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I think one of my subconscious goals in life is to create as many salad recipes as possible (so I'm sorry if you don't like salads, we can't be friends). Almost any ingredient can be made into a delicious salad, so why not experiment? There's a lot going on in this beet salad. It has simple roasted chioggia beets. It has delicious sesame sunflower crisp bites. It has broiled feta.
I realize this may be too many steps for you but if you have the time and the will, this salad is up there in the favorite ranks. Everything comes together for a delicious, slightly sweet/crunchy bite. Broiling feta gives it a bit of char flavor, which I think may be how I only want to eat feta from now on. I found that different varieties performed a bit better than others.
If the feta feels a bit wet, I'd pass on the broiling. I ended up a couple times with more of a feta charred puddle. It was still delicious and worked on the salad but lost a bit of the ease!
Beet Salad
variations
Vegan: I love the feta for the tang but if you want to make this beet salad vegan, drop the feta from the recipe.
Nuts: Swap out the sunflower seeds for almonds (delicious!)
Vegetable: I know not everyone is a fan of beets. Roasted carrots would also work well within this combination. Depending on the season, roasted sweet potato could also be used.
Beets
- ½ pound red or chioggia beets
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Seeds
- ¼ cup sunflower seeds
- 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- Pinch of Salt
Feta
- 2 ounces feta (in brick form (not crumbles))
- 1 teaspoons olive oil
- Pinch of black pepper
Salad
- Lettuce
- 3 to 4 tablespoons balsamic vinaigrette
Heat oven to 400˚F. Scrub the beets well, trim the ends, and cut into ¼” cubes. Place on a square of parchment on half a sheet tray (the other half will hold the seed mixture). Toss with the olive oil and salt.
In a bowl, combine the sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, honey, olive oil, and salt. Toss until well combined then place on a separate piece of parchment paper, next to the beets (or on a second sheet tray- I’m lazy and like to consolidate).
Place the tray in the oven and let the seed mixture crisp for 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool while the beets roast for another 25 to 35 minutes, until tender. Remove and turn on your oven’s broiler.
Place the feta in a roasting dish or small sheet tray. Rub with olive oil and sprinkle with the pepper. Place under the broiler and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until the cheese is browning (it may melt a bit, that’s okay). Remove from oven and let cool.
Assemble the salad with the lettuce, beets, sunflower seeds, crumbled feta, and a drizzle of vinaigrette.
Tips + Tricks: Roast the beets and the sunflower mixture ahead of time. I like to roast beets as part of a meal-prep strategy on the weekend!
Use up leftover ingredients: sunflower seeds, beets Serving: 1/2 the salad | Calories: 469kcal | Carbohydrates: 22.8g | Protein: 9.4g | Fat: 40.6g | Saturated Fat: 8.8g | Cholesterol: 25.3mg | Sodium: 640mg | Sugar: 14.7g
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time :45 minutes minutes
Beets are a year-round vegetable for me: I always have beets stowed away in my crisper. The greens make for a nice addition to stir-frys and sautés. Also, the beet roots keep for a couple of weeks and can be used in many different ways (the cupcakes are a particular favorite of mine). Look for all the different varieties as they can be used interchangeably, each adding a lovely pop of color to meals.
Cracked Spelt Risotto
Roasted Beet Pasta
Chocolate Beet Cupcakes
This salad sounds like a must-make. Beets aren't my favorite, but this treatment dresses them up nicely. Looking forward to trying it.
For some reason I've always found that beets and sunflower seeds go together. Can't wait to try this pretty salad. Oh, and "seperate" is actually spelled "separate". I learned that by remembering that the "r" *separates* the two "a"s.
?I was moving too fast and didn't proof close enough. Thanks for the catch!
Hi Erin, I continue to make just about all my meals from your site so thanks! This looks delicious. One question on the beet prep, do you peel the beets before roasting? I see you note cutting off the ends, but was curious if l am to leave skin on. Thanks!
Hi! I do not peel! I find the peels are thin enough.
Thanks Erin, I ended up making this before I saw your reply and peeled the beets, but good to know leaving on is also an option 🙂 This salad was sooooo delicious. It will be in the weekly rotation for sure! Thank goodness for your site. You literally are my go to meal planner 🙂