Spicy Wheatberries with Beet Greens, Olives, and Hazelnuts

spicy wheatberries with beet greens, olives, and hazelnuts

I had beet greens.  I had cooked wheatberries and lentils.  I had toasted hazelnuts, and olives marinated with chilies.

I had dinner, and it was frickin’ awesome.


Good lord, I’m getting lazy over here.  I need to step it up.

Spicy Wheatberries and Lentils with Beet Greens, Olives, and Hazelnuts

Yield: 4 servings

Spicy Wheatberries and Lentils with Beet Greens, Olives, and Hazelnuts

Please forgive me for using a list of ingredients that are all pre-cooked. I know it adds about ten hours of prep time if you want to make it from scratch exactly as written. I'm terrible like that.

But that's the beauty of such dishes, right? You don't really need to follow the recipe to the letter. It's a mélange de frigo. Use what you got.

The olives I used were from a large gourmet grocery (cough cough whole foods cough), and were pre-pitted and marinated with red chilies. I minced and used all three chilies that I picked up along with the olives, and I dearly loved the level of spice. Use less chili (or none) if you're a wuss.


  • Greens from 2 bunches of beets, washed well
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil (or bacon fat, if you're fancy)
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3/4 cup cooked lentils du Puy
  • 1 cup cooked wheatberries
  • 1/2 cup green and black olives marinated in chilies (or olives and your preferred red chile or hot sauce)
  • 1/4 cup hazelnuts, toasted
  • 2 cups baby spinach
  • Juice from 1/2 lemon
  • Salt and black pepper, as needed


1. Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, roughly chop the beet greens into 1/2 inch lengths. Add the olive oil to the pan, followed by the chopped stems of the beet greens. Salt lightly, toss to combine, and cook for 2-4 minutes to soften the stems.

2. Add the remaining bits of beet greens, along with a splash of water (or stock, if you have it), about 1/4 cup or less, and cook until wilted and the liquid has mostly evaporated.

3. While the greens cook, mince the garlic. Add to the pan, and cook about 1 minute.

4. Add the lentils and wheatberries. Cook another minute or so, until warmed through.

5. Meanwhile, chop the olives and hazelnuts roughly, and mince any chile that may be included in the olives. Add to the pan, and remove from heat. Stir in the spinach at once, so the heat can wilt it. Squeeze a little lemon juice over everything.

6. Taste, and correct the seasoning as needed with salt, pepper, lemon juice, and additional olive oil. Serve warm, or at room temperature.