Beet Salad- it is what is missing in your life. Learn how to cook fresh beets here!
This beet salad recipe has a homemade dressing with a sweet and sour flavor reminiscent of (what I call) Red Beet Eggs. Garnished with crumbled blue cheese and pecans, it’s a wonderful cool salad to make any time of the year.
Beet Salad
The decision to grow beets in the garden came when I got a hankering for beets last winter. While I was at the grocery store picking up a few odds and ends, I decided I wanted fresh beets. I picked up a package of beets in the produce section and looked at the price…over $5.00 for 3 beets. Well, needless to say, those beets went right back on the produce department shelf. That’s all it took for me to plant 4 rows of beets in the garden and to decide to learn how to cook fresh beets.
Now that I have my garden fresh beets, how do I cook them and what will I make with them? I can answer both those questions. Beet Salad is our recipe of choice. Cooking fresh beets from the garden to use in salads and side dishes is a breeze and we’re going to go through that easy process together right now. We’re also going to make Beet Salad with our cooked beets. Let’s get started with “how to cook fresh beets“.
How To Cook Fresh Beets on the Stove
- The first step in cooking garden fresh beets is selecting beets that are the same size. You don’t want to have a mixture of beet sizes in one pot. Smaller beets will be cooked through faster than larger beets. Cut the greens off the beets leaving about one inch left on top of the beet.
- Cutting the greens off to one inch helps prevent the color from bleeding into the water. Cut the tail on the bottom of the beet off.
- Place the beets into a large pot or Dutch oven. Add enough water to cover them. Bring the water to a boil and cook for 30 minutes. After the beets have completely cooled, trim off the remaining stem on top.
- To remove the skins from the cooked beets grab yourself some paper towels. With paper towels in both hands pick a beet up and twist the beet in the paper towels with your hands, the skins will slide right off.
Beet Salad Recipe
After the skins are off the beets, cut them into the shape and size you need them. For this recipe, I wanted them to cut into thick strips.
After the beets have cooled it’s time to make the salad. I decided to use a bed of spinach to lay the fresh beets on. You can choose the greens of your choice.
Grab yourself a small bowl, it’s time to make the dressing for this delicious Beet Salad. Add the vinegar, finely chopped onion, sugar and salt, and pepper to the bowl. Whisk the ingredients until they are well combined.
Add the olive oil in a steady stream to the bowl while you whisk. Place the beet strips in a large bowl, drizzle the dressing over the beets. Toss the beet strips to coat them in the dressing. Place the beets on a bed of greens. Save the remaining dressing to drizzle over the salad.
Sprinkle the top of the salad with crumbled Blue Cheese and crushed Pecans. Drizzle any remaining dressing over the salad. Beet Salad it’s what’s for dinner all year round and it’s absolutely delicious using garden fresh beets, ENJOY!
PIN IT FOR LATER
Looking For More Recipes From Bunny’s Warm Oven, Try These!
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Beet Salad
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 - 2 lbs cooked beets cut into 1/4 inch strips
Dressing
- 2 1/2 Tablespoons vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons finely chopped onion
- 2 Teaspoons sugar
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 Teaspoon salt
- 1/4 Teaspoon pepper
Garnish
- Blue cheese crumbled
- pecans chopped
Instructions
- Wash and trim the beets.
- Place in a large saucepan, cover with water. Cook the beets over medium heat until a fork reaches the center of the beets easily but you still have a firm and not mushy beet. You may have to add water to the pan during the cooking process.
- Cool the beets and remove the skins. Slice the beets into 1/4 inch thick sticks.
Dressing
- In a small bowl, add all the dressing ingredients except the olive oil. Whisk the ingredients to incorporate. Add the olive oil in a steady stream to the bowl while you whisk.
- Place the beats strips in a large bowl, drizzle the dressing over top, toss to combine. Serve on a plate garnished with greens if desired. Sprinkle with crumbled blue cheese and pecans. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.
Looking For more beet recipes, try these from other bloggers…Detox Kale and Beet Salad…Roasted Beet Butternut Basil Goat Cheese Salad
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So crunchy and yummy, beet salads are the best! Love the salad dressing too, looks just perfect!
Thank you Debra!!
Oh Bunny !!!!!!
I made the beet salad and without blue cheese, which I love, I opted to make and use your Parmesan Vinaigrette. For me, the combination was Pure Heaven !!!!!!!
Tomorrow I will do it again, but this time, there WILL be blue cheese ….. and perhaps a few white kidney beans scattered on the pate ….. and maybe a grilled whole grain roll.
Truly food at its best.
Thank You for sharing your passion. I really appreciate your kindness.
I just signed-up for your newsletter and tagges your blog-site as a Favourite.
Warm Regards and Happy Holiday,
R.
Wonderful Rosemary! I love salads they’re so versatile, And using the Parmesan Vinaigrette was genius. Thank you for coming back to tell me, love it!
So much color in this salad. And so much health boost, too. I am really excited to make it some time soon because it looks just what I have been wanting to make since a long time ago!
Thank you Elaine.
I love a good beet salad but I’ve never attempted to make them myself because they are so expensive. I need to look into the planting season here in Texas.
I really need to try this recipe. I love beets and your salad looks fabulous!
Such a beautiful salad, especially with that color and the blue cheese and pecans on top! Definitely the perfect use for homegrown beets.
I love beets and they’re currently in season here. I usually serve beets with kale and tahini dressing but your version sounds amazing as well. I love the addition of the blue cheese and the dressing sounds so yum!
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