Beet Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette
This delicious Beet Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette is made with roasted beets, carrots, and a few other simple ingredients. It’s served with homemade fresh citrus vinaigrette to create a salad that’s great for lunch or as a side dish for dinner. While it’s wonderfully easy to make, it’s always sure to impress!
Beet Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette
Did anyone else enjoy their holidays? I know I ate plenty of cookies during Christmastime after all those heavy (and delicious meals)! While I’m not kicking myself for having a great holiday season, I am starting 2022 off with a few of my favorite healthy recipes in my kitchen. Comforting food during the cold winter months is always a real treat, but it’s also important to make sure your body is getting plenty of nutrients!
And when it comes to nutritious, it’s pretty hard to beat this beet salad. It’s naturally gluten free and can be made vegan if you omit the goat cheese, although I do love myself some goat cheese! Beets are notably healthy – they’re low in calories and high in vitamin C, folate, fiber, and so much more. The microgreens are also rich with nutrients like potassium, iron, and an array of vitamins. Plus, the vinaigrette is entirely homemade, so you won’t find any artificial flavors or preservatives in this tossed salad.
Too often, salads get a bad rep for being boring and bland. Well, forget that notion entirely, because this salad is bold and packed with naturally mouthwatering flavor! It’s not just exciting and vibrant in color, but also in flavor. Ingredients in the salad itself like fresh mint and red onion pack a delightful punch, while the citrus vinaigrette creates a bouquet of complimentary flavors. With a salad this delicious, it’s perfect for both entertaining and serving to just your family on a weeknight.
How to Make It
- Prep. Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- Roast the beets. Rinse and scrub the beets well then place them whole in a baking dish. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, cover with foil and roast for about 1 hour until fork tender.
- Roast the carrots. Peel the carrots then place them whole on a small baking sheet. Drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and roast in the oven with the beets for about 30 minutes until starting to brown and also fork tender.
- Chop the beets. When the beets are done roasting, carefully remove the foil and let cool until you can handle them. Once cool, peel and chop the beets.
- Chop the carrots. Chop the roasted carrots to the same size as the beets.
- Add all of the salad ingredients. Place the beets and carrots in a large bowl. Add the microgreens, red onion, goat cheese, hazelnuts and mint.
- Make the vinaigrette. Combine all of the ingredients except the olive oil in a blender and blend until the garlic and shallots are minced. Add olive oil and blend slowly until combined.
- Enjoy! Drizzle the prepared vinaigrette into the bowl and toss until all the ingredients are well combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Can I make beet salad with citrus vinaigrette ahead of time?
Roast the beets and carrots up to 2 days in advance. You can also prepare the entire salad up to 6 hours in advance. Be sure to reserve the dressing on the side and drizzle it over the salad just prior to serving. Store the salad and dressing in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve it.
How long will this homemade salad stay fresh?
Once it’s tossed in the vinaigrette, any leftovers you have of this beet salad will stay fresh in the fridge for up to 2 days. Just be sure to keep it in an airtight container. Also, keep in mind that once tossed, the vegetables will wilt fairly quickly and won’t be as crisp as they originally were. The longer the vinaigrette sits on the vegetables, the quicker they will soften from the moisture.
Enjoy your favorite fresh flavors with these salad recipes!
- Peach Burrata Salad with Hot Honey Vinaigrette
- Tomato Mozzarella Caprese Salad
- Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
- Cauliflower Rice Tabbouleh Salad
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Get the Recipe: Beet Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 2 medium red beets
- 2 medium gold beets
- 4 medium carrots
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup microgreens, or sprouts
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
- 2 tablespoons chopped hazelnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
Citrus Vinaigrette
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 small shallot
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- Zest of 1/2 an orange
- Juice of 1/2 an orange
- Juice of 1/2 a lemon
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Equipment
- serving bowl
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Rinse and scrub the beets well then place them whole in a baking dish. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, cover with foil and roast for about 1 hour until fork tender.
- Peel the carrots then place them whole on a small baking sheet. Drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and roast in the oven with the beets for about 30 minutes until starting to brown and also fork tender.
- When the beets are done roasting, carefully remove the foil and let cool until you can handle them. Once cool, peel and chop the beets.
- Chop the roasted carrots to the same size as the beets.
- Place the beets and carrots in a large bowl. Add the microgreens, red onion, goat cheese, hazelnuts and mint.
- Drizzle the prepared vinaigrette into the bowl and toss until all the ingredients are well combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
For the Vinaigrette
- Combine all the ingredients except the olive oil in a blender and blend until garlic and shallots are minced.
- Add olive oil and blend slowly until combined.