Fall Flavors: Golden Beet and Feta Salad

Roasted golden beets and tangy feta come together in what I call the perfect autumn salad!

Golden Beet and Feta Salad

If you eat with your eyes first you'll enjoy the beautiful hue of this golden beet salad.  The deep gold colors of the beets will call to you like jewels sparkling in the sun!  Once roasted they become the earthy and sweet and so hard to resist.  I'm always waiting in anticipation for autumn to come around so I can grab a bag full of beets to roast.  Toss those with some tangy crumbled feta cheese, slices of juicy tomatoes, some roasted walnuts, all topped on a bed of spring green mix and you'll have the best autumn salad around!

I love this salad so much that I'm going to serve this as one of my Thanksgiving side dishes this year.  It's that good, that beautiful to look at, and that tasty!  I hope you try this soon and let me know what you think.

Enjoy!

What Ingredients do I need?

• spring green mix

• golden beets

• Roma tomatoes

• feta cheese - I like to buy this in a block and crumble it as needed

• walnuts - whole, halves, or pieces

• olive oil

• red wine vinegar

• Dijon mustard

• garlic

Substitutions and Variations

• Beets:  Try red beets instead of golden beets

• Cheese:  try goat cheese 

• Greens:  Spicy arugula or any green or red leaf lettuce would be good.

• Nuts:  Try pecans, pistachios, or pepitas,  or leave them out altogether

• Dressing:  Use your favorite dressing or substitute balsamic vinegar for the red wine vinegar.  

Kitchen Tips and Notes

• Feta Cheese - I always buy feta by the block.  That way I can slice it or crumble it for various dishes or as a snack with pita and cucumbers.

• Roasting beets - this doesn't have to be a messy job.  Place them in foil, no need to peel them first, and then roast.  The peel will come off easily after they are roasted and cooled a bit.  A paper towel will work wonders.  If using red beets, make sure to wear gloves as these stain your fingers and everything they touch.

• Roasting nuts - I roasted the walnuts for this salad to give them a deeper nutty flavor.  I used a dry skillet over medium heat and just let them toast for 1 to 2 minutes until they are golden.  Stir them often during the toasting period and watch them closely as they will burn easily.

• Making homemade salad dressing - don't be intimidated by making your own homemade salad dressing.  It is so easy that you'll most likely forgo store bought dressing altogether!  The best part is the taste of the fresh ingredients.  You only need a handful of items to make a dressing.  It's usually comprised of 3 parts fat (oil, mayo etc) to 1 part acid (vinegar, lemon juice) plus a small amount of an emulsifier (mustard, honey, mayo, tomato paste etc.) then you can add in some flavor enhancers (garlic, shallot, herbs) and whisk all together and you're done. 

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Golden Beet and Feta Salad

serves 4

5 oz spring green mix
3-4 large golden beets
2 large Roma tomatoes
2 oz feta cheese, crumbled
1/3 cup roasted walnuts

Red Wine Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 small clove of garlic minced
dash of salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Cut off any leafy tops from the beets.  Scrub them and loosely wrap them in aluminum foil and place them on a baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Wrap up the beets with the foil and roast for 45 -50 minutes.  Check the beets every 20 minutes or so.  They are done when a fork slides easily to the center of the beet.

Remove beets from the oven and allow to cool enough to be handled.  Remove the skins by using a paper towel to rub away the skins.  They should remove easily.  Slice or cube the beets for the salad.

To assemble:  In a large bowl or platter add the spring green mix.  Quarter the Roma tomatoes and place them and the beets on top of the greens.  Crumble the feta cheese and sprinkle them on top of the salad.  Add the roasted walnuts.  Drizzle with the red wine vinaigrette.