Beetroot Salad on a hot summer day is the perfect healthy vegetarian dish to enjoy with friends and family.
Our quick & easy Beetroot Salad features roasted beets, balsamic vinaigrette, salty pistachio, herbed cream, juicy slices of grapefruit and fresh herbs from the garden.
We love serving our Beetroot Salad at the cottage in Muskoka during the summer or in Toronto at the fall harvest season.
Our Roasted Beetroot Salad is vegetarian, low carb and Keto diet-friendly.
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What Is Beetroot?
Beetroot (also known simply as beets) are believed to have originated along the coasts of the Mediterranean and North Africa and were first cultivated for their edible leaves.
The Greeks, like the Romans, cultivated beetroot for their leaves, but ate them as food and called them teutlon or teutlion, because the foliage resembled squid tentacles.
Later on the cultivation of beetroot spread all over Europe to India, forming a secondary diversity centre in the Near East.
Today, beets are most commonly consumed in European countries, with the main producers being England, France and Spain. In 2015, the countries with the highest consumption of beets were France, Germany, Russia and Poland.
Beetroot Varieties
Beets are one of those vegetables that people have VERY strong opinions about. You either love them or hate them.
My mom always says my favourite food to eat as a toddler was beetroot purée, which doesn’t surprise me as I still have a sweet tooth!
When many people think about beetroot they are reminded of canned, pickled or the diced variety that weren’t very exciting. Modern preparations of beetroot are much more inspiring, with many Michelin starred restaurants serving colourful beetroot salads that appear on the plate like pretty plates of art.
Healthy beets also provide a nutritious serving of B vitamins, iron, manganese, copper, magnesium, and potassium in every bite.
The most common beet variety is the ruby-red or purple root, which we’ve used in our Roasted Beetroot Salad recipe. What might surprise you is that there are a number of beet varieties available including white, golden and even a festive pink and white candy stripe!
We suggest talking to the produce manager at your local grocery store or visit a farmers market to see what varieties are available and in season. If you’re able to purchase colourful artisanal beets they offer a nice wow factor for plate presentation.
My Family Loves Roasted Beetroot Salad
My family loves fresh salads, especially if they are quick and easy to make last minute.
We’re all omnivores and thankfully don’t have any allergies. We try and balance a healthy diet that features lean meat, sustainable seafood, local cheese, legumes, seeds, nuts and fresh vegetables.
In the fall during harvest season we typically prepare our roasted beetroot salad in the oven, wrapped in tin foil packages (see image above).
In the summer during barbecue season we often roast the beets on the grill. If you’re pairing the salad with a protein at dinner, feel free to cook the beets beside your favourite steaks, pork chops, sausages or seafood.
Tips For Making The Best Beetroot Salad
If it’s your first time making Roasted Beetroot Salad we suggest you start by reading the ingredients list and recipe directions below so you understand each step.
We think the best salad offers the perfect contrast of flavours, textures and colours. The flavours of our beetroot salad are tangy, sweet, salty and tart. Diverse textures include creamy dollops of herbed cheese, crunchy pistachio, tender beets and delicate grapefruit segments. The crowd-pleasing salad offers pops of green, white, pink and ruby red.
Hosting a large dinner and are time crunched? We suggest roasting the beetroot 24 hours in advance and leaving them in the fridge to keep cool overnight. That way the only work you have to do at mealtime is assemble the prepared ingredients into a salad bowl.
We’ve sliced our beets into quarters after they have been roasted, making them easy to fork through at dinner. Alternatively you could present the salad like a beef carpaccio, featuring thin slices of roasted beetroot.
Many beetroot salad recipes feature crumbled feta cheese or whipped goat cheese. We got creative in the kitchen by whisking together cream cheese with freshly chopped herbs from the garden. The whipped cream cheese mixture also features vinegar and sour cream, offering a desirable tanginess that contrasts with the sweetness of the roasted beets.
If you have vegans joining you for dinner this dish would not be suitable unless you omit the herbed cream or substitute for homemade vegan cream cheese.
If you don’t have cream cheese at home, why not try substituting it with creamy Greek yogurt for an even healthier option?
We’ve sprinkled the salad with Wonderful Pistachios’ Honey Roasted flavour, which are both sweet and salty. You could also use simple salted pistachios or substitute for another roasted nut like pecans, walnuts or hazelnuts.
Tart grapefruit slices offer a juicy contrast to the other elements of the salad but you could also substitute for attractive blood oranges, clementines, tangerines or sweet Amalfi lemons.
We love presenting the salad’s colourful ingredients over a bed of peppery arugula or rocket. You could also substitute for finely chopped kale.
What To Serve with Beetroot Salad
This popular cold beet salad can be enjoyed as a main course or side dish. It keeps well in the fridge for 2-3 days so store it in an airtight container and enjoy leftovers as a quick and easy lunch at work.
We love serving our Beetroot Salad as an entree, enjoying large bowls with a slice of sourdough bread or gourmet crackers. We intentionally created a salad that is well balanced nutritionally so your body has everything it needs in one dish.
The best beetroot salad should be paired with a bottle of dry white wine, preferably from a local winery in Beamsville, Niagara on the Lake or Prince Edward County. The recipe also pairs well with a citrus-forward IPA craft beer. If you’re more of a mixed drink fan check our our guide to the best craft cocktails.
There’s a reason so many restaurants have “soup & salad specials!” We definitely recommend pairing our Roasted Beetroot Salad with a homemade soup like Spicy Tikka Masala Turkey Barley Soup, Piri Piri Carrot and Sweet Pepper Soup with Bulgar or Kale, Leek, Bean, Orzo and Pumpkin Soup with Pecan Pesto.
If you’re looking to host a healthy potluck or salad themed buffet you may also want to serve Goi Ga Vietnamese Salad, Roasted Vegetable Couscous, Sweet Potato Rice, The Best Canadian Salad Recipe, Garlic Lemon Chickpea Avocado Salad, Vegan Chinese Cucumber Salad, Cajun Spicy Chorizo Corn Salad, Cherry Pecan Kale Salad with Honey Lime Vinaigrette, Carrot and Tahini Salad with Crispy Cumin Chickpeas and Pistachios or Fennel, Apple, Celery and Roasted Hazelnut Salad.
If you’re serving this cold salad at a barbecue, it pairs nicely with plump sausages, hamburgers, steaks or grilled prawns.
If you’re looking for a great dessert idea to enjoy after your beetroot salad feast why not try our popular Blueberry Mango Crepes with Coconut Flour, Banana Oat Flour Pancakes, Apple Fritter Muffins, Sticky Toffee Banana and Date Muffins or Dark Chocolate Lindt Lindor Cookies.
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Best Beetroot Salad Recipe
Marinated Beetroot Salad
Equipment
- oven
- baking sheet
- Tin foil
- Pairing knife
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- French knife
- whisk
Ingredients
Marinated Beetroot Salad
- 8 Beets
- 2 tbsp Onion minced
- 3 tbsp Olive oil
- 2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
- 1/3 cup Pistachios
- 1/2 cup Fresh parsley, mint or cilantro
- 1/2 cup Arugula
- 1 Grapefruit peeled and sliced
Whipped Cream Cheese
- 1/4 cup Cream cheese
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp Sour cream
- 1/2 tsp Rice vinegar
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Place a rack in the centre of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees. Place a cookie sheet underneath to catch any drips from the beets.
- Trim the greens, tops and stems from the beets. Wash thoroughly and wrap in aluminum foil packages, about 4 beets per package. Place the packages directly on the oven rack and bake until beets are easily pierced by a fork or knife, 45 minutes to 1 hour depending on size.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine minced onion, oil, vinegar and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
- Remove roasted beets from oven and carefully open foil packages to let steam escape. Let cool at least 30 minutes.
- Unwrap roasted beets and use a peeler to remove tough skin. Dice beets into bite-size pieces. Add to bowl with onion mixture, mix well and let marinate in the refrigerator for 1-8 hours.
- In a bowl, whisk together cream cheese, olive oil, sour cream, rice vinegar, pepper and salt until smooth. Whip until cheese is fluffy and soft. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Decorate beets and grapefruit slices on a serving platter. Spoon dollops of cream cheese mixture on and around the beets. Sprinkle herbs, arugula and pistachio. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
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