
  • Juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
  • 1 cup fresh ricotta
  • 1 small garlic clove, minced
  • 1/2 cup finely shredded basil leaves, loosely packed - plus extra for garnish
  • 1/4 cup
    plus 2 tablespoons finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese


  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Trim and peel beets. Slice very thinly crosswise with a mandoline or knife. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the beet slices. Cook until tender but firm, 2-3 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Blot dry with a kitchen towel. Place in a bowl, sprinkle and toss with fresh lemon juice.
  2. Combine lemon zest, ricotta, garlic, basil, 1/4 cup pecorino cheese, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper in a bowl.
  3. Arrange beets in one layer, slightly overlapping, in a small earthenware or gratin dish. Smear some of the ricotta over the beets. Repeat layering process, finishing with ricotta on the top. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons cheese. Bake until beets are tender and cheese is bubbly, about 30 minutes. Serve garnished with fresh basil leaves.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • JannyKay
    JannyKay
  • JessicaBakes
    JessicaBakes
  • hardlikearmour
    hardlikearmour
  • TasteFood
    TasteFood

7 Reviews

Rachel May 5, 2014
Made a delicious variation of this tonight. Sliced 3 medium zucchini into 1/4" slabs, painted with olive oil and roasted them in 425 degree oven for 10 min. Used these instead of the beets. Added an egg to the home-made ricotta because the ricotta mixture was too dry to spread and added more than 1 c ricotta. Increased the grated cheese and used parmesan. Grated about 3/4 c total.
 
JannyKay June 19, 2011
Where did you find your tian pan? I have searched the internet with no luck.
 
TasteFood June 20, 2011
It's an Indian dish I found in a free-trade shop years ago. Not officially a tian - but it works!
 
JessicaBakes March 24, 2011
Dibs on testing this one! I love yellow beets!
 
hardlikearmour March 17, 2011
I adore yellow beets! This sounds really really yummy.
 
TasteFood March 31, 2011
Thanks so much for the review, hardlikearmour - I am happy you enjoyed the recipe!
 
hardlikearmour March 31, 2011
No problem! It was a joy to eat for us.
 

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