Beet Whipped Feta
Spring is such a vibrant season that I’ve found myself eating especially colorful foods as of late. It’s still very muddy and brown here, so on some level I think I’m trying to lure in the green and flowers by puttering about in the kitchen. And when it comes to vibrant foods, there are few ...
Spring is such a vibrant season that I’ve found myself eating especially colorful foods as of late. It’s still very muddy and brown here, so on some level I think I’m trying to lure in the green and flowers by puttering about in the kitchen. And when it comes to vibrant foods, there are few single ingredients as profoundly packed with color as the red beet (I have many a stained kitchen towel that can attest to this). So I wanted to share this *insanely* tasty beet whipped feta spread with you to bring some spring brightness (and color) into your kitchen, too.
This is a recipe I made over two years ago and shot a video of, but never got around to photographing until this week (projects, amirite?) But I’m SO glad I did, because we’re having some friends over this weekend for an early birthday celebration and it’s going to be the perfect snack for the cheeseboard and topping for the sandwiches I plan on making (one will be this chickpea salad sandwich, and the other will be a chicken and grape salad sandwich). I will also have cookies from my favorite local bakery in the area (shoutout to White Salmon Bakery), lots of different cheeses and fruit spreads, chips and dip, and a giant vat of orange tiki drinks with a tap. It’s going to be fun, I think!
Now that I’ve sidebar-ed about my birthday menu, let’s dive into this beet whipped feta recipe a bit more! The beets are roasted/steamed, because they’re roasted with a lid on, so it keeps them nice and moist, which helps them whip up better and smoother in the feta cheese. If you’ve ever roasted beets before, you know it caramelizes all the sugar in them and they become VERY delightfully sweet. And once you whip that up with some tangy, salty, creamy feta cheese, you got yourself a flavor match made in heaven. I have red pepper flakes in it, but if you want it SPICY you can use cayenne pepper instead (just half the amount because it is potent stuff!) Or if you despise the heat, you can just swap it for paprika. This is really easy to make, and goes great as a spread on sandwiches, wraps, and bowls, or just as a dip on with some good ol’ bread n’ crackers. It also freezes well, too! I hope you enjoy it dear reader, and wish you the loveliest spring equinox!
Beet Whipped Feta
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 12 oz beets
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 11 ounces Greek feta
- 1/4 cup full fat plain yogurt
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes can swap with 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper if you like it spicy
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and wash and scrub the beets. Cut the stems off beets but leave a *little* stem attached, otherwise it will leak out too much juice, and leave the tails attached as well. Rub them with the olive oil, then put them in an oven safe pot with a lid (like a Dutch oven), or a baking pan and then cover it with tin foil.
- Place in the oven and bake until tender when poked with a fork, (about 45 to 60 minutes depending on the size of the beets—larger beets will take longer to cook through). Remove from the oven and allow to cool to warm. While warm, hold a beet under cold running water and the skin should peel off easily with your fingers. Peel all the beets.
- Cut the beets into sixths and place them in a food processor with the feta, yogurt, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Begin blending and add the olive oil while the food processor is on. Blend until a relatively smooth mixture forms (it will have a tiny bit of visual texture to it because of the beets, but still has a nice creamy mouth feel). Taste and add salt if needed (feta is typically a very salty cheese, but each brand is different, so you may want to add more depending on your preference).
- You can use it on sandwiches, flatbreads, wraps, bowls, and just on good ol’ bread or crackers. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 10 days. It also freezes well!
Nutrition
\
