This roasted beetroot napoleon with walnut-chive cream is an elegant vegan appetizer packed with rich flavors. It looks fancy enough to impress your dinner guests, but they couldn’t be simpler to make!
I’m all about easy, yet impressive recipes. And it doesn’t get easier than this gorgeous roasted beetroot napoleon.
Beetroot can be a divisive vegetable. For many, there are horror-filled memories of tinned pickled beetroot that tasted more of sweetened vinegar than anything else. I remember that wicked concoction being served alongside Thanksgiving dinner, and grew up thinking that was the only way beets could be eaten.
But roasted beetroot is actually a beautiful (and delicious) thing, and has become one of my favorite go-to ingredients for vegan meals. It’s earthy, yet subtly sweet. Kind of like the consistency of a roasted potato, but less crispy. Careful pairing can balance the deeply earthy characteristic that some people find a little overwhelming.
Check out some of my other favorite beet recipes also, like Roasted Beetroot Salad or Beetroot and Goat Cheese Tart!
Let’s make a Roasted Beetroot Napoleon!
I often get asked how to cook beets. I admit that they can look a bit intimidating at first, but it’s actually really simple. I almost always roast my beets, as I think it’s the simplest way to prepare them and is the best way to bring out their sweetness. To roast beets, just coat them in olive oil and wrap them in baking paper. Roast them in the oven for 30-40 minutes, and that’s it. When they cool, it’s super easy to peel the skins off the cooked beets.
My beetroot napoleons are filled with a dairy-free walnut cream, spiked with chives and a little apple cider vinegar to contrast the sweet earthiness. Bitter salad greens and maple roasted walnuts add the final finishing touch for an explosion of flavors.
The walnuts, for the walnut chive cream, are soaked for a few hours, or overnight, and blitzed until smooth in a food processor. A good food processor will make this so much easier and faster to prepare. I am a huge fan of my Oster 3-in-1. It’s really convenient to have a blender and food processor all in one device, so it takes up way less space in my cluttered kitchen. And it makes quick work of anything I toss into it.
If you want to be extra fancy, you can use a cookie cutter to cut all your beetroot slices into the same size and shape. But it will taste just as good if you skip this step!
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Vegan Beetroot Napoleons with Walnut Chive Cream
A wonderfully impressive and deceptively easy elegant vegan appetiser.
Ingredients
ROASTED BEETROOT
- 400 g beetroot (14 oz)
- 3 tbs extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tbs balsamic vinegar
- pinch sugar
- salt and pepper to taste
MAPLE ROSTED WALNUTS
- 1/2 cup walnuts
- 1 tbs maple syrup
- pinch sea salt
WALNUT CHIVE CREAM
- 1 cup walnuts soaked overnight
- 1/3 cup water
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 3 tsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp white miso
- 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbs chives finely chopped
- 1/4 red onion finely diced
- salt to taste
- salad leaves to serve
Instructions
Trim the beetroot and wrap each beetroot in baking paper or foil to roast. I prefer to use baking paper as I find it cooks quicker, but if you have foil, by all means use that. Before encasing, each beetroot add a splash of olive oil. Roast 180 celsius (350 Fahrenheit) for 40 minutes or until tender.
When the beetroot is cool peel and slice about 1/2 cm or 1/4 inch thick. Add the balsamic, olive oil, sugar and salt to a bowl. Whisk to combine and add the beetroot and toss to coat. At this point, you can leave the beetroot overnight to marinate in the fridge.
To make the maple walnuts, preheat the oven to 180 celsius (350 fahrenheit) and toss the walnuts in the maple syrup and salt. Scatter in a single layer on a baking tray and bake for 15 minutes.
To make the walnut cream drain the walnuts well and add to a food processor. Add the water, apple cider vinegar, nutritional yeast, miso and oil. Process until a smooth paste.
Remove the walnut cream from the food processor bowl and add the onion and chives and season to taste.
Shake the marinade off the beetroot. If you want to go that extra mile and impress your guests use a cookie cutter and trim each slice of beetroot to the same size. Place a slice on 4 serving plates. Top with a dollop of the walnut cream, spreading it to the edge of the beetroot. Top with another layer of beetroot and repeat until you have 4 slices of beetroot and 3 layers of the cream. Serve with salad leaves, a scattering of the maple walnuts and a few drops of the beetroot marinade scattered over the plate.
More from my site
Spelt Margherita Vegan Pizza Recipe with Cashew Ricotta- Celery & Apple Walnut Salad with Honey Miso Dressing
- Roast Beetroot Salad with Lentils, Fennel and Blood Orange in a Blood Orange Dressing
- Vegan Mac and Cheese
- Spelt, Caramelised Onion and Potato Pizza {vegan}
- Miso Glazed Eggplant {gluten-free + vegan option}
This recipe looks like something a Michelin star restaurant would serve, wow! And since I LOVE beets and walnuts, can’t wait to try this for our Christmas meal when I’ll have the family over and impress them with such a stunning vegan dish!
What a beautiful appetizer to make. I have never had many of the ingredients in your dish. I will have to check out the food processor as well.
I’ve never had beetroot…can you believe it? But that walnut cream sounds divine and I’m now absolutely intrigued to try this recipe…and that food processor looks like an amazing kitchen tool. I probably should ask for one for Christmas…right? Right. 🙂
This is a beautiful and delicious looking dish!
I’m in love with your Beetroot Napoleons!
Seriously, though, you are so creative with your flavor combinations, and this one is screaming my name. I adore beets as an adult, but as you mentioned, as a child I had them out of the can. My mom was a wonderful cook, and most veggies were fresh, but we had beets and spinach from a can. Yuck! LOL.
That walnut chive cream and maple roasted walnuts has to elevate those glorious beets to a whole new level! I can’t wait to try them…
Thank you, Tamara. 🙂
I grew up with beetroot from the can as well. Ick! Fresh is so much better.
Yummo cant wait to try