Save Your Tops! 8 Recipes for Beet & Radish Greens

As far as I’m concerned, root vegetables and their greens are a two-for-one deal. We’re talking beets and radishes, whose tops are just as tasty as their tails. Don’t believe me? Sometimes all you need is the right recipe.

The greens tend to reflect the flavor of their particular “bottom” vegetable. Beet greens (my favorite) are sweet and earthy, while radish greens tend toward spiciness.

If you’ve never cooked with these tops before, a good place to start is simply sautéeing them on their own with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and then serving them alongside the dish made with the root. This will give you a good idea for their flavor and other dishes where the greens might find a home.

Here are a few more recipes to peek your culinary curiosity:

• Pasta with Beet Greens from Gourmet
• Grilled Goat Cheese Pizza with Figs, Beets & Wilted Greens from Fine Cooking
• Beet Green Gratin from Alton Brown and The Food Network
• Beet Green Pierogi with Summer Beets from Martha Stewart
• Chorizo and Greens Quiche from Lighter and Local
• Roasted Radishes with Brown Butter and Radish Tops from Bon Appétit
• Radish Tops Pesto from Fresh Local and Best
• Rustic Radish Soup from Food52

What’s your favorite way to use up these tops?

Related: Can You Eat Carrot Tops?

(Image: Stephanie Foley/Gourmet)