I have a lovely seasonal recipe for you today, a Roasted Beetroot Salad with Feta and Walnuts. This salad is so easy to make and tastes great. Gorgeous rich roasted beets with creamy feta and crunchy walnuts, this also comes with a tangy orange mustard dressing and has all the flavours of harvest. It’s earthy, satisfying and a little on the healthy side. But don’t let that put you off.
I have been a fan of beetroot since I was a kid, back then it was mostly pickled beetroot I was used to. I loved it though, on salads and in sandwiches. Little did I know back then that I would end up living on the edge of the Fens, a place where a lot of the UK’s beetroot is grown. And now, living in a small village, tractors pulling trailers overflowing with beets is a common sight. Some of these beets end up in my local farm shop, and that’s where I buy them, still with the mud on, and the leaves still bright.
These days I like to roast beetroot, I think it is especially good roasted, it has an earthy taste but also a sweetness and once roasted beetroot has a lovely smooth texture. This roasted beetroot salad has all of this, earthy flavours from the beets, smooth creamy feta cheese, crunchy seeds and walnuts and then a little sweetness from the orange, add in a little freshness from some mint and you have a lovely salad. Top it all off with a very quick and easy mustard and orange dressing.
This roasted beetroot salad is:
- High in fibre
- Full of flavour
- It’s got good fats – nuts, seeds
- Easy to make
- Vegetarian
- Naturally gluten-free
- Beets are a powerful superfood, good for your tummy and your heart
Tips for roasting beetroot:
- Use smaller beets, they will be sweeter and more tender, bigger bits can be woody in the centre.
- I cut my beets into wedges when I roast them, a good sprinkling of salt brings out their sweetness too.
- There is no need to peel them, just give them a good wash.
- You will need a hot oven so make sure your oven is fully preheated before you cook them.
- If you’re lucky enough to find beets with crisp leaves and stems, then don’t throw those away. The stems are great chopped then added to salads, the leaves are great added to stir-fries or steamed.
Roasted Beetroot Salad with Feta and Walnuts
Ingredients
- 3 medium beets (150g) washed, then topped and tailed and cut in half lengthways then each half cut into 4 wedges
- 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium red onion (160g) cut into quarters
- 125 g mixed salad leaves
- 90 g feta cheese
- 30 g walnut halves
- 1 heaped tbsp pumpkin seeds
- 1 medium orange peeled then cut into segments
- 2 sprigs of fresh mint leaves removed then chopped
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
For the orange mustard dressing
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 4 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1 heaped tsp Dijon mustard
- A small pinch of cracked black pepper
- A good pinch of sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C/392 F, please note I use a fan assisted electric oven. Please adjust to the oven you have.
- Place the beetroot on a large baking tray, add the salt and pepper then pour over the olive oil. Make sure all the beetroot is covered in oil.Roast in the oven for 30 - 40 minutes, depending on how chunky your wedges are. After 10 minutes add the onion to the tray and cover in some of the oil. Return the tray to the oven and cook until the beets are cooked. The beets are done when you can easily pierce the beets with a sharp knife.Once cooked leave the beets and red onion to cool slightly before adding to the salad.
- To assemble the salad, place the leaves in a large serving bowl, add the mint and onion and toss. Then add the beetroot, crumble over the walnuts and feta. Add the orange segments and scatter over the pumpkin seeds.
- You can add the dressing to the salad just before serving or you can leave it for everyone to add their own dressing.
To make the dressing:
- Whisk together the orange juice and Dijon mustard. Then whisk in the olive oil, add the salt and pepper.
Notes
- Calories are approximate and include the dressing. Calories without dressing are 226 per person based on 4 servings.
- Cooking time will depend on the size of your beetroot wedges, the bigger the wedge the longer it will take.
- Not everyone is keen on citrus fruit with cheese, however, the feta in this dish is very smooth so we didn't find it a problem, also I would make sure your orange is sweet rather than bitter or sour as a sour orange may not work as well.
- This salad can be kept in the fridge for a day or two, make sure you keep the salad dressing separate. For best results, I would also keep the beetroot separate.
Nutrition
More of my favourite beetroot dishes :
- Beetroot and Goat’s Cheese Tart
- Roast Beetroot Salad with Orange and Goat’s Cheese
- Kale, Blood Orange, Beetroot and Quinoa Salad
- Roast Beets with Quinoa and Feta
- Kale and Quinoa Salad with Beetroot
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This looks wonderful and has a combination of my favorite things! I too, grew up eating tons of pickled beetroot (my dad had a fish and chip shop), but I still love it so much, when I buy beets, I always pickle them. I can’t buy them here in the US as they add sugar to them (UGH!) I’ve also seen it happening in the UK. Why add sugar to something sugar is actually made from?! I don’t understand. Back to your salad, I have to try roasting beets as they look beautiful on this salad!
Thank you so much Christina x I don’t understand why sugar is added to beets, I always buy them raw now. Ah how lucky were you that your dad had a fish and chip shop! I bet that was great fun for you x I hope you do get a chance to roast some beets, they are so good cooked that way 🙂
I love a good salad and this one has everything I enjoy! The colours are just beautiful too – wish I had for lunch today 🙂
Thank you so much Dawn Xx
Other than in borscht, roasted beets are the only way I will eat them. This salad looks and sounds delicious. Feta (just like bacon) makes everything so good.
This salad sounds wonderful! I love the flavour combination of beets and feta.
Oh Michelle, this salad is absolutely stunning! I always adore the combination of sweet-earthy beets with salty-savory feta – so, so good! Such brilliant additional flavor complexity here with the orange and mint and red onion – not to mention lovely textural contrasts. Thanks, too, for the great tips – I didn’t know that larger beets could be woody, but that’s super handy to know for the future! Terrific post!
Thank you so much for your lovely comment Shelley! Xx
Yum!!! Such a gorgeous looking salad! I’ll bet it tastes as good as it looks!
The beet salad looks great, but with that orange mustard dressing it sounds to die for! Yumm!!
This salad was meant for me! I love everything about it! Roasted beets are amazing and combined with the feta, nuts, and citrus dressing it is just a wonderful party in my mouth.
Ah thank you so much Shannon 🙂
It is a gorgeous, delicious salad full of nutritional value. I like beets roasted as well, and sometimes I cannot believe I wasn’t eating them before coming to Canada (not something you see on an Italian table that frequent).
Thank you x I didn’t realise that beets weren’t very popular in Italy Nicoletta, they are os popular this side of Europe.
This spinach salad looks amazing and such beautiful colours. I love all the flavour combos in here! Pinning to try this week!
Thank you Sam Xx
These pictures are so beautiful! We have a big beet salad with candied walnuts, mandarin oranges, and feta over spinach every year for all the fall holidays — Rosh Hashanah, Thanksgiving, etc. Looking forward to trying this variety!
Thank you so much Julie x I hope you enjoy this version, I really like the idea of adding candied walnuts, I’m definitely trying those 🙂
I love beetroot, walnuts, orange and goats cheese, so this salad is PERFECT for me!! I can’t wait to try it.
Thanks Vanessa, I hope you enjoy it x
This salad looks so lovely! The perfect side to dinner or lunch for the week.
Thanks Sharon Xx
My family and I love beets and we make salads with them all the time! Your beetroot salad is just delicious! The orange vinaigrette is a perfect topping! Adding this to my salads to make! Delish!
Thank you so much Eileen x
I have a very close girlfriend who would love this salad as she loves roasted beets. This looks so pretty too. As usual you have awesome photography.
Thank you Nicole x
Oh my goodness, your roasted beetroot salad with feta and walnuts looks so amazing and the orange and mustard dressing is a perfect accompaniment. I love roasted vegetables and must definitely give this awesome recipe a try!
Thank you so much, I hope you enjoy it x