How to Cook Canned Beets in the Microwave?

Canned beets can be used in many different ways and all of them require simple preparations only. Unlike canned vegetables, canned beets are preferred by most of us as beets retain a flavor when canned.

Even the nutritional value of canned beets is the same as the fresh ones and these are a good source of iron, fiber, and folate.

Canned beets are already cooked and can be used as it is in the dishes. But sometimes you like to microwave them before eating or using them in dishes. Below are the steps to follow to cook canned beets in the microwave: 

  1. Take a microwave-safe dish and preferably use a glass dish to prevent it from staining.
  2. Put canned beets in it and cover the dish.
  3. Run the microwave for 1 minute on high power.
  4. Gently stir the beet slices.
  5. Microwave for 45 seconds more.
  6. Once done, take the dish out of the microwave, transfer beets to a serving dish, and enjoy delicious beets.

Canned beets have a long shelf life and are not expensive. These are super convenient to use and you can stock up the pantry with the canned beets which when required, can be used to add more veggies to your diet.

Ways to Eat Canned Beets

There are many ways to eat canned beets like you can eat them directly from the can or can be added to the salad along with lemon juice and olive oil.

Canned beets which have zero salts can be used in smoothies, baked items like muffins, cupcakes, and cakes. Even chilled beet soup can be made with these canned beets. These can be also used on your favorite dressing, jam and sauce.

The liquid in the canned beet can also be used in soups or as natural red beet dye in baked items. This helps to avoid wastage of nutrients from beets that go in the liquid.

How to Select Canned Beets?

Always use canned beets that contain less sodium or no salt. It is found that salt content in some canned beets is very high and you should avoid them unless you want to use beets for pickling. 

If the canned beets contain salt, you should wash the beets thoroughly before eating so that sodium is reduced to a large extent.

Nutrient Contents of Canned Beets

Just like fresh beets, canned beets also contain betalain, the red pigment which acts as an antioxidant. These also provide ample amounts of vitamin K, vitamin, C, and B6 along with minerals like potassium, and magnesium in traces.

Best way to cook beets to retain nutrients

Since beets contain lots of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals, they should be added to your diet. You can eat them either raw or cooked. However, while cooking beets, you should be careful that the nutrients are not lost.

The best ways to cook beets to retain nutrients are-

Steaming

If beets are cooked at a high temperature, it’s one of the important nutrients, betalain gets diminished. To prevent this, beets can be steamed for 15 minutes.

For this, boil water in a container and add beets to it. Cover it and let it steam for 15 minutes. Now, remove the beets and rub them with a cloth to peel off the skin. Beets are ready to be eaten.

Boiling

This method retains the color and juices of the beets. Take a saucepan and add water and salt to it. Put whole beets in it and after covering, let the pan boil on sim for 30-40 minutes.

Once done, take the beets out and put in cold water so that you can easily peel off the skin. Now, the beets are ready to be eaten. Always, add 2-inch of stem on the root of the beet with some vinegar in the water to avoid leaking of beet color in the cooking water.

Roasting

This method gives a dense texture and flavor to the beet without losing its nutrients. For this, an oven is used which has to be preheated at 425 degrees.

Cut the beets into halves, spread on a pan, and drizzle some salt, pepper, and olive oil on them. Wrap each piece of beet with foil and roast the beets on low for about 60 minutes. When cooled, rub the beets pieces to remove the skin.

How long to microwave beets?

It takes 10-12 minutes to microwave beets however, the time varies with the size of the beets and the power of the microwave. Once it is done, you should keep them inside the microwave for another 10 minutes. So, a total of approximately 20 minutes is required to microwave beets. 

To cook canned beets in the microwave, only 1-2 minutes will be required as canned beets are pre-cooked and you need to warm them a little. However, canned beets can be eaten as it is without microwaving as well.

Why beets spark and catch fire in microwave?

Beets contain a higher amount of minerals like iron, magnesium, etc which acts as small pieces of metal, and microwaving beets which is a dark, leafy, iron-rich plant means the roots are microwaved. This leads to an arching effect in the microwave.

Due to this, electromagnetic waves in the microwave get reflected, resulting in sparking and fire in the appliance.

This is the reason beets cause spark and fire in the microwave. Even small pieces of beet can produce sparks as there are many little air gaps for sparks to jump as there is no sauce or liquid in the beets to absorb the microwave energy.

How to steam beets in microwave?

Below is the method to steam beets in the microwave:

  1. Take 6-7 small to medium-sized fresh beets and trim stems and leaves. Wash them properly under running water and scrub to remove all kinds of dirt and debris. Do not peel them.
  2. Prick the skin of beets at several places to allow steam to escape while microwaving. Place the beets in a microwavable dish in a single layer.
  3. Add ¼ cup of water to the dish and cover it with a lid or paper towel.
  4. Microwave at high power for 10-12 minutes.
  5. Check the beets for softness by piercing with a fork. If required, microwave for another 2-3 minutes.
  6. Allow the beets to rest for another 10 minutes in the microwave itself. After taking them out, the skin must slip off easily when you rub them with a paper towel.

Beets steamed by this method in the microwave can be kept in the airtight container for about 1 week in the fridge.

Can you roast canned beets?

Yes, you can roast canned beets by the following method:

  • Take a baking tray and put canned beets after draining them.
  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Add seasonings to canned beet if desired, and transfer the baking tray to the oven.
  • Roast for 15-18 minutes.

When beets are done, take them out of the oven, transfer them to another dish, and serve hot.

This is the way to roast canned beets however, most of us avoid this as canned beets are already too soft, and roasting them in the oven might make them unpleasant.

If you want to eat roasted beets, use fresh beets.

Can you freeze canned beets?

Yes, you can freeze canned beets to increase the shelf life of the beets after opening the can. This can be done by transferring the canned beets in an airtight container or freezer bags and freeze.

As compared to the canned beets, freeze and thawed canned beets will be softer and therefore, they are more suitable to be added in cooked dishes like soups and sauces.

When canned beets are frozen properly, they can be safe for mostly 2 months. However, this period can be extended further if they are frozen at 0 degrees Fahrenheit.

Once frozen, beets need to be thawed before using and this can be done either in the refrigerator or in the microwave. Refrigerator thawed beets can be used within 3-4 days whereas microwave thawed should be used immediately.

Conclusion

In this article, a lot of information is given about the ways to cook canned beets and microwave is one of them.

I hope this will help you to cook beet in a better way. Now, it’s your turn to share your experience of cooking canned beets with us.