Upgrade Your Morning Bagel With This Vibrant Cream Cheese Twist

For a delicious burst of carb-powered energy that goes great with your morning coffee, it's hard to beat a bagel with cream cheese. Whether you like it plain, with sesame or poppy seeds, packed full of everything, or even a less traditional bagel flavor (blueberry, anyone?), and whether they're fresh from the store or toasted at home, a bagel is a satisfying breakfast classic that can be enjoyed on the run, or at your leisure. But while interesting bagel flavors are well known, cream cheese varieties are often neglected. That's a real shame, because cream cheese comes in many flavors as wide-ranging as scallion and strawberry. 

But there's one add-in you might never have even considered, which provides a surprising boost to your bagel: Beets. Beet cream cheese may not be found at most bakeries, but it works surprisingly well. The tempered sweetness of beets pairs beautifully with the richness of traditional cream cheese, and can help offset the saltiness of certain bagel flavors, like everything bagels or, of course, more salt-forward ones. If you're feeling fancy, you can also add some smoked salmon to your bagel. In fact, smoked salmon pairs so brilliantly with beets that beet-cured salmon is an increasingly popular dish in its own right.

Beets, bagels, and cream cheese may seem like a surprising combination, but this isn't the only place where beets can make things better, both flavor-wise, and in terms of nutrition, when it comes to breakfast. Beets are super healthy. Not only are they rich in antioxidants, but research suggests that beets also have anti-inflammatory properties, and can even potentially help lower your blood pressure. While many people have heard of beet soup like borscht, or beet salads, there are plenty of ways to start the day with a beet on your plate, which go beyond a bagel or, for that matter, beetroot-cured salmon. 

For a hot and hearty breakfast right out the gate, beets can be cooked into a frittata with other vegetables and cheese, or you can make a beetroot-based hash and top it with fried eggs for a meal that works as breakfast, lunch, or even dinner. On the other hand, the natural sugars found in beets mean that beetroot pancakes can make for a delectably sweet, but still healthy breakfast, which is notably in an Instagram photo-worthy shade of pink.