Arugula Beet Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

This Arugula Beet salad with feta, makes the BEST salad. It dresses up beets with arugula and feta cheese, two semi-sweet ingredients. It makes a great side dish for any meal. With a delicious balsamic vinaigrette, this simple salad can easily be made at home.

Salad is our family favorite food for summer months.  Whether it’s a Tomato Peach Caprese, Chickpea salad or Meditararian Quinoa Salad, we are often tossing and spinning salad bowls for hearty, delicious and filling meals throughout the summer months. 

Jump to:

• Best Beet Salad
• Are beets healthy?
• Balsamic beet salad with arugula and goat cheese
• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Substitutions
• Serving Suggestions
• More salad recipes
• How to Cook Beets in Instant Pot ?
• How To Roast Beets In Oven?
• How to Cook Beets on the Stove Top?
• How to Cook Beets in Air Fryer
• FAQs
• Arugula Beet Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Best Beet Salad

This recipe for beet salad makes a healthy salad with unique color and flavor twist to a tasty combination of beets and arugula. The dressing adds a nice contrast of flavors as well. This beetroot salad is a great example of how to combine bitter, sweet, sour and salty flavors to create a delicious and healthy dish. The arugula and beets also add a great touch of color.

This salad with beets has a wonderful sweet, earthy flavor. Low-fat Feta cheese boosts the protein and calcium content. Peppery and slightly bitter arugula leaves add a great depth of flavors. Since arugula is called rocket in some countries, we can call this Rocket Beetroot Salad as well.

And this recipe also includes best dressing for beet salad. Homemade balsamic vinaigrette is so robust and full of flavors, you will want to pour it over on everything !

Are beets healthy?

Beets, also known as beetroot, are a great way to add extra nutrition to a meal especially when paired with some cheese. This simple but flavorful salad showcases beets at their best.

If you love cooking with beets, you will also love this Blushing Beets Pesto Pasta recipe of ours.

In addition to being a delicious side dish, they help boost your immune system, lower cholesterol and boost antioxidants. Learn more about beets here.

The deep magenta color of beets comes from betanin, a betacyanin pigment. Betacyanin help protect plants from damage. These pigments are also thought to protect people from cancer and prevent cardiovascular disease.

Balsamic beet salad with arugula and goat cheese

In this recipe, sweet, earthy roasted beets are paired with arugula and rich feta. The result is a surprisingly easy side dish that makes a perfect starter for any summertime meal.

This colorful salad is perfect for summer weather. Arugula and beets are at their best when fresh. It is simply marvelous and filling. 

Ingredients

• Beets : I am using red beets in this recipe.
• Arugula : Use baby arugula leaves. They add contrasting bold peppery taste
• Apple : To balance the flavors and nice crisp taste. You can use any apple variety you have available.
• Feta Cheese : for adding a salty and creamy dimension to the flavor profile as well as some Protine and calcium.
• Pecans : I love meaty texture and earthy flavors of pecans. Skip it of you want to make it nut free
• Balsamic Vinaigrette : Balsamic vinegar and olive oil whisked together with maple syrup, Dejon mustard and Italian seasoning. This is the BEST homemade salad dressing.

Exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below.

Instructions

Two main steps to make this salad include gather and prepare the ingredients. The second step involves tossing everything together and mixing the salad.

Prepare the ingredients : We are using roasted or cooked beets in this salad. I am including detailed instructions separately on how to cook beets in Instant pot, roast them in oven or cook on stove top.

Also chop the arugula and apples to make bite size pieces.

Whisk together all the ingredients and make the homemade salad dressing.

Make the Salad : Arrange arugula in a large salad bowl. Add apples, pecans and beets. Sprinkle feta cheese. Pour some vinaigrette over it. Toss everything well. Serve and enjoy !

Substitutions

You can make several additions and subtractions to this recipe based on what you have readily available. Some ideas are listed below.

Beets : Red beets are used here but golden beets also work. I am using freshly cooked beets. You can use canned beets or even frozen beets ( thaw them first).

Greens : Arugula is preferred greens but kale, mixed greens, spring mix or baby spinach also pair well.

Nuts : Instead of pecans, you can use walnuts, pistachios, almonds. You can simply omit the nuts if you need to make this nut free.

Cheese : Similar to crumbled feta cheese, you can herbed goat cheese, gorgonzola or blue cheese. Use plant based cheese to make this recipe vegan.

Serving Suggestions

This beautiful salad is show stopper for parties and dinner menu. I use it in summer gatherings for potlucks and a side dish for grilled and BBQ meals.

It also is very festive to make for holiday meals and during fall/ winter months. I often include this salad for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners and it’s enjoyed by all.

You can serve this salad as a light meal. It is wholesome and satisfying. With healthy fats from pecans, added depth of cheese and beets, it will keep you full till the next meal.

If you want to make it a soup salad combination, pair it with earthy soups like Potato Soup, Creamy Mushroom Soup or Vegetable Barley Soup.

To serve is as a salad-side combination, pair it with side of Crispy Fingerling Potatoes or Kale Chips or Zucchini Fries.

I have served this salad for fancy brunches like Mother’s day brunch or bridal shower or baby shower menus. Along with munchies like Stuffed Mushrooms, Zucchini Fritters and Easy Italian Bruschetta , it makes a great party menu.

More salad recipes

• Avocado Egg Salad
• Lentil Salad with Curry Lemon Dressing
• Barley Salad
• Quick Orzo Pasta Salad
• Vegan Tex Mex Quinoa Salad

How to Cook Beets in Instant Pot ?

Add 2 cups water into the steel inner pot, then place a steamer basket or the wire rack into the pot. Place the beets on top of the rack, then secure the lid, close the pressure valve, and cook for 15 minutes at high pressure. After it’s done cooking, let the pressure release naturally. Open the lid.

Once the the beets are cool enough to touch, remove them from the pot. The peels should easily slide off. Chop the cooked beets into bite size pieces and use as desired. See this detailed post for how to make instant pot beets.

How To Roast Beets In Oven?

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the beets in half or smaller for quicker roasting. Place the cut beets on a parchment paper. Toss with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. 

Cover the parchment paper to make a foil pocket. Place it on a baking sheet. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven, remove and discard the parchment paper. Use the beets as desired.

How to Cook Beets on the Stove Top?

In a large stock pan, add beets and enough water to cover them completely. Let the pot come to boil on a high heat. Reduce the heat to medium low, cover the pot and let them cook for 20-30 minutes until they are soft and fork tender.

Discard the cooking water once finished cooking. Once it’s safe to handle, slid off the skin, cut and use them as desired.

How to Cook Beets in Air Fryer

Use small to medium sized beets for air fryer option. Arrange washed and rinsed beets them on single layer on air fryer basket.

Select 400 degree Fahrenheit and roast for 12-15 minutes. Check for the doneness. Air frying timing will vary based on the size of the beets. Remove from the air fryer. Remove skin when it’s safe to handle. Use the beets as desired.

FAQs

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