With spring right around the corner, this colorful, healthy Roasted Beet Citrus Salad with Feta and Cashews is the perfect way to detox and jump-start your body for summer: sweet roasted beets, tart tangelos, tangy feta cheese, crunchy cashews on a bed of beet greens and baby spinach, drizzled with a light champagne vinaigrette.
David didn’t like beets until he met me. Now he loves them just as good as I do. I think a lot of people are afraid of them. Fresh beets are a strange color, usually coated with dried soil and they look rather strange with those long tail-like roots.
Perhaps people have only had beets canned from the store, which tend to be rather mushy. I used to eat them canned, but once I had them roasted like a potato, I haven’t been down the canned vegetable aisle at the grocery store again for beets.
The Health Benefits of Eating Beets
Beets are also very good for you. They lower blood pressure, boost stamina, fight inflammation, have anti-cancer properties, are full of fiber, and can help detox your body!
You can also eat the greens, which contain protein, phosphorus, zinc, fiber, vitamin B6, magnesium, potassium, copper, and manganese, with large amounts of vitamin A, C, calcium and more iron than spinach!
As a root vegetable, beets are much like a potato in that they can be prepared a number of different ways. I think you will love the way the beets are prepared in this roasted beet citrus salad with feta and cashews.
How To Make Roasted Beet Citrus Salad with Feta and Cashews
Roast the Beets:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Wrap the beets in foil; place on a small baking pan. Bake until a toothpick pokes into the beet easily, about 1 hour. Carefully unwrap the beets and allow them to cool for about 15 minutes.
Rinse and drain beet greens, leaving a little water still clinging to them; set aside.
Trim off the root and stem. Use a paper towel to rub the skins off. I finally bought some rubber gloves to use for tasks like this. They really came in handy. If you don’t have any gloves, just rinse your fingers often and do not allow the juice to stay on your fingers.
Slice the beets into ⅛-inch slices.
Make the Roasted Beet Citrus Salad:
Grate ½ teaspoon zest from 1 tangelo. Peel the tangelo, making sure to remove most of the white pith as possible; Using a knife, turn the tangelo on its side and cut into slices, against the segments; set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine the zest with vinegar, orange juice, mustard, a pinch of sugar and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Whisk in the oil.
Divide the spinach and or beet greens among 2 salad bowls or plates. Top with the beets, tangelo slices, feta, and cashews.
Drizzle with dressing, to taste.
This Roasted Beet Citrus Salad is loaded with fiber that will leave you feeling satisfied. You can eat this salad for a Meatless Monday meal or as a side dish.
I hope trying this Roasted Beet Citrus Salad will make you change your mind about beets.
If you like this recipe, you will love this one! Beets are so good!
p.s. Now, I feel obligated to tell you that if this is your first time eating beets, DO NOT FORGET YOU ATE THEM LATER if you know what I mean… yikes!
Roasted Beet Citrus Salad with Feta and Cashews
Ingredients
- 3 small beets trimmed
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 2 cups beet greens (optional)
- 2 tangelos tangerines or clementines
- 1 tablespoon champagne vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon tangelo zest
- 1 teaspoon fresh tangelo juice
- 1 pinch sugar
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- 4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil divided
- ¼ cup feta cheese crumbled
- ¼ cup toasted cashews coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Wrap the beets in foil; place on a small baking pan. Bake until a toothpick pokes into the beet easily, about 1 hour. Carefully unwrap the beets and allow them to cool for about 15 minutes.
- Rinse and drain beet greens, leaving a little water still clinging to them; set aside.
- Trim off the root and stem. Use a paper towel to rub the skins off. Slice the beets into ⅛-inch slices.
- Grate ½ teaspoon zest from 1 tangelo. Peel the tangelo, making sure to remove most of the white pith as possible; Using a knife, turn the tangelo on its side and cut into slices against the segments; set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine the zest with vinegar, orange juice, mustard, a pinch of sugar and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Whisk in the oil.
- Divide the spinach and or beet greens among 2 salad plates. Top with the beets, tangelo slices, feta, and cashews.
- Drizzle with dressing, to taste.
Mimi says
A really beautiful salad! I’ve always wondered something… Can you really call these roasted beets when they’re in foil? I make them the same way, but I promised myself the next time I would remove the skins, perhaps halve them, and then roast them just as I’d roast potatoes.
The Mountain Kitchen says
Thanks Mimi! You know that’s a good question… perhaps they are just “baked”, because they are prepared the same way as a “baked” potato wrapped in foil. The original recipe on Eating Well also called them roasted. I do know one thing, they are good no matter what you call them…lol! 🙂
Dana@IveGotCake says
Poor beets…they get such a bad wrap and what did they ever do to anyone besides make your pee pink?
So whaaaaaat!
😀 😀
A Famished Foodie says
This sounds like a really refreshing salad! I never thought to use beets like this. I’ve had them in salad before with a little arugula and goats cheese, but this seems even better.
The Mountain Kitchen says
The citrus really brings out the sweetness of the beets even more. Give it a try, you’ll love it!
Julie is Hostess At Heart says
I’ve got to try this! The only beets John has ever had are canned beets which he despises! I know he’d love these. That salad is just gorgeous.
The Mountain Kitchen says
David was skeptical about eating beets but loved them after trying with vinegar salt and pepper. He loved this salad too. Hope John likes it too!
Angie Morris says
This looks amazing! I LOVE beets! A different way to have beets. They are one of the “lost” vegetables people don’t use much which is a shame! I will try this one!
The Mountain Kitchen says
Hi Angie!
We both thought it is a really good salad. The combination of beets and citrus was pretty amazing.
Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment. I hope you will let me know what you think of the salad.
Debbie