Make a Delicious Beet Salad with Feta Cheese
Best way to Roast Beets for Beet Salad with Feta
Love them or hate them, beets are a powerhouse of nutrients that should become a frequent guest at your dinner table. And what’s not to love? At about 70 calories per cup, beets are loaded with vitamins C and vitamin A, and also give us folates, calcium, iron and potassium.
To Peel or not to Peel?
The general rule would be to leave the skin on the beets since the skin contains some vitamins and fiber, but we prefer to take the time and peel the beets with a sharp knife. Many people complain that beets … well “smell.” Peeling the beets leaves them just a little less smelly in our opinion.
Chunks or Hunks?
Again, some people prefer big hunks of beets or thick slices while other’s prefer little chunks. Since beets start to lose some of their nutritional value the longer they are cooked, cutting the beets into small chunks cuts down significantly on roasting time and we don’t lose all the valuable nutrients.
Beets are Messy
Yes – beets are messy but they’re a good messy. All the red juice that comes from the beets is what makes the beet beety. This is a compound in beets called betaine that provides us with many health benefits.
Nothing beats a good beet recipe and this beet recipe can’t be beat! So if you’ve never been a beet lover, give this recipe a try and we think you will become a big fan.
Roasted Beet Salad with Feta & Spinach
- 3 medium beets
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (divided)
- 3 cloves garlic (chopped)
- salt & pepper
- 1 small bunch of fresh spinach (cleaned,trimmed and chopped fine)
- 1 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Wash the beets in cold water and cut off the stems & leaves.
- Peel the beets carefully with a sharp knife and cut into small chunks.
- Lay a sheet of foil over a cookie sheet.
- Place beets on the foil, spreading beets out but leaving enough room to fold the foil once.
- Add the garlic to the beets.
- Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil over beats and then lightly salt and pepper.
- Carefully fold the foil over the beets and seal the edges.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until tender.
- While the beets are cooking, saute the spinach in chicken broth or a little water until the spinach is tender. Chop up some of the green beet leaves and add to the spinach.
- Place the cooked beets in a medium bowl and add the spinach; let cool.
- Mix together the vinegar, honey and mustard to make the dressing.
- Add feta cheese to the beets and drizzle dressing over top. Mix gently.
By cutting beets into small chunks, we are able to reduce cooking time.
Double the dressing recipe if you wish but remember that olive oil is a fat and fats are high in calories.
We do love our roasted beets!
