 I roasted them in a covered heavy pot in the oven with just a bit of water in the bottom of the pan. And I peeled them as soon as they were just cool enough to handle. About the ‘Everything Spice’ Mix…… I really like this condiment, but I find that it needs extra toasted sesame seeds to smooth out the flavors when used in a salad. This is an easy fix: just toast a few tablespoons of sesame seeds in a sauté pan on the stovetop until lightly toasted and just fragrant, then mix the toasted seeds with the Everything Spice mix. I used the mix as a garnish for the roasted beet salad and I put extra spice mix on top of scrambled eggs. data-pin-do=)
Beet Salad with Everything (Bagel) Spice Mix and (Easy) Tahini Dressing by Foodie’s Chef Laura Brennan
June 30, 2025
It has been many years since I last roasted a beet. They ‘spoke’ to me at my weekly Farmer’s Market: I answered and bought a couple of pounds. (Cooking tip: pick out beets of roughly the same size for even cooking.) I roasted them in a covered heavy pot in the oven with just a bit of water in the bottom of the pan. And I peeled them as soon as they were just cool enough to handle. About the ‘Everything Spice’ Mix…… I really like this condiment, but I find that it needs extra toasted sesame seeds to smooth out the flavors when used in a salad. This is an easy fix: just toast a few tablespoons of sesame seeds in a sauté pan on the stovetop until lightly toasted and just fragrant, then mix the toasted seeds with the Everything Spice mix. I used the mix as a garnish for the roasted beet salad and I put extra spice mix on top of scrambled eggs.
- Yields: Makes about 4-6 appetizer-sized portions.
Ingredients
Tahini Dressing
½ cup tahini
½ cup mayonnaise (I used a neutral mayo like Hellman’s)
1-2 tablespoons cold water, plus more as needed
2-3 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice (plus more to taste, as needed)
¼ teaspoon granulated or powdered garlic
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Roasted Beets
About 2 pounds of whole beets, small to medium in size and all approximately the same size
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Heavy casserole or sauté pan with a tight-fitting cover
Garnish
2 tablespoons of ‘Everything Bagel Spice Mix’ combined with 2 tablespoons toasted
sesame seeds
3 tablespoons finely sliced scallion greens & whites
Fresh ground black pepper
Extra kosher salt as needed
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F
Directions
Wash and dry the beets. Lightly coat them with olive oil, rubbing them all over. Place them in a heavy shallow pot with a tight-fitting lid. (A single layer of beets will encourage even cooking.) Sprinkle with kosher salt. Add a couple of inches of water to the bottom of the pot. Cover the beets with a circle of parchment paper or aluminum foil. Place the pot on the stovetop and bring quickly to boil. Cover the pot with its tightly fitting cover and place in the pre-heated oven. Roast for 45 minutes. Remove the pot from the oven and check the beets for doneness by inserting a skewer into the center of a couple of beets. If the beets are done, there will be no resistance to the skewer going into the beet. They will probably need more time. (My beets took about 68 minutes.) Re-cover the beets with the parchment or foil and return to the oven to finish cooking. When you are satisfied with their ‘doneness’, remove the pan from the oven to a rack and remove the cover and the parchment paper or foil and let them cool at room temperature until cool enough to handle. At least 20 minutes, but probably more like 30 minutes.
Make the dressing while the beets are cooling.Add the tahini, the mayonnaise and the powdered or granulated garlic, 1 tablespoon of cold water, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt and 2 teaspoons of lemon juice to the bowl of a food processor and ‘whiz’ together. Check the consistency and taste. Add more water if it seems too thick. Adjust seasoning with salt and lemon juice. Scrape dressing into a bowl. Set aside.
Toast the sesame seeds on the stove top over low-medium heat, in a sauté pan, until
just toasted and fragrant Toss and/or stir often to promote even cooking. Let cool for
5-10 minutes and mix with an equal amount of ‘everything bagel’ spice mix. Set aside.
Slice the scallions. Set aside.
Peel the beets.
I am going to mention this again, grab a pair of disposable gloves to peel the beets. (Every kitchen should have a box of them ‘on hand’!)
Use a paring knife and cut the stem and root ends off the beets and discard. Continue using your paring knife in one hand and holding a beet in the other and peel the skin off each beet. They should slip off fairly easily. (If needed, coax the skin off with the help of your paring knife.) When all your beets are peeled, switch to the cutting board and cut the beets first in half and then cut each half beet into 6 or 8 even pieces. Add these now diced beets to a large bowl.
To Finish: Add the diced beets to a bowl and drizzle with the tahini dressing to coat. You will NOT need all the dressing. Toss with a spoon or spatula to coat evenly. Mix in the sliced scallions and taste for seasoning. You may need a bit of salt and definitely some fresh ground black pepper at this point. Generously sprinkle the everything-sesame mix over the top Serve. Best eaten at room temperature.
Total Time: About 75-90 minutes
Includes:
Cooking Time: 50-65 minutes to roast beets
Prep time: included in the roasting time
Finishing time: 10-15 minutes
