When I saw orange and red beets at the farmer's market, I thought about a beet salad to serve with dinner. I love beets, the greens, and pretty much everything about beets. And, they are so inexpensive this time of year. The best beet salad, however, is a salad that makes even salad haters lick the plate.
As a child, we always ate beets in my grandma's Greek salad, but I thought I would make a more savory beet salad today.
Whenever I make a beet salad, I always try to pair it with the best ingredients to get the most flavors. So, I chose arugula as my base greens because of its textured leaves and peppery flavor.
Beets have an impressive nutritional profile.
According to Healthline, beets boast an impressive nutritional profile.
They are low in calories yet high in valuable vitamins and minerals. In fact, they contain a bit of almost all the vitamins and minerals that you need (1).
Here is an overview of the nutrients found in a 3.5-ounce (100-gram) serving of cooked beetroot (1):
- Calories: 44
- Protein: 1.7 grams
- Fat: 0.2 grams
- Fiber: 2 grams
- Vitamin C: 6% of the RDI
- Folate: 20% of the RDI
- Vitamin B6: 3% of the RDI
- Magnesium: 6% of the RDI
- Potassium: 9% of the RDI
- Phosphorous: 4% of the RDI
- Manganese: 16% of the RDI
- Iron: 4% of the RDI
Beets also contain inorganic nitrates and pigments, both of which are plant compounds with several health benefits.
17 OF THE BEST BEET VARIETIES TO GROW AT HOME
- Avalanche
- Bull’s Blood
- Chioggia
- Crosby Egyptian
- Cylindra
- Detroit Dark Red
- Early Wonder
- Forno
- Golden
- Golden Detroit
- Lutz Green Leaf
- Merlin
- Moulin Rouge
- Red Ace
- Red Ball
- Ruby Queen
- Touchstone Gold
- White Detroit
What ingredients are in the best beet salad?
- Yellow Beets
- Red Beets
- Arugula
- Red Onion
- Grape Tomatoes
- Watermelon Radishes
- Tofu Feta Cheese
How to choose the best beets and roast them for beet salad
When selecting beets at the store, choosebeets that feel hard, avoid soft beets, and ones with leaves that appear wilted or unhealthy. .If you have the choice, pick with their big leaves still attached.
As a bonus, beet greens wilt can be added to stir-fries, pasta dishes, soups, or stews.
Despite popular belief, beets do not need oil to roast. Roasting oil-free yields better results than using oil.
- Heat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Cut off the leaves and as close to the top of the beet as possible. Save the beet greens for another purpose.
- Scrub the beets thoroughly, then wrap them loosely in aluminum foil. Leaving the best wet allows for any seasoning chosen to stick, so leave them wet.
- Separate the different colored beets so the red ones do not bleed into the lighter colored beets.
- Place the wrapped beets on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Roast for 50 to 60 minutes. Check the beets every 20 minutes or so. If they are starting to look dry or are scorching on the bottoms, dribble a tablespoon of water over the beets before re-wrapping.
- Beets are done when a fork slides easily to the beet's center, similar to checking a potato.
- Remember, small beets will cook more quickly than large beets, so pair small ones and large ones separately.
- Once cooled, hold each beet in a paper towel and use the paper's edges to rub the skin away. The skin should peel away easily; if it doesn't, the beets likely need to cook for a little longer. Peel the remaining beets.
- Also, wear gloves to prevent your hands from turning red 🙂
- Then, cut the beets into bite-sized pieces; separate colors if not using immediately to prevent bleeding.
- Beets will last 1 week in the refrigerator in a sealed container.
Beet Salad Dressing: Oil-Free and Simple
Because of the array of flavors in this beet salad, the dressing needs to be simple and oil-free to maintain the salad ingredients' integrity.
- Balsamic vinegar
- Dijon mustard (we love Grey Poupon brand)
- Garlic clove
- Maple syrup
- Lemon juice
- Salt
- Black pepper
The vegan feta cheese brings the flavors together
Tofu Feta Cheese is the tangy, savory, and salty component that garnishes the salad as a bonus. I loved vegan feta cheese, and just a little sprinkle on top of this beet salad is all that is needed for a euphoric end.
Since I planned, I made Tofu Feta Cheese ahead of time and planned to use it for various recipes throughout the week. As a result, a whole recipe goes a long way and lasts a week in the refrigerator.
However, tofu feta is a garnish, so feel free to leave it off the salad. Another option, which works well with the ingredients, is to add a few pecans. The crunchy, nutty flavor also makes this beet salad fabulous.
So, the next time you want a little savory in your salad, try the best beets salad you will ever make.
What else can you make with beets?
- Beet Burger
- Beet Dip
- Quinoa Greek Salad with OMG Oil-Free Dressing
- Greek Wrap
- Healthy Greek Pasta Salad
- Greek Quinoa Bowl
📖 Recipe
Beet Salad
Ingredients
Salad
- 6 medium 2 lbs beets, roasted (I chose red and yellow)
- 5 ounce baby arugula, rinsed and spun dry 6 cups
- 1 red onion sliced thin
- 1 watermelon radish cut in slices and then halves
- ½ cup tri-colored tomatoes cut in half
- 4 ounce or ½ cup tofu feta cheese diced or crumbled**
- ½ cup pecans toasted
Oil-Free Dressing
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 garlic clove finely minced
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
Roasting the beets
- Heat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Cut off the leaves and as close to the top of the beet as possible. Save the beet greens for another purpose.
- Scrub the beets thoroughly, then wrap them loosely in aluminum foil. Leaving the best wet allows for any seasoning chosen to stick, so leave them wet.
- Separate the different colored beets so the red ones do not bleed into the lighter colored beets.
- Place the wrapped beets on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Roast for 50 to 60 minutes. Check the beets every 20 minutes or so. If they are starting to look dry or are scorching on the bottoms, dribble a tablespoon of water over the beets before re-wrapping.
- Beets are done when a fork slides easily to the beet's center, similar to checking a potato.
- Remember, small beets will cook more quickly than large beets, so pair small ones and large ones separately.
- Once cooled, hold each beet in a paper towel and use the paper's edges to rub the skin away. The skin should peel away easily; if it doesn't, the beets likely need to cook for a little longer. Peel the remaining beets.
- Also, wear gloves to prevent your hands from turning red 🙂
- Then, cut the beets into bite-sized pieces; separate colors if not using immediately to prevent bleeding.
- Beets will last 1 week in the refrigerator in a sealed container.
Oil-free Dressing
- Whisk all the ingredients together and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Making Tofu Feta Cheese (optional)
- Make 1 recipe of Tofu Feta Cheese (this should be done ahead of time)
Making the Beet Salad
- Place a generous amount of arugula on each plate.
- Place the beets, onions, tomatoes, and watermelon radishes on top of the arugula.
- Drizzle with oil-free dressing and garnish with tofu tofu feta cheese.
Notes
Nutrition
Hi! My name is Kathy, I am a retired high school English teacher & vegan enthusiast and blogger. My entire blog is fully plant-based vegan. I truly believe what we eat & how we live determines our health & the preservation of our planet! 🙂
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