Best Beet Salad Recipe

5 from 2 votes

With sweet beets, juicy oranges, and pickled onion, all tossed in an orange vinaigrette and topped with feta and pomegranate seeds, this beet salad is delicious as a side dish, appetizer, or even main course!

Prep Time25

Total Time25

Course: Appetizer, Main Course, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: American, Greek

Servings: servings

Author: Grace Vallo

Equipment

Mandolin (optional)

Ingredients

4 ounces lettuce of choice I like butterhead lettuce
1 head endive about 10 or so leaves
1 large navel orange
½ pound pre-cooked red beets
½ small red onion cut into paper thin slices (use a mandolin if you have one!)
2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds
2 tablespoons crumbled feta
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
½ cup water
¼ cup red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Add water, red wine vinegar, and slivered onion to a bowl. Let pickle for 10 minutes. Drain well after 10 minutes and set aside.
Set aside ¼ teaspoon of orange zest. Peel orange. Rest the bottom of the orange on a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to cut the thin white membrane off the outside of the orange. The orange should now be completely orange! Pick the orange up and place it in the palm of your hand so that you can easily see the membrane that separates each orange segment. Use your knife to cut between the membranes (lines between segments) to the center of the orange so that the segments pop out. Repeat until all segments are removed from the membrane.
Add lettuce, endive, orange slices, beets and pickled onion to a large salad bowl.
Whisk together orange zest, 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar, olive oil, and salt and pepper. Pour over salad and toss gently.
Top salad with a generous sprinkle of feta and pomegranate seeds.

Video

Notes

Optional: add Marcona almonds for a crunchy, protein pop!
Buying pre-roasted beets helps cut out a lot of time! You can usually find them in the produce section of the grocery store, in the refrigerator. If you can’t find pre-cooked beets, buy ½ pound of small raw beets, wash and dry them, wrap them in foil, and roast at 375℉ for 50-60 minutes until fork tender. Let cool before peeling & slicing.
Red wine vinegar is used to pickle the onions which gives them a beautiful pink color and adds richness. Sub white wine vinegar if you prefer to use just one type of vinegar throughout the salad!

Nutrition