Gorgeous greens combine with earthy cremini mushrooms and the zing of red pepper flakes. Delicious on their own, with scrambled or fried eggs, on a tomato or steak sandwich, or scattered on top of Grilled Pizza.

This recipe was originally featured in Gorgeous Greens in our Mostly Plants series.

Makes about 1 cup

Ingredients

1 large bunch beet greens, including stems and leaves (you can use the beet roots to make this or this)

3 Tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup diced yellow onions

About 12-15 medium cremini mushrooms, cleaned with stems trimmed, cut vertically into fourths or sixths (depending on size), to make about 1 cup

Coarse salt

2 fat garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon Aleppo pepper (more or less depending on your taste)

Instructions

1. Strip the leaves from the stems, reserving the stems. Rinse the leaves and put them in a colander to drain excess water (but don't dry them completely). Rinse and dry the stems and set them aside. 

2. Warm olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat, then stir in the onions and mushrooms along with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent and the mushrooms are soft.

3. While the mushrooms cook, cut the beet stems crosswise into very small pieces until you have about 1/2 cup (if you have more than this you can use them too if you'd like, or save the excess for another recipe). Add the beet stems and garlic to the mushrooms, tossing in the pan for about 1 minute.

4. Add the still-damp leaves along with another 1/4 teaspoon salt and the Aleppo pepper flakes. Turn the greens over a few times in the pan, turn the heat to medium-low and put the lid on. Simmer for about 5 minutes, then remove the lid and taste. Add a pinch more salt or red pepper if needed.