Naturally sweet fresh beets and carrots get a little kick from a tangy lemony-orange agave sauce. Perfect for a holiday side dish or a vegetarian main dish, these easy agave glazed beets and carrots make a colorful and tasty addition to any meal.
This is one of those simple yet beautiful recipes that I just love.
To me, beets have such a glorious color and if you get a really naturally sweet one, they are so tasty. And good for you! Beets combine really well with carrots and together they make a quick and easy side dish.
Sauté in just a little bit of butter, then braise with a touch of agave syrup and some orange/lemon juice, a pinch of seasoning and you have one of the easiest glazed beets and carrots recipes you could ever imagine.
Note: This recipe can easily be made vegan by substituting the butter with your favorite oil; use something flavorful and rich, like coconut, hemp or walnut oil…
I’ve seen so many varieties of carrots at farmers markets… like these purple ones below (although I did not use them for this recipe). But aren’t they pretty? Totally off topic, did you know that carrots were originally purple, and the orange ones we use today are a later derivative? So interesting… I’ve discovered that I’m a bit of a food-fact geek… I learned that little tidbit of info when I was writing another article about the value of eating purple foods. Aside from looking gorgeous, purple foods provide all sorts of health benefits.
Anyway, I used orange carrots for this dish…
I love the way the carrots get a bit of beet juice on them while cooking – beautiful! They make a pretty side dish when you need a bit of color on your plate… perfect when pairing with a creamy pasta dish or a piece of chicken or fish… since we often eat veggie-centric meals, we have it along with another veggie main. This dish would also be colorful on a holiday meal table, along with whatever else you’re serving.
Whichever type of carrots you choose, this glazed beets and carrots dish is forgiving and you will enjoy! This recipe is for two, but you can easily double or triple it with exactly the same proportions and have perfect results.
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Easy Agave Glazed Beets and Carrots
Ingredients
- 1 medium size beet
- 1 large carrot
- Juice of 1/4 lemon Approximate, to taste
- Juice of 1/2 orange Approximate, to taste
- 2 teaspoons agave syrup can substitute turbinado sugar or sugar as desired; even maple syrup would work
- 1-2 teaspoons butter for sautéing can substitute with your favorite oil for vegan version
- 1 pinch onion powder
- 1 pinch garlic powder
- 1 pinch black pepper
- salt to taste
- 1 TBSP chopped scallions, divided
Instructions
- Peel beet and cut into quarters, then slice (or eighths, depending on size/shape of beet – slices should be triangle-ish)
- Peel carrot and slice on diagonal
- Sauté beets and carrots in large frying pan on medium heat, in a couple teaspoons of butter, being careful not to burn the butter
- When veggies are semi-soft, add water to almost cover and braise until cooked and water is almost evaporated
- Add juices and agave syrup and let simmer on low heat until syrup thickens.
- When syrup is thickened but not too thick to stir, add half the scallions and continue stirring; add pepper, pinches of garlic and onion powder and mix well.
- Quickly remove from heat
- Garnish with remaining scallions and serve immediately