Homegrown beetroot is something special. Plump, purple and full of earthy flavour ... so very different to the beetroot that comes in a tin! With some of our fresh beetroots, harvested this past weekend and roasted until tender, I made this beautiful beetroot salad. It was full of flavour and goodness. Delicious!
Beautiful Beetroot Salad
The main ingredients of Emma Jansen's recipe for Roasted Pumpkin, Beetroot, Chickpea & Feta Salad were the inspiration for this version. The main difference is that I used marinated feta and the herby marinating oil for the dressing. This is how it came together:
Roast beetroots and pieces of pumpkin until tender.
(See note below on how to roast beetroot.)
Rinse and drain 1 tin of chick peas & put in a salad bowl.
Crumble pieces of a marinated feta & mix with chickpeas.
Lightly steam broccoli florets until bright green but still crisp & add to salad bowl.
Mix in pieces of roasted pumpkin.
Peel & then cube roasted beetroots & put into a separate dish.
Drizzle over dressing, toss to coat salad & serve with pieces of roasted beetroot on top.
(See note below on how I made dressing.)
(See note below on how I made dressing.)
I haven't written exact quantities because, with a salad like this, you can put in as much or as little as you like. I used half a decent sized pumpkin, 4 large beetroots, a fair bit of feta (because I love it) and 1 small head of broccoli. You can tweak those amounts to suit, you could add fresh baby spinach leaves instead of broccoli, you could experiment with the marinating oils you use for different flavours too.
Dressing: Blend together 1/4cup of the herby oil from the marinated feta, squeeze in juice of half a small lemon or lime, add a few teaspoons of Pomegranate molasses (or you could use balsamic vinegar) and season with freshly ground black pepper to taste. Mmmm...
How to Roast Beetroot: Cut the stems of each beetroot to around 2cm. Wrap each unpeeled beetroot in foil. Bake in oven, at 180C, until tender. You know they are ready when you can poke a skewer through the foil and easily into the beetroot.
I'm so glad I planted many beetroots this year. I'll be making this salad (and versions of it) as long as there is fresh beetroot coming in from the garden. YUM!
Meg
Oh, that looks delish! I should plant beetroot - its not something we normally eat much of but my eldest loves it.
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I've only grown beetroot the past two years, Emma. I find it's easy to grow, planting in late Autumn/early Winter. I think it would be worth a try in your veggie patch. My favourite thing with beetroot, apart from this new salad, are beetroot and cheese sandwiches...very trendy ;) Meg
DeleteYum, I cant wait for my beetroot to be ready. I used to detest beetroot, but then the only one I had tasted was from a tin, real is soooo much better.
ReplyDeleteYes, a fresh beetroot tastes very different. It's also so good for you and, in this salad, it's teamed up with broccoli which is also a great boost of nutrition. YUM! Meg
DeleteMy beetroot isn't ready yet, Meg. Perhaps it will be ready to pick when we get back from the beach if my hubby remembers to water the patch. That salad looks very yummy. I will pin it for reference down the track. Thanks heaps.
ReplyDeleteHopefully, you'll have lots of beetroots to make this salad with when you get back from your beach holiday, Chel. Meg:)
DeleteI'm not a fan in general of beets, but this looks so good! I think I may have to give it a try. :)
ReplyDeleteI hope this salad will change your mind about beetroot, Debbie. It's lovely when roasted like this. Meg:)
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