What is Greek beet salad?

Greek beet salad typically features boiled or roasted beets with a simple dressing of olive oil, red wine vinegar, and garlic. It's often served at room temperature with crumbled feta cheese and sometimes includes onions.

Can you use both red and golden beets in the same salad?

Yes! Using both red beets and golden beets makes a great presentation. Just be aware that red beets will stain everything they touch, so I recommend keeping them separate until the final assembly. Dress the golden beets separately to preserve their bright color, or mix them only right before serving.

What are common beet salad mistakes to avoid?

The biggest mistakes I see are overcooking or undercooking the beets, and dressing the greens too far in advance.

How do you keep beets from staining other ingredients in a salad?

I handle this by dressing the sliced beets separately from the other ingredients, then assembling everything just before serving. Using a paper towel to pat beets dry after peeling can also help. If you're using both red and golden beets, dress and store them separately until plating.

Beet Salad with Balsamic Dressing

Beet Salad with Goat Cheese

Print Recipe

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5 from 4 reviews

This beet salad with goat cheese is fresh, flavorful, and super easy to make. Use roasted or pre-cooked beets and balsamic dressing for a crowd-pleasing side.

Author: Sonja Overhiser
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes (Instant Pot timing)
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 1x
Category: Salad
Method: Roasted or Pressure Cooker
Cuisine: Vegetarian

Ingredients

Scale

4 medium beets
1 recipe Best Balsamic Vinaigrette
1 shallot
5 ounces (8 cups) baby greens
2 ounces soft goat cheese
1/4 cup roasted salted pistachios, roughly chopped

Instructions

Cook the beets: Use our Oven Roasted Beets or Instant Pot Beets method.
Slice the beets: Slice the beets into wedges. Take proper precautions as beet juice stains easily).
Make the dressing: In a medium bowl, make the Best Balsamic Vinaigrette.
Toss the beets with the dressing (optional): Place the beets in the bowl with the dressing and stir. The beets will change the color of the dressing to a bright pink color and infuse a little sweetness. If you’d rather keep the balsamic vinaigrette color, you can skip this step.
Assemble the salad: Thinly slice the shallot. Place the greens on a plate. Remove the beets from the dressing bowl and place them on top. Add crumbles of goat cheese, shallot, and chopped pistachios. Drizzle with dressing and serve.

Notes

Cheese options: Goat cheese (chèvre) creates a creamier texture than feta cheese. For a sharper, saltier flavor, use crumbled feta cheese or blue cheese (gorgonzola) instead.

Nut substitutions: Pecans, almonds, or walnuts work in place of pistachios.

Make-ahead: Roast the beets up to 5 days ahead and store refrigerated. Prepare the vinaigrette up to 1 week ahead. Assemble the salad just before serving for best texture.

Using pre-cooked beets: This significantly reduces prep time. Simply drain, slice, and use them directly in the recipe.

Vinegar options: Red wine vinegar can replace balsamic vinegar for a tangier, less sweet salad dressing.

Find it online: https://www.acouplecooks.com/beet-salad/