All you need are three simple ingredients to make a tasty beetroot feta salad that's the perfect easy side dish for meals! It's great for potlucks, summer BBQs and so much more!
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Looking for a new salad recipe that is quick, easy, packed with health benefits, and perfect for any meal?
This simple beetroot salad with feta is simple perfection that brings bright color to a summer BBQ spread but is also perfect to round out just about any holiday meal.
I love serving it as a side for lunch. Give it a try with turkey bacon wraps or pretzel dogs.
It is also a really great way to round out a soup-centered meal. Try serving it alongside Chicken Pastina Soup or Butternut Squash Soup.
During the holidays, it's beautiful on a Thanksgiving or Christmas spread along with an elegant Pork Wellington or Beef Wellington.
Ingredients for Beet and Feta Salad
This recipe uses just three ingredients! It's one of those recipes that is easy to remember so whenever you are wandering the grocery store aisles without a plan, you can easily grab what you need to make it.
- Beetroot: You can find fresh beets at most grocery stores, a local farm stand in the summer, or grow them in your own garden! Beets are generally available year around in the grocery store.
- Feta Cheese: Few things go better with beets than crumbled feta cheese! Feta adds a salty depth that really compliments the earthy flavor of the beets.
- Fresh Parsley: Parsley adds a peppery freshness to the recipe and a beautiful pop of green to the dish.
In addition to the simple three-ingredient beetroot salad, you need a few things for the lemon vinaigrette.
- Lemon Juice - Lemon juice has a sweet and sour tang that is perfect against the earthy robust flavors of the beet. Fresh is the best!
- Olive Oil: Make sure you choose a high-quality extra virgin olive oil for the best results.
- Garlic Clove- Everything is better with garlic! Including this beetroot and feta. Garlic creates a lingering finish that will keep you going back for another bite.
- Salt and Pepper- For rounding out and balancing the flavors.
What Are the Benefits of Eating Beetroot?
Beetroots are so good for you and have many health benefits. In addition to being delicious, beets:
- are packed with vitamin C
- can lower blood pressure
- are high in fiber
- increase athletic performance
- contain folate and iron
How To Make Beetroot Feta Salad
You are going to be so surprised at how easy this recipe is to make! Let's get started.
Making this beetroot salad recipe is so easy! Start by gathering your ingredients and preparing your beets.
To cook the beets, boil them in a saucepan until tender. I like to leave the skin on while boiling, then it just slips right off after cooking! Cook the beets just until fork tender.
Pro Tip: Beets can be messy! Make clean-up a breeze by boiling beets with the skin on! After cooking, the skin will slip right off the beet and your cutting board will thank you!
Once the beets are done cooking, give them a chop and combine them with the feta and parsley and set aside.
Prepare your dressing by whisking together the ingredients for the lemon vinaigrette, then lighting drizzle it over the beets, feta and finely chopped parsley and give a quick toss to combine.
Store
This beet and feta salad should be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container and will keep well for up to 5 days.
Be aware that if the beetroot and feta salad is already mixed, the feta may absorb the color of the beets and the parsley may fall a little flat.
For best results, store the ingredients separately and toss them right before serving.
Substitutions and Variations
- Feta: If this cheese isn't your favorite or you simply don't have any on hand, you can skip it completely or replace it with another. For strong-flavored cheese, goat cheese or blue cheese work great. If you prefer a milder flavored cheese, mozzarella works well.
- Red beets: Swap out the traditional red beets with yellow, white or any other color beets.
- Parsley: Swap it out for cilantro. You can even skip herbs completely and slice some beet greens, spinach, or spring greens for freshness.
- Lemon: Any citrus works great so experiment with lime, orange, and grapefruit.
- Dressing: Skip the dressing if your in a rush and use your favorite bottled salad dressing!
- Try beets and balsamic: Swap out the lemon juice with balsamic vinegar in the vinaigrette.
- Add some nuts: Toasted walnuts or pecans taste great with this beet salad and even give it a little extra crunch.
Expert Tips
Fresh ingredients give this easy beetroot feta salad the best flavor. Use fresh beets, garlic, lemon juice, and parsley whenever possible.
Beets work great raw, roasted or boiled to make beetroot salad. I find boiling them to be the simplest way to prepare them when using cooked beets.
Serve beet salad with feta cheese immediately after mixing the all the ingredients and the dressing together.
Cook beets with the skin on to maintain maximum nutrition and for less mess. It easily peels off after cooking.
FAQs
Yes! One of my favorite things about this recipe is that it stores well and is easy to make ahead. When making this recipe ahead of time, I like to store everything separately and mix it right before it hits the table.
If you want to make this in advance, prepare the beets as directed and store them separately. Prepare the dressing and store it in a small bowl. When it is time to serve, toss everything together and it will taste like it was made fresh!
You can eat beets raw. In fact, many people enjoy the flavor of raw beets and even raw beet juice. For this recipe, I recommend boiling. It mellows out the flavor and texture and isn't as overpowering.
Yes! I love roasted beets and have made this recipe before after roasting up a big batch.
But, when I developed this recipe for you I wanted to keep things super simple. Boiling with the skin on not only saves time, but it makes for an easier clean-up!
More Easy Salad Recipes
Did you try this recipe? Please leave a star rating in the recipe card right below! You can also write a review in the comment section further down the page I always appreciate your feedback. And don’t forget to tag me @freshcoasteats in your photos on social media, I'd love to see your results!
Beetroot Feta Salad
Ingredients
Salad
- 4 beetroots medium size, washed and tops removed
- ¼ cup feta cheese crumbled
- ¼ cup parsley fresh, chopped
Dressing
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice fresh
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil extra virgin, high quality
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Quarter the prepared beetroot and place in a medium saucepan covered with water.
- Bring water to a boil and cook them for five minutes or until fork tender.
- Prepare the dressing by mixing the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Remove beets and drain and allow to cool. When they are cooled, carefully remove outer peels. If the beets are properly cooked, the skin will remove easily.
- Chop the beets into one-inch cubes and place in a large bowl with feta cheese and parsley. Set aside.
- Drizzle the dressing over the ingredients and toss to combine.
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