5 4 Published Jan 16, 2022, Updated Feb 15, 2023
Why You’ll Love This Salad
It’s the perfect salad for winter! If you don’t usually crave salads in the winter months, I understand! This salad is made with in-season ingredients that make it perfect for cooler months. It’s so simple to assemble. All you have to do is prep the beets (or use pre-cooked store-bought beets for a shortcut) and then layer on the ingredients!Enjoy as a side salad or addd some protein for a meal-sized salad.
Here’s What You Need
spring mix – any base of greens will work for this salad but I used a spring mix.beets – beets are nutritious little vegetables! They’re a great source of fiber and packed with folate, potassium, iron and vitamin C. A lot of grocery stores sell pre-cooked beets which is a great shortcut for this salad! You can also boil your beets or make roasted beets.clementines or mandarin oranges – ’tis the season for fresh citrus! Any type of orange would work in this salad but I recommend clementines or mandarin oranges because they are bite sized.roasted and salted pistachios – add a little crunch, salt and healthy fats to the salad with pistachios. You can swap for any nut of your choice.quick pickled red onion – don’t skip these! Make quick pickled onions in no time at all and add a ton of flavor and nutrients to this salad.goat cheese – sprinkle goat cheese on top for added creaminess. You can swap for a dairy-free cheese or omit to make this dairy-free.salt and black pepper – to taste.balsamic glaze or balsamic dressing – I loved the simplicity of drizzling a balsamic glaze on this salad but my homemade balsamic dressing would also be delicious!
How to Make Beet and Clementine Salad
If you’ve already prepped your beets (or are using store-bought beets) this is a super simple recipe! Simply add the package of spring mix to a large salad bowl. Top with chopped beets, clementine pieces, pickled red onion, goat cheese, pistachios, salt and cracked pepper. Fair warning: if you toss the salad, the toppings will sink to the bottom and the liquid from the beets can make the salad look a little messy so I don’t recommend tossing! Drizzle the entire salad with balsamic glaze or dressing and enjoy!
Customize Your Salad
One of the reasons I love this salad is how customizable it is! Here are some suggestions for variations and substitutions:
Switch up the greens – if you’re not a spring mix fan, feel free to use your favorite leafy green instead. Spinach or arugula would be my next choice of greens for this salad.Make this dairy-free and vegan – simply skip the goat cheese (or use a vegan option).Switch up the dressing – craving a different dressing? This creamy poppyseed dressing, red wine vinaigrette, white balsamic vinaigrette or creamy balsamic vinaigrette would be delicious on this salad!Add grains – I love adding grains to my salad for some extra volume and nutrients. Toss in cooked quinoa, rice or farro to make this a heartier salad.Add protein – want to enjoy this as a meal-sized salad? Add a protein of your choice! Since there are so many flavors in the salad, I like to keep it simpler with the protein so it compliments the dish and doesn’t overpower flavors. It would be delicious with crispy baked tofu, tempeh, apple cider vinegar chicken or roasted chickpeas.Swap the pickled onions – Not a fan of pickled onions? Feel free to skip them or swap them for raw onions. Switch up the fruit or add more fruit – I think this would be delicious with fresh blueberries as well! Use candied nuts – the ultimate treat. Try adding candied walnuts or candied pecans. Swap the nuts for seeds – if you have a nut allergy or if you just prefer seeds you can swap the pistachios for sunflower seeds or pepitas.Add roasted veggies – I could see this salad being delicious with some roasted sweet potatoes or roasted butternut squash mixed in.
How to Cook Your Beets
Boiled Beets
Boiling beets is super easy. Place washed and trimmed beets in a large saucepan, add water to cover, as well as, a little lemon juice or vinegar. The lemon juice or vinegar help to prevent the beets from bleeding. Bring beets to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until tender, about 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the size of your beets. Drain and place pot under cold running water. Keep rinsing until beets are cool enough to be handled. At this point the skin will slip right now off. Peel the skin off the beets, quarter and set aside.
Roasted Beets
Before roasting make sure to prep your beets. If your beets came with beet greens, cut them off about 1/2 inch above the beetroot. Use your beet greens in another recipe – I love my sautéed beet greens! Use a vegetable scrubber to scrub the beets well, removing any dirt that you can from the root vegetable. Now, you’re ready for roasting! Poke 2-3 times with a fork and wrap the full beet tightly in aluminum foil. Roast at 400ºF for 75-90 minutes – on the shorter end if your beets are smaller and on the longer end if your beets are larger! Carefully unwrap the beets and run cool water over them. The skin should easily peel off while you do this.
How to Serve Beet and Clementine Salad
Like I mentioned earlier, this makes the perfect side salad or meal-sized salad if paired with protein. If you’re serving this as a side dish, here are some dishes that would pair well:
Easy Balsamic Salmon – you can never have too much balsamic if you ask me! Roasted Cauliflower Steaks – keep the meal vegetarian by serving with these delicious cauliflower steaks.Roasted Root Vegetables – can’t go wrong with serving roasted root vegetables at your next dinner.Vegetable Soup – for the perfect winter pairing serve this salad as a side to a cozy bowl of soup!
Prepping This Salad Ahead of Time
This salad is super simple to throw together, but you can also prep it in advance! Here’s what I recommend: You want to make sure you mix in the dressing as close to serving as possible. If you don’t plan to eat the full salad, only add dressing to the portion you plan to eat and store the rest in the fridge.
Popular Salad Recipes to Try
Kale Pomegranate SaladStrawberry SaladSweet Kale SaladEasy Spinach SaladRoasted Sweet Potato SaladKale and Brussels Sprout SaladGreek Salad
More Beet Recipes to Try
Beet SaladBeet HummusPear and Beet SaladBeet Power SaladEasy Roasted BeetsSimple Beet GreensInstant Pot Beets
Be sure to check out my full collection of salad recipes and all my side recipes on EBF!
