This Easy Beetroot Salad features rocket, beetroot, walnuts, feta, mint and a simple balsamic dressing. It’s incredibly easy to make and takes just 10 minutes to assemble – but looks stunning. Perfect for barbecues, buffets, dinner parties, pot-lucks or any time you need a salad that looks impressive, but is secretly incredibly easy to make. (Promise I won’t tell!)
Need a quick and easy salad that looks fancy?
Don’t you just love recipes that look fancy but are actually incredibly quick and easy to make?
Well this Easy Beetroot Salad is one of those!
It looks beautiful, but it is secretly incredibly easy to make and only takes 10 minutes to assemble.
It’s perfect for when you’re asked to bring a salad to a barbecue / buffet / pot-luck etc. and you have no time!
Everyone will ooh and aah, and you can be secretly smug that it was actually ridiculously easy to throw together. (Promise I won’t tell!)
Oh and it also tastes really good too!
How to make beetroot salad
Beetroot salad is ridiculously easy to make.
All you need to do is place rocket and pre-cooked beetroot on a serving platter, then drizzle over a very simple balsamic vinegar jam jar dressing.
Next, crumble the feta cheese and walnuts over the beetroot. Finally, scatter the chopped mint, plus a little salt and black pepper over everything – that’s it! Easy peasy.
(Full recipe given in the recipe card below.)
What to serve with beetroot salad
You could serve this Easy Beetroot Salad as a main meal, with some crusty French bread on the side to mop up those delicious balsamic juices.
But personally, I feel this salad works best as a side salad.
It goes especially well with roast chicken, pan-fried lamb and grilled salmon, and it makes a great partner to steak!
It also goes really well with these dishes:
- Easy Beef Burgers
- Easy Lamb Kofte Burgers
- Lamb, Feta and Mint Burgers
- Chicken Shish Kebabs
- Easy Lamb Souvlaki
Chicken Shish Kebabs
What to drink with beetroot salad
My favourite wine match for beetroot Salad is a zingy Sauvignon Blanc from somewhere like Chile, Australia or New Zealand.
Alternatively, you could try oak-aged Chardonnay or a South African Chenin Blanc. Viognier would also work well.
Personally I’d avoid red wine with this dish, but a fruity rosé would probably work OK.
Make it your own…
This beetroot salad is very easy to adapt. You could…
- Roast raw beetroot instead of using pre-cooked beetroot
- Add some roasted butternut squash, roasted red peppers and/or roasted red onions as well as, or instead of, the beetroot
- Add some pre-cooked rice and/or pre-cooked puy lentils to the beetroot
- Use goats cheese or pan-fried halloumi in place of the feta cheese
- Use almonds, pine nuts, pistachios or hazelnuts instead of the walnuts
- Use roasted pumpkin seeds instead of the walnuts
- Use apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar, instead of the balsamic vinegar
- Add a sprinkle of chilli flakes to the dressing
- Use baby salad leaves or baby spinach leaves in place of the rocket
Can you make beetroot salad ahead of time?
Yes and no!
You can prep all the individual components ahead of time (cut up the beetroot, mix up the dressing, crumble the feta and walnuts…) But I recommend for best results, you put together all the elements no more than 30 minutes ahead of time.
If you are taking this to a potluck, buffet or barbecue, it will be fine so long as you assemble this just before you head out the door – just make sure you cover your platter well with cling-film (or similar) to avoid anything / anyone getting stained with beetroot!
Alternatively, if you have a long journey or you are really worried about those beetroot stains, you could bring all the individual elements in separate tubs and simply assemble this salad when you get there – it will take 2 minutes if everything is pre-prepped.
If you wanted to make this salad ahead of time, and you didn’t mind what it looked like (for example in a packed lunch), you could mix everything together apart from the rocket, then add the rocket at the last minute.
Can you freeze beetroot salad?
Definitely not!
If you like this recipe…
…you might also like:
- Roasted Butternut Squash and Beetroot Salad with Feta and Walnuts
- Beetroot, Kale and Orange Salad
- Warm Lentil, Beetroot and Feta Salad with Wild Rice
- Fruity Couscous Salad
- Roasted Squash, Quinoa, Avocado and Feta Salad
Roasted Butternut Squash and Beetroot Salad
Easy Beetroot Salad
Ingredients
Easy Beetroot Salad
- 60 g rocket (AKA arugula)
- 500 g pre-cooked baby beetroot cut into bite-size pieces (NOT the kind that has been pickled in vinegar – see Notes 1 & 2)
- 150 g feta cheese crumbled
- 75 g walnuts crumbled
- A few sprigs of fresh mint chopped finely (optional)
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Balsamic Dressing
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Instructions
- Place the rocket on a large serving platter. Push the rocket slightly to the sides, so there is a bit of a hole in the middle. (This is just to help the salad look more attractive on the platter.)
- Place the quartered beetroot in the centre of the platter – partly in the hole and partly on the rocket, but don’t go all the way to the edge, so there is an attractive ring of rocket all the way round the edge.
- Place all the dressing ingredients in a jam jar (or similar). Screw on the lid and give it a good shake. Drizzle HALF the dressing over the beetroot.
- Crumble the feta cheese over the beetroot, then crumble the walnuts over the feta.
- Finally, scatter the chopped mint, plus a little salt and black pepper over everything.
- Serve immediately. Put the remaining half of the dressing on the table for anyone who wants to add extra dressing to their salad.
Notes
- It’s very important to use pre-cooked beetroots that have NOT been pickled in vinegar. If you use pickled beetroots this salad will be too vinegary. It is usually very easy to buy cooked / non-pickled beetroot from the supermarket these days.
- If you cannot find pre-cooked beetroot, you can buy raw beetroot and roast it in the oven instead. First cut the raw beetroot into bite-size pieces, toss in a little olive oil, then roast at 200C (180C fan / gas mark 6 / 400F) for 15-20 minutes or until done to your liking. Leave to cool before assembling your salad (or serve hot if you prefer!)
- Not suitable for freezing.
- Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
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