Beet Salad with Feta and Balsamic Vinaigrette

This beautiful beet salad includes simple ingredients and can be thrown together in under 10 minutes. The rich, earthy taste of beets pairs well with the salty and creamy feta crumbles. Topped off with a slightly sweet balsamic vinaigrette dressing and you have an easy go to side dish that tastes as delicious as it looks!

Beets. They look beautiful in the produce section with their rich color hues of red, purple, and golden yellow and their long luscious leaves of green. Such beauty, but what do you do with them?

Beet roots can be enjoyed boiled, roasted, grilled and even juiced if that’s your thing. You can even eat the greens by boiling or sautéing them in a pan.

I grew up eating beets. They can be an acquired taste. If you have only tasted canned or pickled beets and are under the impression you do not like beets…I highly encourage you to try fresh beets before you write them off completely. First, they do not taste like a pickled beet. While, in my opinion pickled beets are tasty, you can’t taste the beet due to the powerful pickled taste. And second, fresh beets have a slight sweetness and rich earthy taste that is intriguing. I was always drawn to their beautiful color. Seriously, so much so that I remember rubbing them on my lips at the dinner table as a little girl, to look like I had lipstick on. I mean, that rich burgundy-purple hue was hot circa 1990!

Anyways, fresh boiled beets are my favorite to use for this recipe, but I have also used whole cooked canned beets. I would not recommend pickled beets.

This salad comes together in less than 10 minutes; looks and tastes delicious and can be a side dish or a meal on it’s own by adding it to some fresh greens (baby spinach and arugula) and a grain (quinoa or farro).

What you need to make this beet salad

Cooked beets: Fresh beets are best, but whole canned beets will work as well. For a quick and easy way to cook beets try Instant Pot recipe. You can also boil your beets. Peel and cut beets in halves or quarters, place in a pot of boiling water. Cook until soft when poked with a fork. Cook time will vary based on the size of your beets.
Walnuts or your favorite nut of choice: You can use pumpkin seeds, pistachios or pecans. Make it your own and use what you like! I like toasted pecans with this recipe too.
Crumbled Feta Cheese: Try blue cheese, gorgonzola or goat cheese. I personally do not care for the taste of any of these, so I cannot comment, but if you love a good stinky cheese, usually you’re looking for excuses to add it in a recipe.
Fresh (or dried) parsley

Good for you ingredients

Beets are high in fiber, low in calories and loaded with vitamins and minerals. Beets are rich in folate, a vitamin that plays a key role in maintaining our heart health. They also contain a good amount of manganese, which is involved in bone formation, nutrient metabolism and brain functioning. Beets are also high in copper, which is an important mineral required for energy production and the synthesis of certain neurotransmitters in our bodies. I root for beets!!

Notes & Tips

Fresh beets can stain your hands and your clothing. You may want to consider wearing gloves if you are worried about having stained fingers and an apron to protect your clothing. They will wash out of both…this is just being preventative.
It also helps to peel or cut beets over running water to prevent finger staining.

How to Store Beet Salad

To store: Place leftover beet salad in the fridge. I recommend eating within 1-2 days before the walnuts get soggy.
To freeze: I do not recommend freezing this salad. However, cooked beets on their own, will last in the freezer for up to a year.