Roasted Beet Salad with Pecans and Feta

This roasted beet salad with pecans and feta is almost guaranteed to turn beet haters into lovers! Beets roasted with oil and balsamic are served atop a bed of greens along with roasted pecans, feta, and balsamic vinaigrette in this tasty side dish.

How is your week going so far? I’ve been chipping away at school work, as I gradually begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel in my undergraduate degree. I have taken my own sweet time with finishing it, having started it several years ago and taken a long break in between second and third year, but I am now in my second-last semester and I keep telling myself how good it will feel to have it over with, for once and for all. I think I’ve said it before, but I’ve never really enjoyed school, even though I have, at times, put ridiculous amounts of pressure on myself to succeed. It goes without saying that being done with academia will be such a relief for me.

Aside from that, I have been enjoying running in the cool weather and am halfway through “Shaun Week,” a week of workouts by Shaun T. I finished the Insanity Max 30 program last week (which I’ll be sharing a review for here soon), and am using Shaun Week as a segue into the next Beachbody program that I plan to do, which is called 21-Day Fix Extreme. Gyms have been closed here in Ottawa for the past month as the province went back into modified phase 2 covid restrictions because this city is one of the hotspots in Ontario, but as someone who never liked going to the gym in the first place, I have been quite happy to complete various workout programs from the comfort of my own bedroom/study/home gym. Living in a very small space for the past few years has certainly forced me to be exceptionally creative with my use of space–though I do look forward to owning a home and having the space for a home gym once again!

Beets are the marmite of root vegetables: People either love them, or hate them! They are certainly an acquired taste, but when roasted with a bit of olive oil and balsamic, they are delicious! (At least, in my opinion they are.) This roasted beet, feta, and pecan salad is not the most original recipe I have ever shared, but it’s one that we’ve been making for years and years… so I figured it was worth sharing here. 🙂 It makes a lovely side to enjoy with just about any protein and grain to make a complete meal. It’s also tasty with a bowl of soup and garlic bread for a simple, cozy November dinner.

INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED

• For the roasted beets: Beets, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
• For the dressing: Olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, maple syrup, dijon mustard, pepper, and garlic.
• For the salad: Greens of choice (mixed greens, spinach, or kale), dried cranberries or raisins, pecans, feta, and the roasted beets.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS

1. Roast the beets: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Peel the beets, chop off the stems, and cut into ½-inch cubes. Place in a bowl and toss with the oil, balsamic, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, if desired. Transfer the beets to the baking sheet and roast for 30-40 minutes, until fork-tender. Set aside to cool.
2. Make the dressing: Combine the oil, balsamic, lemon, maple syrup, salt, pepper, dijon, and garlic in a jar. Secure the lid and shake to combine.
3. Make the salad: Place the greens in a salad bowl. Top with the cranberries, pecans, feta, and roasted beets. Toss to combine and drizzle the dressing over individual portions. (This prevents the salad from becoming soggy.) If using kale, the method is slightly different because you’ll need to massage the kale with the dressing. Chop the kale, place it in a bowl, and pour the dressing over top. Using your hands, “massage” the dressing into the kale until the leaves are bright green and tender. Then proceed with adding the cranberries, pecans, feta, and beets to the kale. 

MORE WHOLESOME SALAD RECIPES

• Masala Chickpea Kale Salad with Mango Turmeric Tahini Dressing
• Southwestern Kale Salad with Avocado Dressing + Polenta Croutons
• Thai-Inspired Peanut Tempeh Noodle Salad

I hope you love this roasted beet, pecan, and feta salad! If you make it, let me know how you enjoyed it by leaving a comment and rating below the post. And if you share a photo to Instagram, be sure to tag @upbeet.kitchen and #upbeetkitchen so that I can see!

Enjoy!

Roasted Beet Salad with Pecans and Feta

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5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 4 reviews

• Author: Allison
• Total Time: 55 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x
• Diet: Vegetarian

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Description

This roasted beet salad with pecans and feta is almost guaranteed to turn beet haters into lovers! Beets roasted with oil and balsamic are served atop a bed of greens along with roasted pecans, feta, and balsamic vinaigrette in this tasty side.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Roasted Beets

• 4 medium-large or 8 small beets
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (or good quality cooking oil of choice such as avocado, coconut, or ghee)
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• Pinch each fine sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, and garlic powder

Balsamic Vinaigrette

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 large garlic clove, minced

Salad

• 8 cups mixed greens, spinach, or chopped kale
• ¼ cup dried cranberries or raisins
• ½ cup crumbled feta cheese (I like goat or sheep’s milk feta the best)
• ½ cup pecan halves, toasted (see note)

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Instructions

1. Roast the beets: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Peel the beets, chop off the stems, and cut into ½-inch cubes. Place in a bowl and toss with the oil, balsamic, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, if desired. Transfer the beets to the baking sheet and roast for 30-40 minutes, until fork-tender. Set aside to cool.
2. Make the dressing: Combine the oil, balsamic, lemon, maple syrup, salt, pepper, dijon, and garlic in a jar. Secure the lid and shake to combine.
3. Make the salad: Place the greens in a salad bowl. Top with the cranberries, pecans, feta, and roasted beets. Toss to combine and drizzle the dressing over individual portions. (This prevents the salad from becoming soggy.) If using kale, the method is slightly different because you’ll need to massage the kale with the dressing. Chop the kale, place it in a bowl, and pour the dressing over top. Using your hands, “massage” the dressing into the kale until the leaves are bright green and tender. Then proceed with adding the cranberries, pecans, feta, and beets to the kale. 

Notes

To toast pecans, spread them out on a baking sheet and roast and 325 degrees F for 8-10 minutes. For a nut-free salad, toasted sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds can be used.

For a vegan salad, omit the feta and use vegan feta-style cheese or pitted and chopped Kalamata olives instead.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 40 minutes
• Category: Side Dish, Lunch, Supper