Golden Beets with Black Beans and Dried Cherries

Earthy smoky black beans simmered with dried cherries, together with golden roasted beets, sautéed greens, and tender nutty brown rice, this recipe for golden beets with black beans is a bright colorful flavorful feast!

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Don’t you love the vibrant orange roasted beets in contrast to the black beans and cherries? Golden beets are mellower in intensity than red beets and tend to taste a little less earthy, so they’re an easier sell to “beet-avoiding eaters.” The rest of us, well, bring on the beets!

The black beans and tart cherry combo is a wink and a nod to feijoada, the Brazilian national dish, a rich black bean stew with smoked meats and tangy orange. I’m sure this meatless mix of smoky black beans and sweet-tart fruit is a far cry from feijoada, which I’ve never had. Inspired, but not the real thing.

You’ll want to cook the beets beforehand. You choose which method, roast, steam, or pressure cook your beets. Naturally, pressure cooking is the fastest. For this recipe I roasted the beets in a foil packet, on the grill. Once the beets are cooked and and you’ve removed the skin, cut them in wedges. A quick sauté in a hot skillet gives the beets their finishing color.

My golden beets came with healthy looking greens attached–if yours do, definitely take advantage. If the beet greens have been cut off or don’t looks very fresh, substitute kale or another bitter green like collards or spinach. The sautéed greens are traditional in Brazil’s feijoada, though totally optional. A genersous sprinkle of chopped parsley and/or cilantro will add plenty of green sparkle and contrast for the golden beets and black beans.

Golden Beets with Black Beans recipe notes:

• Cook your dried beans from scratch using the Instant Pot or stovepot pressure cooker.
• For extra flavor add a couple of dried chiles to the pot.
• Prep ahead: The beans and cherries can be prepared ahead of time and kept in the fridge for 2 days.
• If you don’t have dried cherries, substitute dried cranberries, or better yet, dried apricots cut in smaller pieces.
• Like they do in Brazil, serve with rice and sautéed bitter greens, .
• To sauté the greens: Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet. Add one minced garlic clove, and cook a minute or so. Add washed and chopped greens (1 bunch); cover and cook about 5 minutes. Splash with a teaspoon of red wine vinegar, and season with salt and pepper.

#Eat Seasonal

• This golden beets with black beans recipe is part of July’s seasonal recipe roundup, orchestrated by our friend Becky from The Vintage Mixer blog.
• For more recipes showcasing seasonal fruits and veggies, follow the links from other bloggers below. We hope our recipes encourage you to get in the kitchen and cook something delicious—and seasonal!

Summer Melon Cous Cous Salad with Avocado, Grapes and Mint by Foodie Crush

Berry Frangipane Brioche Toast by Vintage Mixer

Kale Salad with Blueberries Cherries and Goat Cheese by Flavor the Moments

Pesto Butter Corn on the Cob by Cookin’ Canuck

Gluten-Free Strawberry “Shortcakes by Food for My Family

Triple Berry No-Bake Cheesecake with Amaretti Crust by Floating Kitchen

Pickled Beets by Healthy Seasonal Recipes

Sour Cream Panna Cotta with Strawberry Compote by Simple Bites

Blueberry Acai Frozen Yogurt by Kitchen Confidante

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Print Recipe

4.67 from 3 votes

Golden Beets with Black Beans and Dried Cherries

Finishing this dish is fast when you prep many of the components ahead of time. The beans and cherries can be cooked several days earlier and reheated. Same with the beets–the cooked beets get a quick sauté at the very end.  Have the brown rice ready as well. If you are serving with greens, sauté them in a second skillet at the same time you sauté the beets. 

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword: feijoada, yellow beets, black beans

Servings: 6 servings

Author: Letty | @lettyskitchen

Ingredients

• 4 small to medium golden beets, cooked and peeled, cut in wedges
• 3 cups black beans, made from scratch or 2 (15-ounce cans), rinsed and drained (see note)
• ½ cup bean cooking ‘liquor’ or vegetable broth
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• Pinch cayenne pepper to taste (see note)
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons avocado oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ cup dried cherries, preferably tart
• ½ cup water
• ½ teaspoon red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
• 2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley leaves

• Sautéed beet greens or other pungent leafy green (see note)
• 2 cups cooked brown rice

Instructions

• Heat the cooked beans with their “pot liquor” or vegetable broth in a large saucepan with the cumin, smoked paprika, salt, cayenne, and a generous grind of black pepper. Turn the heat down low and keep the beans warm.
• Heat the first 2 tablespoons of oil in a medium skillet, over medium heat, until the oil shimmers. Add the onion and sauté until the onion is translucent and soft, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook and stir another minute. Add to the beans.
• Put the cherries and water in the empty skillet. Simmer on low heat until the cherries are very soft, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the cherries and their liquid to the beans. Stir in the vinegar. Taste and adjust the seasonings with salt, freshly ground black pepper, and cayenne pepper. The beans with cherries can be prepped to this point and refrigerated for up to 2 days.
• Wipe out the skillet. Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil over medium high heat. Add the beet wedges, sprinkle them with salt, and cook until heated through.
• Serve the golden beet wedges and smoky black beans with brown rice, and if you wish, sautéed greens. Garnish with cilantro and parsley.

Notes

• If you cook dried beans from scratch, add a couple of dried chiles to the pot and add cayenne to taste.
• See this recipe for how to cook black beans in the pressure cooker or Instant Pot.
• Prep ahead: The beans and cherries can be prepared ahead of time and kept in the fridge for 2 days.
• To sauté the greens: Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet. Add one minced garlic clove, and cook a minute or so. Add washed and chopped greens (1 bunch); cover and cook about 5 minutes. Splash with a teaspoon of red wine vinegar, and season with salt and pepper.

Nutrition

Calories: 186kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 5g | Sodium: 571mg | Potassium: 478mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 460IU | Vitamin C: 6.7mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 2.6mg

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