Roasted Beet Salad with orange and mint makes an incredible side dish and it’s simple to make!

One of the jewels of fresh spring produce is the humble beet. It’s a bit of a diamond in the rough when you see those rough beet roots on the grocery store shelf. But both the flavor and color of beets can shine in this simple and beautiful roasted beet salad. This beet salad recipe is easy to prepare and is the perfect fresh side dish for almost any meal.

I have to tell you, beets are kind of a wonder vegetable. Not only can you eat the entire things, tops and roots, but they are a nutritional powerhouse! The beet root, which is the main ingredient in roasted beet salad, is an amazing source of fiber, vitamin C, and folate (pregnant mamas should love that). And though beets have a very robust color, their taste can easily pair with many foods and take on a bit of flavor from what they’re combined with. This beet salad recipe has the earthy flavor of beets, sweet oranges, vibrant mint (fresh from the garden), and a sprinkling of salty cotija cheese to bring it all together.

Never roasted beets before? No problem! Check out my instructions, including a video, for how to easily oven roast beets. It’s very much a set it and forget it recipe, and it gives you beautifully roasted beets to have on hand for salads like this! Now let’s get down to exactly what you’ll need for this stunning salad.

Roasted Beet Salad Shopping List

• 2-3 Fresh Beets (roasted)
• 2 Navel Oranges
• Fresh Mint
• Pecans
• Cotija Cheese
• White Wine Vinegar
• Olive Oil

from the pantry: salt and pepper

How to Make Roasted Beet Salad

1. Start by roasting fresh beets in the oven for 30 minutes at 400-degrees  F. (For a full tutorial and video, see my post).
2. Let beets cool, then gently rub off skin. Slice beets into 1/2 inch chunks and place in bowl.
3. After that, peel and section oranges. Cut into bite-size chunks and add to bowl with beets.
4. Take fresh mint off of stem and roughly chop, adding to bowl as well. Add in chopped pecans (which can be toasted if you like)
5. Then create your vinaigrette using white wine vinegar, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste.
6. Whisk together with a fork and gently toss in bowl with salad ingredients.
7. Finally, top salad with crumbled Cotija cheese and serve!

Roasted Beet Salad Recipe Variations

Because we test all our recipes, we recommend that you make them once just as it is without substitutions or changes. Sometimes variations can go awry. Making our Roasted Beet Salad recipe as we have tested it will yield the best results. If you really want to get creative, here are some ideas for variations that might work well. (Please note, we have not tested these variations).

• Swap out chopped pistachios for the pecans
• Use feta cheese or goat cheese in place of the Cotija cheese
• Substitute red wine vinegar for the white wine vinegar and/or avocado oil for the olive oil
• Use tangelos or mandarin oranges in place of the navel oranges

What to do with Roasted Beet Salad Leftovers

Roasted beet salad leftovers should be stored in the fridge and preferably in a covered glass dish. Beets’ vibrant color may stain plastic containers, so glass is always a good choice for storage. This salad may even taste better after sitting overnight in the fridge, so don’t let those leftovers go to waste.

How to Serve Roasted Beet Salad

This salad can simply be combined and served on a platter. However, if you’re going to presentation, wait and add the beets just before cheese is sprinkled on, and this will keep the color from the beets from spreading to the other ingredients as much. Then sprinkle with the cotija cheese and serve. If made in advance, this roasted beet salad can be stored in the fridge until ready to eat.

Roasted Beet Salad

This simple salad combines earthy beets, sweet oranges, and salty cotija cheese to make a quick and easy side dish for any weeknight meal. 

If you enjoy this recipe, I’d love for you to give it 5 stars!

Yield: 4 servings

Roasted Beet Salad

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Earthy roasted beets, sweet oranges, and salty cotija cheese combine in this easy and delicious roasted beet salad.

Prep Time 40 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 Beets, roasted
• 2 Oranges
• 1/4 cup Pecans
• 3 tbsp fresh Mint
• 1/2 cup Cotija cheese
• 3 tbsp Olive Oil
• 2 tbsp White Wine Vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Begin by roasted beets at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Once cool, slice beets into 1/2 inch segments and add to bowl.
2. Peel and section oranges. Slice into bite-sized pieces and add to bowl along with chopped mint and pecans.
3. In a small bowl, whisk oil and vinegar, adding salt and pepper to taste. Pour over beet mixture and toss to coat.
4. Finally, top with crumbled cotija cheese and serve.

More Delicious Recipes:

• Apple Bacon Spinach Salad + Lemon-Shallot Vinaigrette
• Easy Oven Roasted Okra
• Cast Iron Skillet Peach Cobbler