A roasted beet salad shows how this multi-talented ruby red veg can make a salad sing with very few ingredients or preparation.
One of the things I love about this salad, especially for picnics, is apart from roasting the beets, which we give you all the tips for here in our Roasted Beet Recipe, this salad requires very little preparation.
If you have any beets leftover, you might want to try our Bagels with Roasted Beets and Parmesan Pea Spread or whizz up a batch of our glorious Roasted Beet Hummus Dip.
For a picnic, pack your beets in a container to marinate and your salad ingredients in another. When you lay out your picnic, simply dress your salad with the beets. There isn’t even really a dressing as such as the beets in balsamic do all the work.
You Might Also Like: Never suffer soggy salad situations with these simple tips for Make ahead Picnic Salads.
Looking for more great feta recipes? try our delicious Creamy Whipped Feta. It makes a great dip but also a fabulous spread and bruschetta base.
Recipe Variations
Easily adaptable, this recipe uses beets as the foundation so you can experiment with other ingredients to suit the season or taste. We recommend pears as an addition when in season and pistachios as an alternative to walnuts. You can also switch feta for goats cheese or even a blue cheese crumbled over works well.
You can easily make this recipe a vegan picnic salad by using vegan cheese, or none at all.
Balsamic Roasted Beet Salad with Feta & Walnuts
Ingredients
- 4 small to medium-sized roasted beets.
- 3-4 tablespoons olive oil - plus some for drizzling.
- 1/4 cup quality balsamic vinegar.
- Sea Salt & Ground Pepper
- Fresh thyme leaves
- A few handfuls of dark salad greens. I prefer arugula for this salad. Baby spinach is also good.
- Beetroot leaves with stems cut off.
- Beetroot leaf stems
- 1/4 cup walnuts - toasted
- 1/4 cup normal or vegan feta cheese - crumbled (or more)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to around 400 ℉ | 204 ℃.
- Toss washed and trimmed beets in olive oil, sprinkle with salt and place on a sheet pan. Roast for 30-40 minutes until soft right through. See our Roasted Beets Recipe for tips and tricks on the easiest way to roast beets.
- Once the beets have cooled, cut into cubes or wedges and place in a bowl. Cover with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, thyme leaves and salt & pepper and toss well. Leave to marinate while you prepare the salad.
- Arrange the salad leaves of choice, beetroot leaves and stems on a serving plate or in a bowl.
- Scatter the feta and walnuts through the leaves
- Place the beetroot chunks with their juices around the salad and finish with a drizzle of olive oil. The trick here is not to allow the beet juices to dominate the greens which is why we don’t toss this salad all together.
- If there is any balsamic left after marinating the beets, you can also drizzle with this if you feel the salad needs more dressing. Although, the marinated beets and olive oil should provide enough flavour and moisture to the salad.
Notes
Recipe Variations
- Use vegan feta for a vegan version of this salad.
- If you don't like walnuts, substitute with a nut of your choice. Pistachios also work well with beets.
- Pears also make a good addition to this salad if they are in season.
Nutrition
Sensible Picnic Salad Storage Containers
S’well Stainless Steel Triple-Layered Vacuum Insulated Food Bowls
These stylish 2 in 1 containers (16 oz | 450 gm and 21.5 oz | 610 gm) are perfect for picnic salads. Triple-Layered Vacuum-Insulation keeps salads cold for hours and they can double as a serving bowl which is a great solution for no-mess kids picnic salads. They come in a range of gorgeous colours and designs to suit your picnic style.
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