Pink Greens

A flavorful sautéed dish made with fresh beet greens, aromatic garlic and shallots, seasoned with red pepper flakes and finished with a sherry vinegar kick. This quick-cooking side dish brings out the best in leafy greens while maintaining their nutrients.

2 servings

15 min

Published October 4, 2025

Ingredients

•1 bunch large bunch beet greens
•2 teaspoons chopped garlic
•1 whole shallot, chopped
•¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
•1 teaspoon olive oil
•½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
•2 teaspoons sugar
•¼ teaspoon salt
•2 teaspoons sherry vinegar

Cooking Instructions

1.
1. Wash and trim the beet greens. If the stems are very thick, it's worth trimming them back a bit.
5 min
2.
2. In a large sauté pan over medium heat, sauté the garlic, shallot, and red pepper flakes in the olive oil until slightly browned. Add the black pepper, sugar, and salt.
5 min
3.
3. Place the beet greens in the pan, pour 1/4 cup water over them, and immediately cover. Once the greens have cooked down, 1 to 2 minutes, remove the lid and stir. Cook for another 1 to 2 minutes, allowing the water to evaporate.
4 min
4.
4. Just before serving, pour the vinegar over the greens. Serve and enjoy!
1 min
5.
If you double the amounts as we did, so that it serves 4 people, add vinegar to taste. Twice the amount may be too much. You could use the same technique with spinach, arugula, chard, or any other dark leafy green.
6.
Marissa Grace Desmond and her husband, Ian Kaminski‐Coughlin, live in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Their favorite entertaining tip: "For dinner parties, we share online spreadsheets with our guests, so everyone can see who has responded. It also makes it much easier to coordinate who is bringing what and whether or not we need more wine!"
7.
Alli51: "This recipe would work great for various types of Asian greens (which I typically just cook with a bit of oil, kosher salt, and some soy/fish sauce and maybe some chicken broth). This will be much more interesting!"

Cooking Instructions

1. Wash and trim the beet greens. If the stems are very thick, it's worth trimming them back a bit.

5 min

2. In a large sauté pan over medium heat, sauté the garlic, shallot, and red pepper flakes in the olive oil until slightly browned. Add the black pepper, sugar, and salt.

5 min

3. Place the beet greens in the pan, pour 1/4 cup water over them, and immediately cover. Once the greens have cooked down, 1 to 2 minutes, remove the lid and stir. Cook for another 1 to 2 minutes, allowing the water to evaporate.

4 min

4. Just before serving, pour the vinegar over the greens. Serve and enjoy!

1 min

If you double the amounts as we did, so that it serves 4 people, add vinegar to taste. Twice the amount may be too much. You could use the same technique with spinach, arugula, chard, or any other dark leafy green.

Marissa Grace Desmond and her husband, Ian Kaminski‐Coughlin, live in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Their favorite entertaining tip: "For dinner parties, we share online spreadsheets with our guests, so everyone can see who has responded. It also makes it much easier to coordinate who is bringing what and whether or not we need more wine!"

Alli51: "This recipe would work great for various types of Asian greens (which I typically just cook with a bit of oil, kosher salt, and some soy/fish sauce and maybe some chicken broth). This will be much more interesting!"