Roasted Beet Citrus Salad with Blood Orange Vinaigrette
Roasted Beet Citrus Salad with Blood Orange Vinaigrette is fresh and vibrant with tender roasted beets, plenty of citrus and tangy goat cheese!
**This post was originally published in March 2015. The photos have been updated but the recipe and text have not been modified.
I think one of the biggest keys about eating healthfully is making it interesting. If you have the same old veggies prepared the same way day in and day out, you’re going to be completely uninspired to eat them.
Making a salad like this Roasted Beet Citrus Salad with Blood Orange Vinaigrette is going to completely inspire you to eat those veggies!
Why? Just by looking at this Roasted Beet Citrus Salad with Blood Orange Vinaigrette you can see why:
- there’s a variety of vegetables, both raw and cooked, which fills our salad with lots of texture
- we’ve got walnuts for even more texture, adding that much needed crunch
- color…lots of color! We’re supposed to eat a rainbow after all
- and all of this variety brings with it plenty of flavor, and that’s what’s going to keep you coming back for more.
Flavor is the name of the game…that word is in the title of this blog for a reason. 🙂
When I shop for the week, I buy lots of different veggies, and I roast a variety at the beginning of the week so I can add them to salads, grains, etc. during the week.
This particular week, I bought 1 bunch each golden and purple beets, and cut off the tops and got those beets roasting.
On a side note, did you know beet greens are edible, and they’re great sautéed or used in soups just like swiss chard, kale, or mustard greens?
I even like them raw and use them in salads like this Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese and Orange.
When I roast beets, I give them a quick rinse, pat them dry, and place them in aluminum foil (be sure and place the beets in separate foil packets or your golden beets will be purple too). I roast them at 375 degrees for about 50 minutes to 1 hour, depending on their size, or until the tip of a knife is inserted easily.
When they’re cool enough to handle, I place the beets in a paper towel and rub the skins off. The skins come off so easily this way that I’ll never use another method again.
From there, I store them in the fridge until I’m ready to use them. On another side note, I like to use gloves when handling purple beets so I don’t have purple fingers the rest of the day…or week. 🙂
Beets pair perfectly with citrus, and lately I’ve always got clementines in the fruit bowl. I added those to the salad, along with a few blood oranges I’d purchased, and the colors just went wild.
My grandmother introduced me to blood oranges many years ago before she died, and they always make me think of her. Blood oranges have a unique flavor — they’re not as acidic as regular oranges and they’re mildly sweet.
I couldn’t help but think they would be amazing in a vinaigrette and obviously they are.
And who can argue with that color?
The beets and citrus are nice and sweet, so the toasty flavor of the nuts and tanginess of the cheese add a really nice contrast in flavor. I used goat cheese here, but feta cheese would be delicious as well.
I added some thinly sliced fennel to the salad because it’s almost a crime not to this time of year. Fennel, beets and citrus are a match made in heaven, and fennel adds a fresh crunch that I love.
The bottom line? This Roasted Beet Citrus Salad with Blood Orange Vinaigrette is so vibrant, fresh and flavorful that you’re going to enjoy your veggies more.
And eating more veggies is the name of the game 🙂
Need more salad inspiration? Give these a try:
Cranberry Pear Salad with Fresh Pear Vinaigrette
Citrus, Fennel and Avocado Salad
Kale Salad with Goat Cheese, Cranberries and Orange
Roasted Beet Citrus Salad with Blood Orange Vinaigrette
Ingredients
For the vinaigrette:
- 2 tablespoons fresh blood orange juice
- 1½ tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1½ teaspoons dijon mustard
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
For the salad:
- 5 ounces baby spinach
- 1 medium golden beet
- 1 medium purple beet
- 2 blood oranges 1 for the salad, and half of one for the dressing
- 4 clementines or 1 medium navel orange
- 2 green onions thinly sliced, both white and green parts
- Half fennel bulb thinly sliced (the fronds are wonderful in the salad too!)
- ½ cup crumbled goat cheese feta may be substituted
- ½ cup toasted walnuts
Instructions
Roast the beets:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Remove the tops from the beets and wrap the beets separately in foil to prevent the golden beets from turning purple. Roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the beets are tender.
- When the beets are cool enough to handle, remove from foil and rub with a towel to remove the skins. Cut in half from top to bottom, and slice into ¼" wedges. Set aside.
Prepare the vinaigrette:
- Place the blood orange juice, vinegar, maple syrup, dijon, and lemon juice in a small bowl and whisk till combined. Whisk in the extra virgin olive oil, and salt and pepper, to taste.
Prepare the salad:
- Slice the tops and bottoms off of the clementines and blood oranges, and working from the top to bottom, cut off the peels and as much of the white pith as possible. Once peeled, turn sideways and slice the oranges gently, then cut into quarters. Alternatively, you can segment the orange slices. Place in a bowl until ready to use.
- Place the baby spinach in large bowl. Add the golden beets, oranges, green onions, fennel, and cheese, and toss with enough of the vinaigrette to coat. Toss the purple beets with a bit of the vinaigrette, and gently add to the salad just before serving to keep the entire salad from turning purple.
- Top the salad with the walnuts, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
- Cook time above includes 1 hour for roasting the beets. The beets may be roasted in advance, cooled, and stored in an air tight container for up to one week. I like to roast an entire bunch at once, and store them in the fridge for various recipes during the week. You can also use pre-cooked beets to save time.
- *I like to add the purple beets at the last minute to prevent the salad from turning purple!
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
65 Comments on “Roasted Beet Citrus Salad with Blood Orange Vinaigrette”
This is such a fresh and gorgeous salad Marcie!! I would absolutely gobble it up!! 🙂
This is such a colorful, healthy salad, and it looks so good! I have never roasted beets…thanks for the great tip on peeling it, Marcie!
This salad is so freakin’ pretty! I love the walnuts (a fave of mine) and the cooked/raw veggies together. So colorful! 🙂 Pinning!
Such a beautiful, colourful salad! Makes me happy just looking at it but I’d rather be eating it too 🙂
I love how gorgeous those beets make the salad look! Such stunning colors. This salad sounds so refreshing and delicious, and I love the sound of that vinaigrette.
A fresh and healthy salad. Looks like spring is here. Beet and feta are match made in heaven, I adore the combination.
It’s such a great salad Marcie. Will pin for sure.
Thank you, Ash, and I appreciate the pin! 🙂
Oh beets, how I want to love you! I love all the colors in this salad! And I pretty much want to drink the vinaigrette! Is that weird? Shhh…it’ll be our secret! Pinned!
I know…beets are some of those things that are either loved or hated. Have you tried golden? They’re so much better than purple in my opinion, and they leave you stained up! haha I can keep a secret, too. 🙂
That vinegarette looks delicious. I find it easy to come up with salads, but I usually just stick to the same boring dressings. Definitely going to try this.
Salads are really easy to change up, and the dressing really helps make it extra interesting for me. Thanks, Dannii!
I definitely agree about switching up your veggies! Makes things less boring and more delicious! This salad looks fantastic, Marcie! I love the beets in here. And that blood orange vinaigrette is such a great idea! Definitely a fantastic salad for channeling some spring weather!
Thank you, Gayle! I just wanted to drink that vinaigrette — I can’t seem to get enough blood oranges these days! 🙂
This is one seriously stunning salad, Marcie! I’m crushing on all that gorgeous COLOR you packed inside! That orange vinaigrette sounds like the perfect topper. 🙂
Thank you, Sarah! 🙂
You always make the most beautiful and colorful salads. I am dubbing you the salad queen!
Thank you, Jocelyn, and my family actually dubbed me the salad queen some time ago! haha I guess there’s something to that nickname. 🙂
I adore fresh salads as such, full of citrus and goodness. I pretty much love anything with beets and they’re so good for you, I’m thinking of adding this to fish dinner tomorrow.
This salad with fish sounds delicious! Thanks, Kathy! 🙂
YUM! I love beets! …I haven’t had them in so long, but I need to start eating them again! SO good! Great recipe!
I love beets because they’re so easy to roast and they make everything so colorful. Thanks, Cailee! 🙂
What a beautiful salad! And I can’t wait to try that Blood Orange Vinaigrette!
The vinaigrette was almost drinkable! 🙂 Thanks, Christin!
Thank you, Stacy! Beets and citrus are one of my favorite combinations, so I’ve really been eating a lot of salads like this lately. Hope you have a wonderful week! 🙂
This salad looks amazing, Marcie! Love the flavours and that blood orange vinaigrette sounds so gorgeous! 😀
Thank you, Jess! The flavor of blood orange really made this vinaigrette extra special. 🙂
I love salads of all kinds, and I think this recipe will join my personal recipe list. Thanks for sharing, Marcie.
Thank you, Cecilia, and I hope you enjoy it! 🙂
Just look at all those pretty colors! Like eating a rainbow. I just love roasted beets. I need to add this salad to my lunch rotation!
Eating a rainbow is where it’s at! This would be a great portable lunch, too. Thanks, Natalie! 🙂
How delicious! I love that you paired citrus with beets, such a fun flavor combo!
Thank you, Annie! Beets and orange are beyond delicious together! 🙂
I love, love beets and this looks like a great way to use them!
Thank you, Meghan! I really want to try pickling them soon, too. 🙂
I love fresh and colorful salads just like this one! Sounds like a lovely combination! Pinned 🙂
Thank you, Mira! 🙂
I love all your salad recipes Marcie! this look so fresh and delicious! <3
Thank you, Manali!
Marci, this salad looks incredible! When it comes to healthy eating, you are so right about needing to make it interesting! Love everything about this recipe!
Thank you, Michelle! I get bored easily, so changing things up is important, whether it’s my workout or my food.
I agree! It is always important to mix things up so you don’t get into a rut with healthy food! I just saw some blood oranges at the store and was thinking of buying them because they are so pretty but I wasn’t sure what to do with them. Now I need to go back and buy them so I can make this beautiful salad!
Blood oranges are so sweet and add so much wherever you use them. I intend to keep buying them until they’re gone — which is soon. 🙁 Thanks, Izzy!
We just love roasted beets and this is such a vibrant and fun salad it for sure is not boring! The orange and beets compliment each other wonderfully.
Thank you, ladies! This is definitely one of my very favorite winter salads. 🙂
Amazing as usual Marcie!
Thank you, darling. 🙂
This is so pretty! I definitely agree that you need to keep things interesting — you are the queen of that!
Thank you so much, Ashley! 🙂
Beautiful salad Marcie…I love the combination of orange and beets…and yes I like he walnut too…
Enjoy your week 🙂
Thank you, Juliana! 🙂
This is such a beautiful salad, Marcie! I think it would convince anyone to start eating more veggies 🙂 I love that there are golden and purple beets in here and I could seriously drink up that blood orange vinaigrette – it sounds so refreshing and delicious!
The dressing is really drinkable…I had a lot of fun taste testing it as I made it. 🙂 Thank you, Kelly!
Hi, Marcie! What a killer combination of ingredients there are in this salad! A sharp salty cheese like feta goes sooo well with fruit and nuts and greens …. oh, and how healthy this is!
I like your idea of roasting veggies at the beginning of the week. That would be fabulous for healthy lunches!
I get really lazy during the week, so I really need to get things cooked and prepped so I can just throw them together. It certainly helps me eat better! Thank you, Helen! 🙂
You definitely have got me all inspired to make this citrus salad Marcie – it looks so nourishing, healthy & nutrition filled.. a perfect lunch or light dinner!
It’s definitely a very satisfying salad full of flavor. Thanks, Thalia! 🙂
I used to not like beets until I tried them roasted! This salad looks amazing and I am happy about the vinaigrette here!
Roasted beets are definitely my favorite way to eat them, and the vinaigrette was almost my favorite part. 🙂
All your salads look so colorful and inspirational. Really love the combination in this one. Definitely a keeper.
Thank you, Ella! 🙂
You know how to do salads right, Marcie! I always love a salad with goat cheese and that vinaigrette–would it be weird if I drank it with a straw?
Thank you Kelsie and using a straw is a great idea! ?
These pictures are gorgeous, Marcie! I LOVE all of the colour! #eatherainbow 🙂
Thank you so much Katherine! Eating the rainbow is fun. 🙂
Thank you Puja!