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Beet Salad Recipe

Sara {Go Gingham}

Go Gingham: beet salad recipe

Here is the prize winning recipe for my beet salad.  This recipe placed 2nd in “The Oregonian” Twitter Recipe Contest. It’s easy, tasty, and one of my favorites. I adapted it from Bon Appetit, April, 2007.  The entire meal is, “Grilled Flank Steak with Sauteed Beet Greens and Creamy Horseradish Beets” and is delicious.  I’ve re-made the “Creamy Horseradish Beets” into my own, Beet Salad. Simple name for a home cooked, healthy salad.  If you don’t like beets, this recipe may change your mind.

Beet Salad Recipe
Recipe Type: Main
Cuisine: American
Author: Sara Tetreault
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
  • 4-8 large beets
  • Dressing
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1 Tablespoon minced onion
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1 Tablespoon horseradish (start with 1 Tablespoon and taste because you can always add more but you can’t take away)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Scrub 4-8 large beets and place in oven proof dish with lid. Cut beets in half if necessary and remove any root ends. Do not peel.
  3. Place beets in oven for about 1 hour or until fork goes into largest beet easily.
  4. Remove from oven and let cool.
  5. While beets are cooling, make dressing.
  6. Once beets are cool, remove skin by rubbing beets under cool water.
  7. Cut beets into bite size pieces and place in large bowl.
Dressing
  1. In a small bowl, combine all ingredients and taste. Adjust horseradish.
  2. Pour dressing over beets in large bowl and stir.
  3. Adjust salt and serve chilled.
Notes
This salad is so tasty and is the prettiest pink color! It’s a favorite side dish or can be served as main dish with an arugula salad.

 

Beet Salad Recipe Notes

  • I use anywhere from 4 to 8 beets for this salad, depending on how large they are.
  • Use onions and skip the shallots.  I never have shallots on hand and they’re expensive.  This salad is also good with garlic, just in case you (and your neighbors) are out of onions.
  • Use sour cream.  I also never have crème fraiche on hand.  I like Daisy brand low-fat sour cream.  This brand has very few ingredients, which is what I always look for in my dairy products.  You could easily substitute goat cheese here.
  • Bake the beets in a heavy glass baking dish with a lid.  Use bake-ware that retains the heat.  Beets take a long time to cook thoroughly.  We don’t have a microwave but perhaps this would work here.
  • Wash the beets first, but don’t peel until after they’re done baking. Peeling uncooked beets is hard work – don’t do it!  Once they’ve baked and cooled, beets are very easy to peel.  You can even put them in a bowl of cool water and practically rub the skins off.  Cut off any root ends before baking.
  • Horseradish can be tricky.  Some horseradish brands are stronger than others.  I usually start with 2 T and go from there, depending on how many beets I’m preparing.  You can always add more horseradish but too much will ruin it. I like Beaver brand, extra hot, prepared, not cream style.
  • Sometimes I mix the dressing in a separate container but other times I just toss everything (beets and all!) together in the bowl and stir.
  • Beet salad eats like a meal – and can be the main course. I like to serve it with arugula salad – and buy Earthbound Farm’s arugula because it’s triple washed. Just open the bag and toss it with a dressing. Easy.
  • My kids don’t want me to add this part but eating beets can make your urine a darker color.  Don’t be alarmed by this.  It will pass, literally.

 

Beet Salad Recipe

Place in heavy baking dish with lid.

Beet Salad Recipe

We love beets and this is an excellent way to get your family to love them, too! Enjoy!

What’s your favorite way to eat beets?

Go Gingham related links

Egg salad sandwiches – you’ll wish you had chickens
Go Gingham food philosophy – yes, there is one
Shrimp and quinoa salad – a summer favorite
New to cooking at home? Fear not!
Corn and black bean salad – made with dried beans

More helpful links

Bon Appetit and the entire meal can be found here
The Oregonian’s online newspaper and the Twitter recipe contest is here

Fusion NW came over to film how to make this salad.

Published by Sara {Go Gingham}

Sara, creator of Go Gingham, writes about real food, green living, and a healthy lifestyle - on fewer resources - {Stylishly Frugal Living}. She loves gingham - but tries to keep that in check.

8 thoughts on “Beet Salad Recipe”

    1. Thanks Lindsay!! Twitter is hard for a person like me – someone who likes a lot of words! I do like simple, easy recipes. Twitter seems to work well for that.

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  3. I have you beet. For lunch today I did, that is. Excellent beet. Thanks!!
    Sharon likes them too.
    I think I cooked six beets last night. I had no idea how big a big beet was, so maybe I’d like the recipe to have it in lbs. But then, do you include an allowance for the greens? It quickly exceeds twitter’s dimensions.
    And how about the color of the slime it leaves on the plate? Exquisite!
    And no I do not have a UTI. That is just the beets.

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    1. Very impressive and clever, Graham! So, once you get the hang of how many beets are good for the salad, it will be fine. I agree, the color of this recipe is like nothing else. I cook the greens, but not with the beets in the oven. I have an excellent recipe for cooking greens and it involves all greens – not just your standard spinach. Thanks for leaving a comment!!

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  4. So sad 😦 FH does NOT like beets – I can’t even mention the word! So, I try to eat them whenever we’re out at a restaurant or a potluck. They’re one of my favorite veggies and this recipe looks so good!

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