When it comes to health benefits, a serving of beets is hard to beat.
This vibrant root veggie has quite the impressive nutrition profile: It’s high in fiber, rich in folate and vitamin C, and it contains a notable dose of nitrates – which is good news for your heart! But that’s not the only reason to add a bundle to your shopping cart. Due to their natural sweetness, beets make a delicious addition to salads, pizzas, sandwiches, and even burgers. Dare we suggest incorporating them in dessert? It is the holiday season, after all!
Rebecca Brinkley's Roasted Beet Salad
4
servingsIngredients
- For the salad:
- 3
medium yellow beets (about 1 lb.)
- 3
medium red beets (about 1 lb.), stems trimmed off
- 2 Tbsp.
extra-virgin olive oil
Salt, to taste
- 4 cups
spring mix
- 4 oz.
blue cheese crumbles (can substitute goat cheese)
Toasted almonds, for garnish
- For the dressing:
- 3 cups
orange juice
- 1 Tbsp.
lemon juice
Pinch salt and pepper
- 3/4 cup
extra-virgin olive oil
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°. Place beets in a baking pan, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt. Cover with foil. Bake for about 1 hour, or until tender when pierced with a knife.
While beets are roasting, make the dressing: In a 1-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat, reduce orange juice to about 3/4 cup. Remove from heat and strain with a fine sieve. Return to the saucepan and add lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Over medium heat, reduce until mixture bubbles and has a syrup-like consistency. You should have about 1/4 cup. Remove from heat and strain again. Let cool to room temperature. Add olive oil and set aside.
When cool enough to handle, peel beets and thinly slice them into rounds. Divide beets between 4 salad plates and drizzle with half of the dressing. In a large bowl, toss spring mix with remaining dressing and place on top of beets on each salad plate. Top with blue cheese crumbles and garnish with toasted almonds.
Did you know?
- Fresh beets are edible from top to bottom! Save the hearty greens for soups and salads, or try them steamed, sautéed, or braised.
Rebecca Brinkley, of East Brainerd, enjoys cooking for her family and friends. “Several years ago, my family was dining at St. John’s, and my father had a beet salad that he really enjoyed,” she says. “I set out to find something similar that I could make at home – I love this recipe because the method of roasting makes the beets easy to peel!”
