Roasted Beets Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette

Cook Time 30 mins
Cooking Method: ,
Cuisine: ,
Courses:
Difficulty: Beginner
Servings: 5
Description

A crispy and colorful salad with earthy roasted beets, fresh spinach and mellow pomegranate vinaigrette dressing topped with Feta cheese and pine nuts

Ingredients
    To make Pomegranate Vinaigrette
  • 1 cup Pomegranate juice (Store bought / freshly made)
  • 2 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tbsp Honey (Vegan option - Maple syrup/brown sugar)
  • 1 tbsp Roasted sesame seeds
  • 1/2 tsp Salt (adjust to your taste)
  • 1 tbsp Olive oil
  • 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
    • For the main salad
  • 10 cup Baby spinach (substitutes - mixed greens / arugula)
  • 2 Medium size beets (Red or other colors)
  • 2 cup Feta cheese
  • 1/2 cup Toasted pine nuts
  • 1 tbsp Olive oil (For roasting the beets)
  • 1 tsp Sea salt
Instructions
  1. 1
    Roasting the beets
    • Clean the beets with water and dry them.
      Peel the outer layer. Remove stems and roots
    • Cut the Beet into half. Then make slices of 3-4 mm thickness (⅕ inch)
    • Cut these slices into the desired size. I cut each slice into about 1 square inch.
    • Take an open bowl and mix the beet pieces with Olive oil, salt and black pepper
    • Lay an aluminum foil on a baking tray and spread the beet pieces flat.
    • Make sure that the beet pieces are not overlapping
    • Bake the beets in an oven at about 400F for 10 minutes.
    • Remove the tray from the oven and turn over the beets. Keep the tray back in over for another 10 minutes.
    • If you want the beets to be just cooked enough but not get a caramelizing effect on the top, then instead of 10 minutes bake the beets for 7-8 minutes on each side.
  2. 2
    Preparing the Pomegranate Vinaigrette dressing

    Add all the ingredients listed for the dressing in the ingredients section, to a blender. Blend until the mixture is smooth. Adjust honey and salt to suit your taste.

  3. 3
    Toast the pine nuts

    Dry roast the pine nuts in an open pan for about 10-15 minutes on medium heat. Remove from heat when the pine nuts start to change into light brown color. Keep stirring the nuts as they can get burnt quickly.

  4. 4
    Prepare the greens

    If your store bought-greens are not pre-washed, make sure to wash the greens and dry them. We don't want our greens to be soggy or dripping with water as it would spoil the texture and taste of our salad. 

  5. 5
    Arrange the salad

    We can serve the salad two ways :

    a. For a better appeal: Lay the greens on the serving plate. Add the roasted beets on top of the greens. Keep the dressing in a small bowl. Serve the feta and pine nuts on the side.

    b. For larger groups and self-serve: Mix the greens, beets, and dressing. Serve Feta cheese and pine nuts on the side.

Notes
  • Eat the salad when it is freshly made. Please do not refrigerate the prepared salad as the crunchy textures will be lost and the tastes will be different.


  • The dressing can be refrigerated for 4-5 days. When you are ready to use it, make sure to mix the contents well.

 

Keywords: Roasted Beets, Spinach, Pomegranate, Vinaigrette, Pine nuts
Read it online: https://www.mellowmasala.com/recipe/roasted-beets-salad/
Vinay Mummigatti

I love traveling, cooking, and reading. This blog is a reflection of my passion for cooking. Food is a representation of culture and I have tried to assimilate foods from different cultures across the world. I am an Indian by birth who moved to the USA 20 years back. I hope my recipes and articles bring new experiences and joy to the readers. Please share your comments and feedback.