This Citrus Beet Salad combines oven roasted beets, fresh orange slices, crunchy jicama, and pistachios. A tangy citrus vinaigrette adds an additional burst of freshness. It’s a perfect easy salad recipe to showcase winter produce!
Citrus Beet Salad
Bored of your usual salad recipe rotation? When I say salad, a lot of people assume it starts with a base of lettuce or leafy greens. But I challenge you to think outside of the box and change it up when you’re making a salad for you and your family. Start with your favorite vegetables or fruits, add a whole grain, beans, nuts/seeds, or cheese, and play with various flavors to make a dressing. The combinations are endless and you can’t go wrong!
While I love a good green salad, sometimes the same old routine can get boring. Some of the most delicious salads I have made don’t even include leafy greens or lettuce. For instance, my Peach Caprese Salad, Black Bean Corn Salad, Chickpea Salad with Cucumber & Tomato , and this Citrus Beet Salad are perfect examples. It’s so easy to make a healthy, fresh salad without a piece of lettuce in sight.
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Light, Flavorful, & Vibrant
This citrus beet salad is made up of a few simple ingredients which combine to produce a light and flavorful dish. The colorful beets pair wonderfully with the bursts of citrus, while the jicama and pistachios add a textured crunch that really pulls the dish together. If you’re not typically a beet lover, I encourage you to give this recipe a try as it’s a fun twist on other boring beet recipes.
Ingredients To Make This Citrus Beet Salad
Aside from taste, my other favorite part of this dish is the array of colors once the salad is assembled. The deep reds and rich orange hues are beautiful and sure to impress your family or guests. Here are the ingredients you’ll need:
- Beets- the two most common found in grocery store are red and golden beets. I like combining both in this salad.
- Citrus- I did oranges but you can do a variety for more flavor and color. Choose any variety you prefer navel oranges, cara cara, Valencia, blood oranges, grapefruits, and more.
- Jicama- juicy and crunchy root vegetable (kind of reminds me of a water chestnut)
- Pistachios- for some additional crunch
- Olive oil- I use extra virgin olive oil because it has the best flavor for salads
- Apple cider vinegar- adds brightness and balance
- Dijon mustard- adds some zing, depth of flavor, and helps emulsify the dressing
- Shallots- flavor is a cross between garlic and onion with a light delicate flavor. We marinate them in the dressing to reduce the strong raw onion taste.
Key Nutrients In Beets
Beets are vibrant, colorful, and packed with a variety of nutrients. Beets are a good source of folate, vitamin C, potassium, manganese, and iron. In addition, beets are a low-calorie food and an excellent source of fiber. Fiber increases feelings of fullness, helps to regulate blood sugar, can help lower cholesterol, and helps with bowel regularity.
Beets are also a source of betalains, a phytonutrient that give beets their rich red (or yellow) color. Betalains contain antioxidants that protect our cells from oxidative stress, which can damage cells. Antioxidants also help reduce inflammation in the body and boosts our immune system. Beets also contain special compounds called nitrates. Nitrates get converted into nitric oxide in the body. Nitric oxide helps expand and relax blood vessels, which improves blood flow and therefore can help reduce blood pressure.
Roasting Fresh Beets Or Store Bought
My favorite way to prepare fresh beets is to bake them in the oven. The roasting process brings out the sweet beet flavor. Some people boil them in water, but you can lose nutrients this way. You can easily prepare them a day or two ahead of time and refrigerate until ready to serve.
If you’re short on time, purchase the store-bought vacuumed pre-cooked beets available in most grocery stores. They are usually found in the refrigerated produce section.
Variations & Additions
- Add your favorite cheese. I have made this with mozzarella slices or small mozzarella balls. It would also be delicious with goat cheese or feta.
- Sliced avocado would add a nice creamy texture.
- Don’t have microgreens, add your favorite herb as a garnish
- Substitute the pistachios for your favorite nut or seed: walnuts, almonds, pecans, pumpkin seeds, and more.
- Add a base of leafy greens if you want.
This citrus beet salad recipe is so bright and delicious and is best served as a starter or side dish. Enjoy this healthy, colorful and flavorful salad
Here Are Some More Healthy Recipes I Think You Will Like!
- Healthy Banana Oat Pancakes
- Vegetarian Enchiladas With Black Beans & Sweet Potato
- Butternut Squash Risotto
- Lentil Vegetable Soup
- Pasta Puttanesca
- No Bake Oat Energy Balls
Citrus Beet Salad
Ingredients
- 4 medium- large beets leaves and stems removed
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon fresh juice from an orange
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 Tablespoon shallots or red onion diced very fine
- 2 oranges peeled and sliced in rounds (refer to notes)
- ⅓ cup jicama peeled and sliced into thin sticks
- 2 Tablespoons pistachios shelled and unsalted
- Ground black pepper to taste
- Kosher salt to taste
- Microgreens for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Scrub the beets under running water and pat dry with a towel. Wrap each individual beet in aluminum foil and place on a baking sheet. Place in the oven and roast 45-60 minutes (depending on their size), until fork tender.
- Allow the beets to cool (can open the aluminum to let the steam out). Once cool enough to handle, put gloves on and remove the skin. Slice the beets, about ¼ inch thick or to your liking. Set aside.
- Make the dressing: in a small bowl whisk together the olive oil, orange juice, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, and shallots. Set aside and let the shallots marinate.
- Cut the orange: cut off the tops and bottoms of the oranges so that they sit flat on a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, slice off the skin from top to bottom, removing the peel and pith (white part) so that no white is left on the orange. Then cut into rounds. Alternatively, you can slice along each membrane to cut out individual segments. Set aside.
- Assemble the salad: On a large serving platter, layer the beets and oranges. Evenly distribute the jicama and pistachios. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with microgreens, if using. Drizzle the dressing over the entire salad. Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
You can prepare the beets up to 2-3 days ahead of time so the day you make the salad you just have to assemble. Alternatively, to save time you can buy pre-cooked beets vacuum sealed usually in the refrigerated produce aisle. You can choose a variety of beets or just one kind. I like using red and golden beets. IF you make them ahead of time store separately so the red don’t stain the yellow. I made this salad with just Valencia oranges but you can choose any variety and make it with different kinds. Even adding blood oranges or grapefruit would be delicious! If you don’t want or have shallots you can leave them out. Variations/additions:
• Add your favorite cheese. I have made this with mozzarella slices or small mozzarella balls. It would also be delicious with goat cheese or feta.
• Sliced avocado would add a nice creamy texture.
• Don’t have microgreens, add your favorite herb for garnishing
• Substitute the pistachios for your favorite nut or seed: walnuts, almonds, pecans, pumpkin seeds, and more.
• Add a base of leafy greens if you want.
What’s your favorite salad recipe without greens? Share in the comments below. I love to try out your recommendations, and maybe other readers will love your ideas, too! Also, be sure to stay in touch and follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest
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