I love hearty and colorful salad recipes such as chicken salad with grapes, Christmas salad, chicken pasta salad, Chinese chicken salad, green bean salad and this fresh and totally delicious salad that features roasted beets. In my opinion, beets are an underrated vegetable. They’re inexpensive, available year round and are loaded with nutrients. This beet salad combines this sweet and earthy veggie with ripe avocado, crumbled feta cheese and pecans, for a salad that’s full of flavor and texture.
Beet Salad Ingredients
To make this salad, you will need mixed salad greens, beets, avocado, feta cheese, pecans, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, salt and black pepper.
How Do You Make Beet Salad?
Preheat the oven and scrub your beets. Slice the stem and root ends off the beets, then wrap them in aluminum foil. Roast the beets until they are tender. Let the veggies cool, then use a paper towel to gently peel the skins off. Cut the beets into bite sized pieces and let them cool. Place the salad greens, beets, avocado, feta and pecans in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, balsamic, honey, mustard, salt and pepper to make a vinaigrette. Pour the dressing over the salad. Toss gently to combine, then serve and enjoy.
Tips For Beet Salad
Use multiple colors of beets for a fancier presentation. This homemade balsamic dressing can be made up to 3 days in advance. Just store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it. Make sure to choose a firm, yet ripe avocado so that it doesn’t get mushy in the salad. This beet salad is best served immediately, so make it and enjoy it right away. Serve your salad alongside hearty main course dishes such as Instant Pot chicken thighs, cheese tortellini in meat sauce, chicken shawarma, lasagna roll ups or Tuscan chicken.
Flavor Variations
This roasted beet salad dish is delicious as-is, but you can switch up the ingredients to feature other great flavors.
Nuts: Try almonds, walnuts or pine nuts instead of pecans. You can also used candied walnuts or candied pecans. Lettuce: Try baby kale, arugula or spinach instead of mixed greens. Cheese: Feel free to use goat cheese, blue cheese or shaved Parmesan cheese instead of feta cheese. Other Flavors: You can add other ingredients to the salad such as dried cranberries, thinly sliced red onion, roasted asparagus or cherry tomatoes. Protein: Make this salad a meal by adding beans, grilled chicken breast or grilled shrimp on top.
This beet salad is light and refreshing yet packed with flavorful and hearty ingredients. It is a great side salad, or you can add some protein and eat it as a lunch or dinner.
