Beet Carrot Tapenade
Tapenade is an olive-based spread or dip hailing from the Provence region in France. It’s bold, zippy, briny, and salty. It can wear many hats, including being made with the season’s plentiful beets and carrots. Whisk a couple dollops of tapenade into a vinaigrette, use as a fanciful sandwich spread, serve as part of a picnic charcuterie, or fold into bean salads.
Star jars
Classic glass canning jars with two-piece screw-top lids are great to use for various preserves. For items like pickles, tapenades, and chutneys that will only be refrigerated or frozen for short-term storage, it’s also possible to reuse glass pasta sauce, jam, and nut butter jars if they have been thoroughly cleaned. Beautiful looking latch-style jars are also acceptable for this use.
This recipe was originally published in the September 2025 issue of alive magazine.
Beet Carrot Tapenade
Ingredients
- 1 lb (450 g) red beets, cut into 1 inch (2.5 cm) pieces
- 1 lb (450 g) carrots, cut into 1 inch (2.5 cm) pieces
- 2 tsp (10 mL) grapeseed or extra-virgin olive oil
- 3/4 cup (180 mL) pitted Kalamata, Niçoise, or Castelvetrano olives
- 1 cup (250 mL) parsley
- 2 Tbsp (30 mL) fresh thyme
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
- 2 Tbsp (30 mL) capers
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1/2 tsp (1 mL) salt
- 2 Tbsp (30 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
Directions
01
Heat oven to 400 F (200 C). Toss beets and carrots with oil. Spread out on rimmed baking sheet and roast in oven for 45 minutes, stirring once halfway through cooking.
02
Remove vegetables from oven and let cool for several minutes. In food processor container, place beets, carrots, olives, parsley, thyme, garlic, capers, lemon juice, and salt; pulse several times into coarse purée. Wipe down sides of bowl, if needed, during processing.
03
Place mixture in 3 - 1 cup (250 mL) jars or 2 – 2 cup (500 mL) jars (see tip) and drizzle olive oil overtop of each. Seal shut and refrigerate; keeps for up to 6 weeks in fridge or freezer for up to 3 months.
Matthew Kadey, MSc, RD, is a dietitian, nutrition writer, and recipe developer. He is also the author of Rocket Fuel (VeloPress, 2016) and Muffin Tin Chef (Ulysses Press, 2012).
