Beet Salad with Greens

Bears. Beets. Battlestar Galactica.

If you don’t know the reference it’s time to watch The Office. All joking aside this beet salad with greens is THE dish to make when you want an easy salad with a ton of flavor. It hits all the right notes. It is earthy from the beets, acidic from the lemon juice, and I should mention that it is spicy (option to make it not). So go grab those in-season beets (that is if you are reading this between Summer + Winter) and keep reading on.

HOW TO ROAST BEETS?

Until I learned this easy minimal effort approach to roasting beets I would just look at these large hard root vegetables and be so lost. Like what was I supposed to do, boil it? Roasting is the easiest way to get rock hard beets to be tender and ready for a recipe whether it be this one or another. Before we walk though a step by step you do need to know what to look out for when shopping for beets.

HOW TO PICK OUT BEETS

You will either find beets in one of two ways. The first is with the stems and leaves still attached and the second with them loose and cut off. Either one is fine, if you buy them with the stems and leaves look into additional recipes that use these parts of the beet to eliminate waste. Regardless of which one your supermarket or farmers market has there are a few things to look out for.

• Firm not soft – You want your beets to be firm and not soft, soft beets are a no no.
• Look for Rot – The beets should be clear of blemishes, cracks, and any sign that would indicate that it is going bad. The stems attached should be ridged, not saggy, and the leaves should be crisp and green.
• Look to the Root – I actually didn’t know this until I did additional research, but large beets with a hairy tip means that the beet is tough with a woody center – found on The Spruce Eats

HOW TO ROAST BEETS

Wash + Prep – Cut off the top stems and root. Run the beets under water and scrub off any dirt.

Wrap + Roast – One by one cover the beets in a sheet of aluminum foil. You want to use enough to fully cover and seal each beet. To absolutely avoid any juicing out double wrap them. Roast in a 400 degree Fahrenheit oven for 40-60 minutes depending on the size. At the 40 minute mark pierce them with a sharp knife to check the doneness. The knife should easily slide through.

Cool + Peel – Take the cooked beets out of the oven, and let them sit for 5-10 minutes. Placing each one under running cold water, slide your finger back and forth to easily remove the skin (also cooling them down further). Allow the beets to come to room temp before using them in this salad. This process can be sped up by placing the beets in the fridge for a few minutes.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED FOR BEET SALAD WITH GREENS

• Mesclun / Spring Mix – There is something about the earthy, peppery, and almost bitter taste of mesclun combined with beets. Best part about using mesclun… there is no chopping involved, it comes ready to eat. In case you were wondering mesclun and spring mix are the same thing, just two different names. Walk into the supermarket and you may be confronted with a dozen options. Some have baby spinach mixed in, some have arugula, pick the one that looks best to you.
• Beets – The recipe serves 3-4 and calls for 3 medium sized beets. It is perfectly fine to use 4 small or 2-3 large depending on your love for beets. I like to do a mix between red and golden but red is the preferred for this recipe.
• Mint – The combo of mint and beets is a match make in heaven. Fresh only!
• Cilantro – Cilantro is added to brighten up the dish, and counteract the bitter peppery flavor of the greens with the earthy taste of the beets. If you are in the group that can NOT stand cilantro, remove it, but unless your in that group its 100% necessary.
• Red Onion
• Jalapeño – This wouldn’t be a TBA dish unless i found a way to incorporate some spice right? This recipe calls for 1/4 of a jalapeño cut from the bottom. The bottom is furthest away from the pith so it will be less spicy. The jalapeño is also added for flavor so if you can handle a tiny zing (and I truly mean a little zing) then please do not skip this part.
• Lemon – The worlds easiest dressing, lemon juice, salt, and olive oil. Absolutely fresh only. Sorry I am a stickler for fresh lemon juice in easy to make dressings.
• Olive Oil

TOOLS NEEDED

• Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil – As I mentioned above the easiest way to roast beets is to tightly wrap them in aluminum foil. With this said sometimes after the 30 minute mark they can start juicing out. I find that heavy duty aluminum foil prevents this more. If you don’t have access to this use 2 sheets of regular aluminum foil.
• Sheet Tray – God forbid you have a juicer, the last thing you want is beet juice burning on the oven floor. Place the wrapped beets on a sheet pan to eliminate mess.

HOW TO MAKE BEET SALAD WITH GREENS

Roast the Beets – See above instructions.

Combine the Salad – Prep all the ingredients including chopping the cooled peeled beets, onions, mint, cilantro, and jalapeño. Combine the ingredients in a bowl and add 1/4 tsp of kosher salt (less if you are sodium sensitive), the juice of a lemon, and a generous drizzle of olive oil (approx. 1 tbsp).

STORING/REHEATING

As stated above beets can be cooked well in advanced. Store peeled beets in an airtight container for 3-4 days in the fridge. Once the salad is dressed there is no saving it.

Wondering what to eat with this salad? Check out the below recipes!

Grilled Chicken Gyro
Greek Lamb Meatballs
Harissa Honey Chicken