This recipe for roasted baby beet salad with feta cheese is simple and elegant. The beets are presented on a bed of crisp greens and finished with a tangy champaign-thyme vinaigrette.
The oven-roasted beets are young and tender and they are complemented by creamy feta cheese and the crunch of toasted slivered almonds. This is a salad that would be a great starter for any special dinner.
The beets can be roasted a day or two in advance and kept refrigerated until time to build the salad. The tangy champaign-thyme vinaigrette has a unique flavor and takes but a few minutes to whisk together.
The vinaigrette will be more than you will need for the salad and refrigerates well.
Roasting the baby beets:
Beets have a bright-red juice that will stain your clothing and your wood cutting board. I use a plastic cutting board that seems to be stain-proof but be prepared to have some stained fingers.
Simply scrub the beets, trim off the tops but leave a 1-inch stub and most of the root tails. This will keep the beets from bleeding the good juices. Place the beets in an oven-proof dish and drizzle with olive oil and roast until tender.
The baby beets are so tender that they really do not need to have the outer skin removed but it is an easy process to do so.
After roasting and cooled, slice off the top and the root tail and beginning at the top of the beet, press downward and the skin will slip off, similar to peeling a tomato. A paper towel will help with holding the beet and keep some of the stains from your fingers.
More great salad ideas:
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Roasted Baby Beet Salad with Feta Cheese
Ingredients
For the Salad:
- 2-½ pounds baby beets
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 ounces mixed salad greens
- ¼ of a medium onion thinly sliced
- 4 ounces feta cheese cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- ½ cup toasted slivered almonds
For the Champaign-Thyme Vinaigrette:
- ¼ cup champaign vinegar
- 1 tablespoon grated shallot
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- pinch of freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup olive oil
Instructions
For the Salad:
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Scrub the beets, trim off the tops but leave a 1-inch stub and most of the root tails. This will keep the beets from bleeding the good juices. Place the beets in an oven-proof dish and drizzle with olive oil. Roast in center of the oven until tender when pierced with a fork. About 45-60 minutes depending on their size. Cool slightly before removing the top stubs, roots and skins.
For the Champaign-Thyme Vinaigrette:
- Add the champaign vinegar, grated shallot, thyme leaves, salt and pepper to a small dish and whisk together. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil and whisk until combined.
- Add the mixed greens, red onion slices, feta cheese and slivered almonds to a shallow salad bowl. Toss the salad with a portion of the vinaigrette and divide equally among 4 salad plates. Add 3 or 4 roasted beets to each salad plate and serve.
- Alternatively, and my preference, is to divide the greens between the 4 salad plates, add slices of red onion, an equal amount of the feta cheese and toasted almonds to each plate. Add 3 or 4 roasted beets to each plate and drizzle 1 tablespoon of the vinaigrette on each salad.
Cara @LttleBlndeBaker
Thursday 7th of January 2016
This is a must try for me. I just recently (with in the last year) have been turned on to red beets. I would have never try them before until a friend cooked them for me. All she did was cook them in some butter and they were delicious. And feta is my favorite cheese for a salad! Can't wait to try this combo!!
Pat
Thursday 7th of January 2016
Hi, Cara....thanks for visiting our site. I'm glad to hear you have become a fan of beets! :) You might also like our https://savorthebest.com/sauteed-rosemary-lemon-beets