Beetroot and Feta Salad

Why You’ll Love Beetroot and Feta Salad

If you are the kind of home cook that likes to try something a little different and perhaps even challenge yourself, this beetroot and feta salad will be right up your alley. It is nice to make a salad that’s not just chopped, tossed in a bowl and served once in a while.

Beetroot and feta salads are a popular combination but let’s really amp up this salad by creating a 3-way beetroot feast!

Using different beetroot varieties and cooking methods, we’ll create a beetroot and feta salad that will really wow your dinner guests. Also a perfect rendition for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

The flavours are fantastic. Earthy beetroot mixed with salty feta cheese and then cut through with the tart and slightly bitter segments of grapefruit. Made for a sophisticated palate, this beetroot and feta salad promises to deliver.

What Are the Different Beet Types?

I say beets, you say beetroot. Whichever way you refer to it, they are one and the same.

There are 4 different beet types, and nothing rocks my socks off more than seeing them beautifully lined up in all their glorious colours at the farmers’ markets. They are simply so stunning, and they make for an amazing presentation.

The most common variety is the red beetroot that comes in all sorts of sizes. For this recipe, try searching for medium-sized ones.

It doesn’t matter if they come with green tops or not. In fact, some grocers will even offer to lop them off for you. These are the most popular as used in our Beetroot Salad with Radicchio and Pomegranate or Roasted Beetroot Salad with Halloumi.

Then there is the golden beetroot that is mellower in taste than its popular counterpart and less earthy too. But their colour is out of this world! They are bright yellow vegetables that command attention. So I couldn’t resist adding golden beetroot to this recipe.

The third kind is the Chiogga beetroot. They are also well known as candy-striped or target beetroot due to their pink and white striped circles. They are a bit more tender than the others and if you’re buying these purely because of how it looks, eat them raw.

Once you cook them, the stripes will fade and lose their desired effect. Slice them thinly with a mandoline and add them to your salad.

The last type of beetroot is the baby beetroot which is essentially harvested early to thin the field. Due to their size, they are great from a presentation perspective giving your salad some different textures.

For today’s recipe, I have used the regular red beetroot and baby golden beetroot.

How to Make Beetroot Crisps?

Beetroot crisps are a great way to enjoy beetroot. They are fantastic for a snack, a healthy alternative to potato fries and are super delicious. As mentioned earlier, we are cooking beetroot in 3 different ways for this recipe, and one of them is to make beetroot crisps.

All you have to do is wash and scrub the beetroot. Then with the skin on, slice them raw with a mandoline at about 1 cm thickness. Coat with olive oil, salt and pepper and bake in the oven at 200°C or 400°F for 20 minutes.

Watch them get smashed!

What Is Beetroot Carpaccio?

Beetroot carpaccio, or ever so popular rote beete carpaccio in German, is defined as thinly sliced beetroot slices. Beetroot boiled or baked softens tremendously, and then using a mandoline, slice it thinly to resemble carpaccio.

This vegetarian carpaccio is delicious, and you can always make it on its own; just add a bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar and serve. You can also crumble some goat cheese on top, and it would make for an excellent appetiser.

Ingredients

These are the ingredients you need for Beetroot and Feta Salad.

• Beetroot: For this beetroot and feta salad, you’ll need 6 medium-sized beetroots. Half will be required to make the beetroot carpaccio or rote beete carpaccio, while the other half will be needed for the beetroot crisps. Beetroot boiled will make them easy to slice with a mandoline. If you can find chioggia beetroot, you can make beetroot carpaccio with those for the gorgeous candy-striped lines.

• Baby golden beetroot: Roasted yellow beets or golden beetroot are really beautiful to look at. Gives the beetroot and feta salad some difference in terms of size and colour. Just to mix it up a bit.

• Feta cheese: Get good quality Greek feta for extra creamy and crumbly cheese.

• Oak lettuce: Just a small head of oak lettuce will suffice. Get the green one for more contrasting colours.

• Ruby red grapefruit: Get a nice large, plump looking ruby red grapefruit for this beetroot and feta salad. The unique flavours of the fruit will help to enhance the earthy flavours of the beetroot.

Variations and Substitutions

Baby golden beetroot alternative: If you can’t find baby golden beetroot, red ones are, of course, perfectly fine. Apart from the flavour, the golden beetroot just added extra colour. If you can get baby beetroot at all, you can cut 2 small beetroots in 4 wedges each and bake them.

More beetroot crisps: Beetroot crisps are super popular, so if you don’t think it will be enough, you might like to make more! I would double the quantity. Make sure you have enough space in the oven.

Feta cheese replacement: You can substitute feta for goat cheese.

Oak lettuce alternative: You can use any lettuce or mixed leaves as you wish. Oak lettuce has a softer texture, and its lovely rounded edges bring a delicate finish to the presentation.

Grapefruit substitute: If you’re not a fan of grapefruit, you can opt for orange, tangelo or even blood orange.

Instructions

Step by step instructions for how to make a Beetroot and Feta Salad.

How to Roast Yellow Beets

Preheat the oven to 200°C or 400°F.

Organise oven shelves for 1 baking dish (baked baby beetroot) and 2 sheet pans (beetroot chips).

Cut off the leaves and tail ends of the baby golden beetroot.

Place them in a baking dish and add enough water to about halfway up to the beetroot, so they are only partially submerged. Loosely cover with some foil.

Put the baking dish into the oven for 45 minutes.

Melt the butter in the microwave.

After 45 minutes, remove the baby beetroot, peel them and place onto a dry baking dish.

Baste generously with the melted butter and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Bake for another 20 minutes.

How to Make Beetroot Carpaccio

Bring a medium-sized saucepan of water to the boil.

Select the 3 largest beetroots and cut off the leaves and roots.

Place the water and boil for 30 minutes. The reason we’re doing this, apart from the fact we want them cooked, is also that beetroot boiled makes it really easy to slice with a mandoline.

Remove from the saucepan and let it cool.

Put on a pair of gloves to prevent stains. Peel the beetroot.

Using a mandoline at 1 cm thickness, shave the beetroot into thin slices.

How to Make Beetroot Crisps

With the remaining 3 beetroots, cut off the leaves and roots.

Wash and give it a bit of a scrub.

Using a mandoline at 1 cm thickness, shave the beetroot into thin slices.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add shaved beetroot, 1 tbsp of olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Mix it all until well coated.

On 2 sheet pans, place the beetroot out. A tiny overlap is ok as the beetroot will shrink.

When you are putting the golden baby beetroots back into the oven for the second for 20 minutes, add these in at the same time so that all 3 will be ready at the same time.

How To Prepare The Rest Of The Salad

Peel the leaves off the oak lettuce and keep whole leaves intact. Wash and pat dry.

Peel the ruby red grapefruit and extract all the flesh. They don’t have to be perfect wedges.

Crumble the feta.

How To Assemble The Salad

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add the oak lettuce, 1 tbsp of olive oil and juice of ½ lemon—season with salt and pepper to taste. Toss until well combined.

Place on a large platter with the stems of the lettuce in the middle of the platter and the leaves on the circumference.

Place the beetroot carpaccio on the lettuce and tuck some between the leaves.

Add the ruby red grapefruit on top.

Add ½ the crumbled feta on top.

Add baby golden beetroot.

Add the rest of the crumbled feta.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Place the beetroot crisps stacked standing up in a bowl and serve on the side.

Great Mains for This Salad

What to serve with Beetroot and Feta Salad? Try these delicious main dish recipes.

One of the best things about beetroot is that it goes with so many different types of protein. This oven braised beef is tender with a rich gravy over polenta while this Mediterranean chicken is filled with the goodness of chicken thighs, olives, roasted peppers and orzo.

For the pasta and sausage lovers, try this creamy sun-dried tomato gnocchi; comfort food at its best

Frequently Asked Questions

There you have it! Beetroot and feta salad cooked 3 ways and really highlighting its versatility!

This salad is perfect if you want to show off (because you can!) and is vying for a spot on that Thanksgiving or Christmas table. Your family and friends will definitely appreciate all your hard work!