Cheese Ravioli with Mushroom-Beet Sauce

Thanks to our weekly produce delivery, I get to experiment with all sorts of food I would never have bought in a million years on my own. My two new favorites in the veggie world are kale and beets and this week we got in a bunch of beets with the greens still attached. I had no idea they were edible, but they definitely are! Last night I whipped up a delicious sauce made out of pureed beets with chopped greens to pour over some cheese ravioli for a quick and yummy dinner.

If I had to choose between beet greens and kale, I'd definitely opt for kale, but I'm apparently in the minority in my family. My toddler that normally refuses anything leafy and green gobbled down his beet greens like they were the greatest thing he'd ever had. He liked them so much that he even actually bothered to learn the word for them, which is a big deal. The only food words he bothers to learn are for thing he really loves, such as cookies. Oh, does he know the word cookie.

I liked the beet greens, but they had a bit of an add smokey flavor that was slightly off-putting to me. As long as I had a nice balanced bite of sauce, greens, and ravioli, it wasn't too bad, though. All in all, I will definitely be making this again because any green food my son will eat is a keeper.

Mushroom-Beet Sauce
Makes enough sauce for 3 people at 116 calories each

1 bunch of beets with the greens still attached
1/2 teaspoon oil
1 cup of veggie broth (or 1 tsp veggie base dissolved in 1 cup boiling water)
1 teaspoon whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 small yellow onion, sliced
1 cup chopped shiitake mushrooms
1 tablespoon sherry

1. Cut the beets from the greens. Wash well, toss with a tiny bit of oil, wrap with aluminum foil, and roast in a 350 degree oven (or toaster oven) for 45 minutes-1 hour. Allow to cool.
2. While the beets are roasting, cut the leaves from the stems. Discard the stems and rinse the leaves and pat dry. Coarsely chop them and set aside.
3. Peel the skin from the beets. Cut the beets into 1 inch cubes, put them in a food processor, and pulse until chopped. Add half of the veggie broth and the flour. Puree.
4. Heat the peanut oil in a large skillet on medium-high. Cook the onions until translucent, then add the mushrooms and beet greens. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the greens are starting to wilt, and then add the sherry and the other half of the broth. Cook an addition 2-3 minutes.
5. Stir in the beet puree and reduce the heat to medium. When the mixture starts to bubble, cook for another 5 minutes.
6. Serve over your favorite store-bought or homemade cheese ravioli.

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