Quick-Pickled Turnips With Beets to Brighten Your Meals

Turnip pickles bring sharpness, crunch, and color to almost any meal. With just a few slices of beet in the jar, pale turnips transform into bright pink spears that wake up wraps, grain bowls, roasted meats, and “mezze” platters.

These Middle Eastern-style refrigerator pickles are a classic accompaniment to shawarma, a Middle Eastern dish of thinly sliced seasoned meat. Garlic, bay leaves, and black peppercorns give the tangy brine an aromatic, savory depth, while the beets add earthy sweetness, color, and antioxidant-rich pigments. They take about 10 minutes to prep, and the only equipment required is a saucepan and two or three clean, sanitized jars.

(Terri Ward/The Epoch Times) — Terri Ward/The Epoch Times

Their bright pink color and crunch also come with nutritional benefits. Turnips provide fiber and glucosinolates, sulfur-containing phytonutrients that gut microbes convert into active compounds that may help reduce oxidative stress and inflammation. Beets add more fiber along with betalains, red phytonutrients associated with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity.

If you like these, check out the other quick-pickle variations below. You’ll also find answers to common quick-pickling questions in the first recipe.

Quick-Pickled Carrots, Jalapeños, and Onions: Mildly spicy, taqueria-style to add a little kick to carne asada, tacos, tostadas, or eggs
Pickled Red Onions: Sharp and vinegary, yet tender enough for sandwiches, burgers, tacos, and grain bowls

Tip: Don’t discard the brine. The vinegar brine contains the same acetic acid and dissolved flavors that pickle the vegetables. You can drink it, or use it in homemade salad dressings, marinades, or drizzle a little over grain bowls or roasted vegetables.