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close up beet and feta salad with balsamic, basil and pine nuts.
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5 from 1 vote

Beetroot and Feta Salad (with Balsamic Dressing)

Roasted beetroot and feta salad with a creamy balsamic dressing and crunchy pine nuts on top. You can serve this delightful beet salad with crusty bread or as a side dish for other meals.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 30 minutes
Course: Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine: American, German
Diet: Vegetarian
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 230kcal
Author: Adina

Equipment

  • Baking sheet
  • Aluminum foil

Ingredients

Beetroot salad:

  • 1 lb beets 450 g, Note 1
  • 1 tablespoon pine nuts
  • 2.5 oz feta Note 2

Dressing:

  • 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar Note 3
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt or Kosher salt, more to taste
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper more to taste

Instructions

Roast beetroot:

  • Roast beets: Preheat the oven to 400°F/ 200°C. Loosely wrap each beet in an individual piece of aluminum foil. Bake the beets until fork tender.
  • Roasting time: This can take anything between 1 and 2 hours, depending on the size of the beets and your oven. My small-to-medium beets (each weighing about 5.5 oz/ 150 g) needed 1 hour and 20 minutes. Start checking after about 1 hour by opening a parcel and sticking a fork into the beet (Notes 4 and 5).
  • Prepare beets: Let the beets cool. Then, peel them and slice them very thinly. You can use a large chef’s knife or a mandoline. You can also cut the beets into small cubes instead of slicing them.

Toast pine nuts:

  • Toast 1 tablespoon of pine nuts in a frying pan without adding fat. Shake the pan often to prevent the nuts from burning. Once golden and fragrant, transfer them to a plate and let them cool.

Dressing:

  • Mix white balsamic vinegar, honey, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Slowly add the olive oil and whisk until the dressing is slightly emulsified. Adjust the taste with salt and pepper (Note 6).
    2 tablespoon balsamic + 1 tablespoon honey + about ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt + ⅛ teaspoon black pepper + 3 tablespoon olive oil

Arrange salad:

  • Arrange the roasted beet slices on a serving plate. Evenly spoon ½ of the balsamic dressing on top. Crumble the feta cheese on the beets. Top with the toasted pine nuts and freshly chopped basil (or parsley) just before serving.
    5.5 oz/ 75 g feta + 5-6 basil leaves (or chopped parsley)
  • Serve with the remaining dressing.

Notes

  1. Beets: 3 small to medium beets. You can start with fresh beetroot and roast them yourself. Buy roasted vacuum-packed beets (not pickled beets) for a speedier version.
  2. Feta: Please don’t use already crumbled feta. Use fresh feta from a block of cheese.
  3. Balsamic: Substitute white balsamic with red balsamic vinegar.
  4. Size of beets: If your beets are very large, halve or quarter them before roasting; otherwise, it will take forever until they are done.
  5. Cooking alternatives: Alternatively, you can boil, steam, or pressure cook the beets. See the blog post for instructions.
  6. Add 1 teaspoon of creamed horseradish to the salad dressing if you like.

Nutrition

Serving: 1portion from 4 | Calories: 230kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 440mg | Potassium: 408mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 113IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 109mg | Iron: 1mg