Roasted beetroot walnut feta salad is easy, healthy and delicious! It is a complete salad with a flavorful roasted garlic dressing you would want to eat for lunch, dinner or any time hunger strikes!
½ teaspoon chili flakes, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, 1 tablespoon olive oil
Add the seasoning and toss until all the cubes of beetroot are coated. Mix in unpeeled garlic cloves.
6 cloves garlic
Spread out the beets and garlic in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes.
Toast walnuts
Once cooked, remove the roasted beetroot and garlic from the oven. Turn off the oven.
Spread out walnuts in a baking tray and place in the warm oven for 5 to 7 minutes. The walnuts will turn out toasty and crunchy.
¼ cup walnuts
Make roasted garlic dressing
Peel and mash the roasted garlic cloves with a fork.
Whisk together mashed garlic with the rest of the ingredients.
½ teaspoon chili flakes, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, 1 teaspoon dried basil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 2 teaspoons honey, 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Toss the salad
Tear the lettuce leaves and place them on a plate. Thinly slice the onion and spread them on the lettuce. Sprinkle chopped parsley.
1 head baby romaine, 1 large onion, a few stalks of parsley
Add roasted beetroot. Add half the dressing and toss.
Top with toasted walnuts and crumbled feta.
¼ cup feta cheese
When it’s time to serve, drizzle the rest of the dressing and toss well.
Video
Notes
Beetroot: Choose ones that are firm with smooth undamaged skin. An easier method is to use precooked/canned beets. But I don’t prefer them since you’ll lose out on the amazing flavors of spicy roasted beetroot.
Feta: You can buy a block or use the bottled flavored cubes of feta.
Walnuts: Toast raw walnuts or use toasted/ baked ones. You might want to chop them into smaller chunks. I like to chop up half of them while leaving some whole.
Lettuce: I prefer baby romaine since it has the most health benefits. You can use others like iceberg, arugula or butterhead or a mix of salad leaves.
Spices: Roasted garlic provides a lot of flavor so you’ll need only chili flakes, salt and pepper to add spice to the salad.
Herbs: I’ve used dried basil and fresh parsley here. You can use any dried or fresh herbs you have on hand (like oregano, dill, mint, or cilantro).
Oil: I’ve used 2 types: extra virgin olive oil for the dressing and regular one for roasting the beetroot. This is because extra virgin olive oil loses some of its nutrients when heated.
The dressing will be thick since I’ve tried to limit the oil used. It’s okay. Once you toss everything well, the dressing will get mixed and absorbed into the salad. You can add a couple of teaspoons more oil to the dressing if you’re not worried about a few more calories.
Tossing: If you don’t mind the feta and walnuts turning pink, you don’t have to layer the salad and add the dressing in stages as above. Just dump everything in a bowl, add the dressing and toss!