Roasted beetroots and Labneh

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This Roasted beetroots and labneh recipe is one of my go-to meze dishes in the fall and winter. It's not just delicious, it's also remarkably simple to make! If you roast the beets in advance, you whip this dish up in minutes.

This recipe highlights everything I love most about Mediterranean cooking. Simple ingredients and big flavours. This recipe transforms the humble beet into a stunning side dish, almost too pretty to eat⏤emphasis is on "almost"!

The roasted beets are paired with a simple sweet citrus dressing to help bring out the sweet, earthy notes, and the labneh complements the dish with its smooth, soft texture. With a touch of sumac, a handful of parsley, and you'll have a cold-weather side dish that’s just as fresh and flavorful as any summer salad.

This recipe is adapted from my beet labneh dip posted on my IG. The main difference between the two dips is their texture. The beet dip is pureed into a smooth dip and topped with goat cheese, whereas this recipe is layered.

What Do You Need to Make the Roasted Beetroots and Labneh recipe?

Beetroots: For this recipe, I used yellow, candy cane (a.k.a Chioggia) and red beetroots. I love the look of using different coloured beets; also, each beetroot offers different flavours to the dish. The yellow and candy cane beets offer a less earthy beet taste that many people don't enjoy.

Labneh: this ingredient is a popular middle eastern yogurt cheese. It gives a perfect pop of tangy flavour, that brings this salad to the next level in taste. It's also great for your gut health since it's fermented milk products with lots of healthy probiotics. If you can't find labneh, use greek yogurt or make your own! Empty a tub of plain regular fat yogurt into a strainer lined with cheesecloth. Allow the whey to drip out of the yogurt overnight. I've included a link in the recipe card for labneh, but it's much cheaper to purchase in a Middle Eastern store, Trader Joe's or make it yourself.

Goat cheese: I love goat cheese and beets they're a match made in heaven. This ingredient is 100% optional, however, I strongly encourage you to give it a try.

Orange Honey Dressing: this is one of my favourite winter dressings. I'm sure you'll agree too. It's a combination of raw apple cider vinegar, honey, olive oil, orange zest, garlic and lightly crushed coriander seeds. It's important to make this dressing with raw apple cider vinegar due to its mellow taste and acidity. I find the non-raw varieties too pungent and acidic tasting.

Parsley: this ingredient is more for a pop of colour than anything else and can be left out if you don't have any on hand. Or you can swap it with some finely chopped beet greens.

Sumac: this is a must-have Mediterranean spice. It offers a perfect pop of lemony flavour without the lemon. The flavour of sumac compliments so many dishes, from salads to roasted chicken. I think it may be magical.

Roasted beets in parchment paper and foil

How to make Roasted Beetroots and Labneh?

Prepare the beets for roasting. Slice the beets in halves or into quarters if really large. I used a mixture of beet varieties for this recipe, and because of this, I found roasting the colours separately was the best way to avoid the red beets from staining the yellow and candy beets. Line the foil with parchment, then give the beets a quick drizzle of olive oil and wrap up the beets.
Roast Your Beets. Place on a baking tray and bake for 40-50 minutes or until the beet are soft enough for a fork to poke through them.
Dress your beets. Whip up the dressing. Just before the beets are cooked, open the foil parchment packages, pour ½ of the dressing on top and then continue cooking until they're soft. Allow the beet to cool before plating.
Assemble your plate. This is the fun part! Mix the labneh and goat cheese together. Then scoop the labneh onto a plate, and spread it to coat the bottom of the plate. Place the roasted beets on top and then drizzle with leftover dressing. Sprinkle on some sumac and parsley. Serve with your favourite flatbread. Enjoy!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you eat the beet with their skin?

There's nothing wrong with eating the skin of the beets. Just give them a good scrub.

How do you remove the skins from the beet?

Once the beets are cooked, the skin should peel off with ease. If not, a pairing knife does the trick.

I can't find Labneh, can I use yogurt?

Yes, but you'll need to choose a thick yogurt-like Greek yogurt or strain regular plain with cheesecloth overnight to make the Labneh.

What other vegetable can I use other than Beets?

Carrots, parsnips and turnips would make excellent alternatives to the beets.

Can I make this ahead of time?

Absolutely! Roasted beets last up to five days in the fridge. Just assemble it just before serving.

What if I don't have sumac?

It's an optional ingredient. You can always use za'atar instead.

Here's some great recipes to complete your meal

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Roasted beets and Labneh

Roasted beetroots and Labneh is one of my go-to meze dishes in the fall and winter. It’s not just delicious; it’s also effortless to make! If you roast the beets in advance, you whip this dish up in minutes.

Prep Time 3 minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes

Additional Time 10 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 3 minutes

Ingredients

2 red beets
2 candy beets
2 yellow beets
1 cup labneh
¼ cup goat cheese
¼ cup parsley, finely chopped
1 tablespoon sumac

Orange Honey Dressing

3 tablespoon raw apple cider vinegar
4 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoon honey
¼ teaspoon coriander seeds, lightly ground
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 small garlic, finely diced or grated
½ teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

Preheat oven 400ºF
Prepare beets. Wash beets and cut the beets in half or quarters if large.
Make parcels for the beets. I prefer to cook the red beet and the coloured beet separately to reduce colour bleeding, however, they can be cooked altogether. Cut out a piece of parchment paper large enough to cover the beets, then cut out a piece of foil a little large than the parchment paper. Place the parchment on top of the foil, arrange the beets on top of the parchment then drizzle with olive oil. Fold the foil up to make a package.
Bake the beets. Arrange the beet parcels on a baking sheet. Set the oven timer for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes add ½ of the dressing. Place beets back into the oven for 10 more minutes or until beets are soft enough for a fork to pierce them with ease.
Make the Dressing. Meanwhile, add all of the dressing ingredients into a mason jar with a lid. Shake vigorously. Set aside.
Dress up your beets. Once your beets are finished cooking, pour the other half of the dressing on them and allow to slightly cool for 10 minutes. Set the remaining dressing aside. At this point, I like to remove the skins from the beet. However, this is an optional step.
Prepare the Labneh. In a small bowl mix the labneh and goat cheese together until smooth and creamy.
Plate the beets. Spread the labneh onto a plate and place the dressed beets on top and include the dressing the beet are bathing in on top.
Garnish. Sprinkle with parsley and sumac. Serve with flatbread and the extra dressing on the side.

Notes

Adapted from my Beet Labneh Dip

I left the beets in large chunks in the photos, but you may find it more practical to cut them into bite-sized pieces.

Roasted beetroots and Labneh