For most of my life, I didn’t  like beets finding their taste too unappealing.  But a few years ago, I tried the Harvard Beets dish and was surprised to discover that my taste buds had changed again and the flavor was very nice.  Then I tried a fresh golden beet, cooked it and just loved the taste.  It isn’t as “earthy-tasting” as the red beet and can be used a variety of ways.

This recipe for a stuffed beet is adapted using the golden beet and made as low carb as I possibly can.  The beet is one of the higher vegetables in natural sugar, so generally you don’t want to eat too much at one time.   Add a nice green salad to this and you have a very tasty meal.

Stuffed Golden Beets

2 large golden beets 3 to 3 1/2 inches
2 slices crumbled bacon
1/2 Italian sausage link, crumbled and cooked to light brown
1/4 cup Gruyere or mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, fresh
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon Black pepper
2 sprigs parsley

Pre-cook the bacon until crisp. I like to put the slices on a rack in the oven at 400 degrees (f.) for about 15 to 20 minutes. Let them cool, then break the slices into small pieces.

Use 3 inch beets to make it easier to hollow out and fill. Trim the root and tops off the beets and put in enough water to completely cover the beets. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce to low heat, cover the pot and cook until beets are fork tender. Some resistance is okay, but you want them soft enough to scoop out the middle with a spoon. Empty the water out of the pot and refill it with cold water. Let the beets cool until you can handle them easily – 15 to 20 minutes.

Peel the beets and trim the tops and bottom so they will stand easily. Cut off 1/3 of the top of each beet and put it away for use in a salad or elsewhere. This will give you about a 2″ beet for a meal course under 10 net carbs. Use a sharp knife to cut about the edge of the beet leaving a 1/4 inch shell. Scoop the meat out with a spoon and chop, then set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F.) Prepare a small baking dish that can hold two beets.

In a skillet, cook the Italian sausage until light brown. Pour off an excess grease. Add garlic, black pepper and sour cream and stir and cook until mixed together well and hot. Add the sour cream and the chopped beets. Remove from the heat and mix in the cheese.

Spoon the meat mixture into the hollowed out beets. Mound any extra on top or alongside the beet.  Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes until the top is lightly browned.  Garnish with the parsley.

Makes two servings.

Nutrition info per serving:
   Calories: 433 Fat: 28.9 g Net Carbs: 8.6 g Protein: 25.8 g