This roasted beet salad with beet greens and Feta uses all of the nutritious goodness of beets. Feed your family wholesome and healthy good food.
When it comes to salads, the Roasted Beet Salad with Beet Greens and Feta stands out as a colorful and elegant masterpiece. Bursting with earthy flavors, vibrant hues, and wholesome ingredients, this salad is a celebration of seasonal produce.
This roasted beet feta salad is not your everyday green salad.
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Why We Love It:
Flavor Explosion: The combination of roasted beets, tangy feta, and beet greens create a symphony of taste.
Texture Play: Creamy, crunchy, and tender—this salad hits all the right notes.
Colorful Presentation: Serve it at gatherings and watch your guests’ eyes light up
Another delicious recipe for fresh garden produce is dill roasted radishes.
Tasty Combination of Cheese, Vinaigrette, and Earthy Beets
The fact that this tastes just divine will have your family asking for more. They may never realize just how nutritious this salad is for them.
Ingredients:
- Beets: Start with fresh beets, preferably straight from your local farmers’ market. Roasting them brings out their natural sweetness and tender texture.
- Beet Greens: Don’t discard those beet greens! They’re packed with nutrients and add a delightful leafy element to the salad.
- Feta Cheese: Crumbled feta provides a creamy, tangy contrast to the earthy beets.
- Fresh Parsley: Minced parsley adds a burst of freshness and a hint of herbaceous flavor.
- Olive Oil, Dijon Mustard, Honey, and Vinegar: In a small bowl, mix a simple vinaigrette made with extra-virgin olive oil, Dijon mustard, honey, and your choice of vinegar. Today, I used rice wine vinegar, but balsamic vinegar, and red wine vinegar ties everything together nicely too.
Picking Beets From the Garden
This is one of those great recipes you can make with fresh produce. When you grow your own beets, even better. When I was growing up, we had large gardens and beets were always one of our regulars. Recipes like this one had us picking the fresh beets, cooking them, and making this salad almost everyday.
When we got tired of eating this salad, we made Pickled Beets. This allows you to enjoy your garden produce throughout the year.
Prep the Beets
Easily prep the beets by removing the green tops from the beets. We call that the beet greens. Trim the stems from the beets, leaving about an inch attached, and set them aside. Rinse the beet greens thoroughly under cold water to remove any dirt or debris.
Boiling Beets in a Kettle
Place the whole beets in a pot of boiling water and cook them until they are tender. This usually takes about 30-45 minutes, depending on the size of the beets. When done, drain the water, let cool so you can remove the skin. The skin will slip right off the beet.
Cooking Beets in the Oven
Roast the Beets by wrapping each beet individually in aluminum foil. Roast them in the oven at 375°F (190°C) until they’re easily pierced with a fork (about 45 minutes to 1 hour).
Another roasting option is to place beets in single layer in a baking sheet with 1 cup water. Cover; bake until beets are tender when pierced with knife, about 1 hour 10 minutes.
Cool and Peel Beets: Once the beets are cooked, remove them from the pot or oven and let them cool to room temperature until they are safe to handle. Once they have cooled, use your fingers or a knife to peel off the skins. They should come off easily. Pro Tip. Everything can get stained red, so do this on a cookie sheet or paper towel for easy clean up and disposal of the peelings.
Slice or Dice: Once the beets are peeled, you can slice or dice them according to your preference. You can cut them into rounds, wedges, or cubes, depending on how you want them to look in your salad.
Prepare the Beet Greens
Cleaning beet greens is important to remove any dirt or debris. Here’s how to do it:
Separate the Greens: Start by separating the beet greens from the beets. Cut off the stems where they meet the beet root, leaving about an inch of stem attached to the beet. This will help preserve the moisture in the beets while cooking.
Rinse: Rinse the beet greens under cold running water. Gently rub the leaves with your fingers to remove any dirt or grit. You can also fill a large bowl with cold water and swish the greens around to help dislodge any dirt.
Inspect: After rinsing, inspect the beet greens carefully. Look for any remaining dirt or damaged leaves. If you find any, rinse them again or trim off any damaged parts.
Dry: Once the beet greens are clean, gently pat them dry with paper towels or use a salad spinner to remove excess moisture. Drying the greens will prevent your salad from becoming too watery.
Store: If you’re not using the beet greens right away, you can store them in the refrigerator. Wrap them loosely in a damp paper towel and place them in a plastic bag or container. They should stay fresh for up to a few days.
Save Time – Prep Beets Ahead of Time
No matter which way you prefer to cook your beets, you can make them ahead of time. The beets can be made a few days ahead of time. This will save time when making your salad. Also, the beet greens that you cut off can be stored in the refrigerator a few days just like lettuce can.
When you are ready to make your delicious salad, all of your ingredients are ready.
Beet Slicing Options
When slicing your beets, you can use a regular sharp knife. However, I sometimes like to use this fancy cut just using a hand Wavy Crinkle Cutting Tool. This is how we would cut our potatoes for broasted potatoes in the restaurant too. Just makes things a bit fancy and I think that the vinaigrette holds to the beet a bit better too.
Roasted Beet Salad with Beet Greens and Feta
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Kitchen Essentials
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Beet Greens
- 1/8 Cup Feta Crumbled
- 1 Small Beet Cooked and sliced
Vinaigrette Salad Dressing
- 1 Tsp. Olive Oil
- 3/4 Tsp. Rice Vinegar
- 1/4 Tsp. Dijon Mustard
- 1/4 Tsp. Honey
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
Instructions
Prepare the Beets
- Easily prep the beets by removing the green tops from the beets. We call that the beet greens. Trim the stems from the beets, leaving about an inch attached, and set them aside. Rinse the beet greens thoroughly under cold water to remove any dirt or debris.1 Cup Beet Greens, 1 Small Beet
Boiling Beets in a Kettle
- Place the whole beets in a pot of boiling water and cook them until they are tender. This usually takes about 30-45 minutes, depending on the size of the beets. When done, drain the water, let cool so you can remove the skin. The skin will slip right off the beet.
Cooking Beets in the Oven
- Roast the Beets by wrapping each beet individually in aluminum foil. Roast them in the oven at 375°F (190°C) until they’re easily pierced with a fork (about 45 minutes to 1 hour).
- Another roasting option is to place beets in single layer in a baking sheet with 1 cup water. Cover; bake until beets are tender when pierced with knife, about 1 hour 10 minutes.
Cool and Peel Beets:
- Once the beets are cooked, remove them from the pot or oven and let them cool to room temperature until they are safe to handle. Once they have cooled, use your fingers or a knife to peel off the skins. They should come off easily. Pro Tip. Everything can get stained red, so do this on a cookie sheet or paper towel for easy clean up and disposal of the peelings.
- Slice or Dice: Once the beets are peeled, you can slice or dice them according to your preference. You can cut them into rounds, wedges, or cubes, depending on how you want them to look in your salad.
Prepare the Beet Greens
- Cleaning beet greens is important to remove any dirt or debris. Here’s how to do it:
- Separate the Greens: Start by separating the beet greens from the beets. Cut off the stems where they meet the beet root, leaving about an inch of stem attached to the beet. This will help preserve the moisture in the beets while cooking.
- Rinse: Rinse the beet greens under cold running water. Gently rub the leaves with your fingers to remove any dirt or grit. You can also fill a large bowl with cold water and swish the greens around to help dislodge any dirt.
- Inspect: After rinsing, inspect the beet greens carefully. Look for any remaining dirt or damaged leaves. If you find any, rinse them again or trim off any damaged parts.
- Dry: Once the beet greens are clean, gently pat them dry with paper towels or use a salad spinner to remove excess moisture. Drying the greens will prevent your salad from becoming too watery.
Prepare the vinaigrette
- In a small bowl or a jar, whisk Vinaigrette Salad Dressing ingredients together. olive oil, Dijon mustard, honey, rice vinegar, salt, and pepper.1 Tsp. Olive Oil, 3/4 Tsp. Rice Vinegar, 1/4 Tsp. Dijon Mustard, 1/4 Tsp. Honey, Salt, Pepper
- In a bowl add the sliced beets and beet greens, pour the dressing over the beet salad and gently toss.
- Turn out onto a plate and crumble the Feta cheese over the top. Enjoy your fresh and healthy salad.1/8 Cup Feta
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What to pair with Roasted Beet Salad with Beet Greens and Feta
- Enjoy it as a light lunch with crusty bread.
- Serve alongside grilled chicken or fish for a complete meal.
- Add it to your holiday spread—it’s a showstopper!
Optional Ingredients for a Delicious Beet Salad
While the recipe as written in our favorite way to enjoy this, there are so many variations. You can add a variety of optional ingredients to enhance the flavor and texture of the dish. Here are some ideas:
- Nuts or Seeds: Toasted walnuts, pecans, almonds, or pumpkin seeds can add a crunchy texture and nutty flavor to the salad.
- Fresh Herbs: Chopped fresh herbs like parsley, cilantro, or dill can add a burst of freshness and color to the salad.
- Citrus: Segments of orange, grapefruit, or blood orange can add a bright and tangy contrast to the earthy flavors of the beets.
- Grains: Cooked grains like quinoa, farro, or barley can add substance and make the salad more filling.
- Avocado: Sliced avocado adds creaminess and richness to the salad, complementing the other ingredients well.
- Red Onion: Thinly sliced red onion adds a sharp and slightly sweet flavor to the salad.
- Balsamic Glaze: Drizzling a balsamic glaze over the salad adds a sweet and tangy flavor that pairs well with the earthy beets and salty feta.
- Olives: Kalamata olives or black olives add a briny and salty flavor to the salad.
- Roasted Vegetables: Roasted carrots, sweet potatoes, or butternut squash can add sweetness and depth to the salad.
- Dried Fruit: Dried cranberries, cherries, or apricots can add a chewy texture and sweet flavor to the salad.
Experimenting with different combinations can help you create a delicious and unique beet salad.
What Kinds of Beets Work Well for Salads?
Several varieties of beets work well for salads, each offering unique flavors and colors. Here are a few popular options:
- Red Beets: These are the most common type of beet and are often used in salads. They have a sweet and earthy flavor and add a vibrant red color to the salad.
- Golden Beets: Golden beets have a milder flavor compared to red beets and a sweeter taste. They also add a beautiful golden hue to salads, providing a nice contrast to other ingredients.
- Chioggia Beets: Also known as candy cane or striped beets, Chioggia beets have a unique red and white striped pattern when sliced. They have a slightly sweeter flavor than red beets and add visual interest to salads.
- Baby Beets: These are young, tender beets that are harvested early. They come in various colors, including red, golden, and even striped varieties. Baby beets are often sweeter and more delicate than mature beets, making them perfect for salads.
- Chioggia Guardsmark: This is a hybrid variety of Chioggia beets that has a unique concentric red and white pattern when sliced. It offers the same sweet and mild flavor as Chioggia beets but with a striking appearance.
- Canned Beets: Yes, you can use canned beets for this recipe. The only thing is that you will be missing the fresh beet greens. Here are some great substitutions: Swiss Chard, Spinach, Kale, Arugula, Spring Mix Dandelion Greens, and Radish Greens.
Ultimately, the best type of beet for your salad depends on your personal preference and the flavor profile you’re looking to achieve. Feel free to experiment with different varieties to find your favorite!
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I hope that you liked this recipe. If you are looking for more ideas on what to make, here are a few other recipes that you may enjoy.
You can find Victoria crocheting, quilting, and creating recipes. She has cooked in restaurants for over 20 years, including many larger parties. She learned to crochet when she was just 11 years old and has been crocheting ever since; over 50 years now. Over 40 years ago, she loved her first class in sewing and continues to hone her skills in quilting. Many have enjoyed the handmade gifts over the years. In her professional career, she has worked in management in a wide variety of businesses including higher education as a dean of a division. All the while attending college part-time to achieve her doctorate in higher education with an emphasis in e-learning.