Beet and Citrus Salad With Pine Nut Vinaigrette Recipe (2024)

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This pretty and colorful salad combines grapefruit, orange, roasted beets, and arugula for some peppery kick.

J. Kenji López-Alt

Culinary Consultant

Kenji is the former culinary director for Serious Eats and a current culinary consultant for the site. He is also a New York Times food columnist and the author of The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science.

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Updated August 04, 2023

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Why It Works

Roasting the beets in an airtight foil pouch allows them to cook faster with minimal moisture loss.
The foil pouch is also a great way to add aromatics to flavor the beets while they cook.
The sherry vinegar-based dressing is lightly sweetened with agave nectar.

Beets get their fair share of criticism from children and adults alike, and it's easy to see why if you, like me, were exposed to the canned variety as a kid. Those things arenoteasy to like. A freshly roasted beet, on the other hand, is something quite different. Sweet as candy, rich and earthy, with a great sorta-soft-sorta-crisp texture, they're one of my favorite vegetables to work with. I make some variation of this salad a few times a year and it's one of my wife's favorites. Just like her, it's pretty, colorful, and best served at room temperature.

Beet and Citrus Salad With Pine Nut Vinaigrette Recipe (2)

You can boil beets if you'd like, but the process will rob them of flavor (notice how pink that water gets? That's flavor going right down the drain). I've found that the best way to cook them is in the oven, in an airtight foil pouch. They steam as they cook, heating up the air in the pouch, and allowing them to cook faster with minimal moisture loss. Because you're using a dry cooking method, they barely lose any juices or flavor, and the foil pouch is a great way to add aromatics; A few sprigs of thyme or rosemary, some black pepper and olive oil, and perhaps some citrus peel.

Beets and citrus are a classic combination, and luckily, we're right in the middle of citrus season. This salad combines grapefruit, orange, roasted beets, and bits of arugula for some peppery kick (you can use whatever herb or salad green you'd like instead). I like to serve nuts with my beets, which usually means hazelnuts, but in this case, I've gone with pine. A vinaigrette made with sherry vinegar, shallots, walnut oil, and a touch of agave nectar sweetens the whole thing.

February 2012

Recipe Details

Beet and Citrus Salad With Pine Nut Vinaigrette Recipe

Active30 mins

Total2 hrs

Serves4to 6 servings

Ingredients

2 pounds (900g) raw beets, greens and stems removed, scrubbed under cold running water
5 tablespoons (75ml)extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4sprigs rosemary or thyme
2 tablespoons (30ml)sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon (15ml) agave nectar (or honey, for a non-vegan version)
1/4 cup (about 70g) toasted pine nuts, divided
1 small shallot, finely minced (about 1 tablespoon)
1 tablespoon (15ml)walnut oil
1 grapefruit, cut intosegments
1 orange, cut into segments
1 cup (1 ounce) loosely packed arugula leaves
Orange zest, for garnish

Directions

Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Fold two 12- by 18-inch squares of heavy-duty aluminum foil in half cross-wise. Crimp the left and right edges to form a tight seal (leave the top open). Toss beets with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Divide evenly between both foil pouches. Add 2 sprigs rosemary or thyme to each pouch, then tightly crimp top of pouch to seal.
Place pouches on a rimmed baking sheet and place in oven. Cook until beets are completely tender and a cake tester or toothpick inserted into a beet through the foil pouch shows no resistance, about 1 hour. Open pouches and allow beets to cool for 30 minutes. Peel under cold running water (the skin should slip right off). Cut beets into rough 1 1/2-inch chunks.
Combine vinegar, agave nectar, half of pinenuts, and shallots in a medium bowl. Whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil followed by walnut oil. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.
Toss beets with half of dressing in a large bowl, then transfer to a serving plate. Add grapefruit, orange, and arugula leaves to bowl along with 1 more tablespoon dressing. Toss and season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to serving plate with beets. Drizzle remaining dressing around beets, sprinkle with remaining pinenuts, top with orange zest, and serve.

Special Equipment

Rimmed baking sheet, aluminum foil, citrus zester

How to Roast Fall and Winter Vegetables | The Food Lab
How to Roast Beets
How to Cut Citrus Fruit Into Wedges, Sliced, and Suprèmes

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
321	Calories
22g	Fat
30g	Carbs
5g	Protein

Show Full Nutrition Label

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4to 6
Amount per serving
Calories	321
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 22g	28%
Saturated Fat 2g	12%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 458mg	20%
Total Carbohydrate 30g	11%
Dietary Fiber 6g	21%
Total Sugars 21g
Protein 5g
Vitamin C 43mg	215%
Calcium 56mg	4%
Iron 2mg	12%
Potassium 708mg	15%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Beet and Citrus Salad With Pine Nut Vinaigrette Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How to make beet root salad? ›

Divide beets between 2 pieces of foil; bring edges together and crimp to make packets. Roast until the beets are just tender when pierced with the point of a knife, about 1 1/4 hours. Unwrap the beets and let them cool. Meanwhile, whisk oil, vinegar, mustard, honey, salt and pepper in a small bowl to make dressing.

Explore More ›

What is lemon vinaigrette made of? ›

Lemon Vinaigrette Recipe Ingredients

Fresh lemon juice – To make it zippy and bright! Extra-virgin olive oil – It gives the dressing body and richness. Garlic – It adds a nice kick. Dijon mustard – For tangy depth of flavor.

Read On ›

Do you have to peel beets for salad? ›

They can be roasted, boiled or steamed, and even eaten raw — thinly sliced or shredded beets add an interesting crunch to salads. Sometimes beets are peeled before cooking. They may also be scrubbed and cooked until tender with their skins on; the skins slip off fairly easily after cooling.

Tell Me More ›

Why do you put vinegar in beets? ›

Beets are a weekly ritual around here. Usually we boil them and toss them in a sweet sour vinaigrette and keep them in the refrigerator to eat all week. The vinegar in the dressing "pickles" the beets, helping them last longer in the fridge.

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Which vinegar is best for vinaigrette? ›

In addition to white wine vinegar, red wine, sherry, balsamic and cider vinegars can all be used in the same quantities as above. It's really down to personal taste and it's great to have a selection of vinegars in your cupboard to give variety to even the simplest salads.

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What is the healthiest salad dressing? ›

Generally speaking, the healthiest salad dressing will be a vinaigrette like balsamic or oil and vinegar, while Caesar, ranch or anything with the word “creamy” will be the unhealthiest. The exception? We like products made with healthy swaps—think Greek yogurt in place of mayo or heavy cream.

Know More ›

What is the best way to eat beetroot raw or cooked? ›

Here are five of our favorite ways to eat beets.

Raw! – Yes, beets are quite good raw. ...
Roasted with goat cheese. – The classic, all-time favorite preparation. ...
In a salad. – Beets make a good complement to other salad staples. ...
Pickled! – Pickled beets are just marvelous. ...
As dessert.

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Is beetroot salad good for you? ›

Health benefits of beets include more stamina during exercise, heart disease and stroke prevention, and lower blood pressure. You can roast, grate, or put them into soups and salads. If you're prone to kidney stones or gout, avoid beets or limit how much you eat.

Is beet root better raw or boiled? ›

However, most Americans don't get enough fiber, and beets are a good source of the insoluble type, which helps keep you regular and full longer than beet juice. Raw beets contain more vitamins, minerals and antioxidants than cooked beets (yes, you can eat beets raw!).

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Is it better to roast or boil beets for salad? ›

The softest texture will be the boiled beets, the roasted beets will be tender, but will still have a little “bite” to them. The steamed beets will be somewhere in the middle. If using the beets in a salad, or serving them as a side dish, I prefer the roasted or steamed beets.