This beet salad with feta cheese is a very tasty, nutritious, and flavorful vegetarian Mediterranean salad recipe. The combination of sweet beets, savory and creamy feta, crunchy walnuts, and fresh dill is a must-try.
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After around ten days of my favorite season winter-the, the days in Dubai have started getting hotter. So, I am back with a very tasty Mediterranean salad recipe- Beet Salad with Feta.
A few days back I shared the recipe of Beetroot Poriyal on my blog after which a lot of my readers wrote to me sharing how much they love beetroot and requested more easy beet recipes.
Today's recipe is for those readers of mine.
The deliciousness of this beets salad comes from the amazing combination of sweet beets, salty and creamy feta cheese, crunchy roasted walnuts, and freshness of dill and lemon.
Everyone whom I have ever served this beet and feta cheese salad has fallen in love with it.
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What goes in Mediterranean Beet salad?
To make this vegetarian beet salad, you will be needing the following ingredients:
- Beetroot
- Lemon: I have used only juice of lemon here but you can add zest too for extra fresh lemony flavor.
- Fresh dill: You can also use other fresh herbs of your choice like cilantro or parsley.
- Garlic: You can use garlic powder too.
- Water: For cooking beets
- Feta cheese
- Salt
- Pepper
- Walnut kernels: For a crunch in the salad. You can add any other nut or seed of your choice.
- Olive oil
How to make?
Making this beet salad is very easy. You just need to follow the steps below:
- Peel and cut the beets into medium-sized cubes.
- Blanch the beet cubes. They should be cooked but have a bite to them.
- Slightly toast the walnuts in a pan. toasting will make them crunchier and tastier.
- Cut feta cheese block into small cubes. You can also use crumbled feta if you prefer that.
- Mix all the ingredients of dressing in a bowl.
- Put all the ingredients in a large bowl
- Pour the dressing. Toss. Serve & enjoy!
Can it be made with canned beets?
If you are in a hurry or don't have access to fresh beets then, of course, you can use canned beets in this recipe.
Personally, I prefer using fresh ingredients in my meals, especially salads, and avoid canned ingredients as much as possible. That's the reason I have not yet acquired the taste for canned food, especially for ingredients that are the epitome of health and nutrition like beets.
Variation suggestions
The recipe which I have shared here is my favorite and most frequently used method of making a beets salad. However, sometimes just for a change, I do bring some variations in it. You can also try them:
- Add thinly sliced cucumber for extra freshness
- Add peeled and roughly chopped orange to the salad and orange juice to the dressing
- If you couldn't find feta cheese, use goat cheese
- Instead of walnuts, you can also use almonds, pistachios, raisins, or pumpkin seeds. You can add a combination of different nuts, and seeds
- If you don't like dill, replace it with coriander leaves, parsley, or any other herb of your choice. However, I love the combination of Feta and dill so most of the time use dill only
Make-ahead tips
- Since Feta releases water if left in the salad for too long, don't add it in advance.
- If you want to save some time at the last moment, steam the beets in advance they will be fine in the fridge for 2-3 days.
- You can also clean and chop the herbs and store them in the fridge for 5-6 days wrapped in a paper towel or in the freezer for 5-6 months.
- Before serving just cut or crumble the feta cheese, make a fresh dressing, mix everything together, and enjoy!
More vegan and vegetarian Mediterranean salad recipes
I am a big fan of the refreshing flavors of Mediterranean salads. If you also love that and looking for the recipes then don't miss to check the following recipes:
- Greek Potato Salad
- Feta and watermelon salad
- Easy Greek Salad
- Greek black-eyed pea salad
- Mediterranean white bean salad
- Pomegranate feta salad
More easy vegan beet recipes
I have seen that people either love beets or just hate it. I keep on shifting between the two categories depending upon which beetroot dish I am eating. If you also love beets then don't miss to check the following easy beet recipes on my blog:
Step by step photo instructions
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Recipe
Beet Salad with Feta Cheese
Ingredients
- 2 large beets peeled and cubed into bite-size pieces
- 1 cup Feta cheese
- 1/4 cup finely chopped dill you can use any other herb of your choice
- 1/2 cup walnut kernels
- 1/2 cup water
Ingredients for dressing
- 4 tbsp lemon juice adjust as per taste
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic grated
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper powder adjust as per taste
- Salt as per taste Optional, I don't add salt as feta cheese makes it salty
Instructions
- Put the beet cubes in a pot with water, and cook for around 10 minutes. The beet should be cooked but firm. Let all the excess water get evaporated,
- Put the walnut kernels in a pan and slightly toast for around 2-3 minutes. Roughly chop and keep aside.
- Cut equal size pieces of Feta cheese.
- Mix all the ingredients of dressing in a bowl and keep aside.
- In another large bowl add the steamed beets, toasted walnuts, feta cheese, dill, and the dressing. Toss well, check and adjust the seasoning. Enjoy!
Notes
- Though fresh beets taste the best in this salad, you can use canned beets too if fresh is not available.
- Instead of walnut, any other nut or seed can be used too.
- Don't over-cook the beet cubes, they should have a bite to them.
Nutrition
I wanted to verify the measurements. Does this recipe truly call for 1 cup of fresh dill? That seems like a lot of dill.
Hi Rosemary. Thanks for pointing that out. I am sorry, it was a typo error. 1/4 cup of dill will be sufficient. I have corrected it in the recipe card.
This salad looks beyond incredible! There's something about a beet salad with feta cheese that sets my tastebuds soaring. And this vinaigrette seems like a perfect companion! Thank you for sharing!
Thanks a lot Brittany :).