It wasn’t until I became an adult that I started to like beets. To me, they always tasted like dirt! OR, I had memories of my grandmother serving cold pickled beets and that just wasn’t my jam. But, now that I’m an adult (;-)), I have started to play around with them again. Let me introduce you to my newest favorite salad–>Roasted Sweet Beet Salad.
I’ve made so many variations of this salad over the years and each time I serve it to guests, I undoubtedly get asked if they can have the recipe. Bahhhhh! Me…a recipe? Like, have we met? If you’ve been following along, I’ve mentioned in several posts that I’m virtually incapable of following a recipe. BUT, I can take slight inspiration from one and turn it into a twisted event.
Recently, I have started writing things down and actually creating recipes because if I’m going to be a writer and a recipe creator, well those two things need to happen! Who knew?!
So, this recipe all started with some garden beets that I grew one summer. I discovered that beets tasted like dirt (see my intro). I don’t like dirt mouth. But, I had all these beets and they’re supposed to taste good and be good for you, I guess. WELL…since it also bothers me to my core to throw away food, I had to find a way to co-exist with these beets.
So…I played around with them. Roasted them, poured some ooooey-gooooey maple syrup-orange scented-cayenne kicked up-smokey paprika goodness onto them & VOILA! I like beets! No wait, I LOVE beets! And, I bet you’ll learn to like them too…once you taste this recipe!
If you’re looking for the most perfect summer salad for your weekend BBQ, here you go! If you need a quick, very healthy dinner this week, just add some simple grilled, sautéed or poached protein to this salad. Chicken, pork or salmon is AH-MAZING! Trust me when I say that this heavy-duty salad will be made again. Because after all, we like beets!
After you’ve made this recipe for Roasted Sweet Beet Salad, head back over to the recipes on the blog & peruse and see what else you can make this week!
Until next time…Eat Well. Travel Often. Love Much.
xoxo
Roasted Sweet Beet Salad
These gorgeous, sweet roasted beets are glazed with a mixture of maple syrup, cayenne and ground cinnamon then layered on a beautiful bed of mixed greens. Enjoy this as a side dish or add a layer of grilled, sauted or poached protein to make it the main event!
Ingredients
- 6 mediums red or yellow (or mixed) beets, peeled & quartered
- 5 T. extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
- 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
- 3-4 T. pure maple syrup
- Juice & zest of 1 orange
- 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
- pinch of cayenne
- 8 cups mixed salad greens
- arils from 1 pomegranate
- Burrata cheese, blue cheese or honey goat cheese for garnish
- kosher or sea salt + freshly ground black pepper
- Dressing:
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 4 T. balsamic vinegar (I prefer aged)
- kosher or sea salt + freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat the oven to 400 F.
- Step 2 Peel & quarter the beets and toss them with 2 T. extra virgin olive oil and a nice dash of salt and pepper. Spread them on a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes, until just tender.
- Step 3 Meanwhile, in a small skillet, heat 1 T. extra virgin olive oil over medium and once the oil is warm, start to toast the pumpkin seeds and smoked paprika. Watch them closely and only toast for about 3-4 minutes until just golden. Remove them from the heat and give them a pinch of salt. Set aside to cool.
- Step 4 In a small saucepan combine the remaining extra virgin olive oil, maple syrup, orange zest and juice, cinnamon and cayenne pepper. Bring that mixture to a boil and cook for about 2-3 minutes until slightly thickened. Remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture sit.
- Step 5 When the beets are tender, remove them from the oven and pour the maple-orange mixture over them and toss them to coat. Return them to the oven and continue roasting for about 10 more minutes. Watch them closely so the mixture doesn’t start to burn. Let the beets cool slightly out of the oven.
- Step 6 In a large bowl, combine the mixed salad greens, add the roasted beets and pumpkin seeds. Give them a good toss and add the pomegranate arils and toasted pumpkin seeds.
- Step 7 In a small bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the dressing and give the salad a generous drizzle.
- Step 8 If you are adding a protein to make this a main dish, add your protein right before you dress the salad.
- Step 9 Enjoy!
I made this roasted beet recipe last night and it was soooo good! I did add a cut up sweet potato just because my husband likes sweet potatoes so much, but the recipe did not need it, it was that good! Keep those recipes coning Tara, they are all winners! Looking forward to making the steak recipe tonight. Thanks!