What salad can be made from beets? When it comes to snacks from this vegetable, it is difficult to avoid its combination with any salty or sweet ingredients. This combination always works perfectly.
Interestingly, the sweetness of beets is actually the result of a winter strategy for plant survival. Sugar in the root crop acts as an antifreeze, keeping the liquid in the cells from freezing and the formation of destructive ice crystals.
But this does not mean that various combinations of products cannot take place. To prepare a hearty salad of red beets, you should remove the sweetness from it. By baking or boiling it, you remove excess sugar and make the taste of the vegetable more fresh. What interesting can be made from beets?
How to make such a salad?
For this salad of red beets, you need to process the vegetable thermally. It can be prepared by traditional boiling, baking in the oven or in a double boiler. The latter method allows you to get the final product with a perfect texture and the best aroma without loss of moisture. If you have a double boiler and a lot of free time, it is better to cook beets in this way.
Nevertheless, a boiled or baked vegetable in the oven is also great. Adding a small amount of water to the oven compensates for the evaporation and drying of the beets. So, how to cook a vegetable for a salad?
Beetroot preparation
When using a double boiler, draw water into the device and heat it to 88 degrees. Put the beets in a large bowl, rub them with a small amount of vegetable oil and vinegar, one tbsp. l salt and half tsp pepper. Transfer all of these ingredients to a double boiler bowl. Put it on heat and cook for 4 hours. Using forceps, carefully remove the vegetable from the double boiler. Set the beets aside until it cools. Peel it and cut into slices 5-7 mm thick.
When baking, set the oven rack in the middle position and heat it to 190 degrees. Place the wire rack in the baking tray. Put the whole beets in a large bowl, grate them with oil and vinegar, as well as one tablespoon of salt and a teaspoon of pepper. Place 2 pieces of square-shaped aluminum foil in a bowl and press it so that it forms a bowl shape. Place the beets in the center of the recess of the foil and pour some water on it. Fold the edges of the foil together and squeeze to form a tightly sealed bag. Transfer the bundle to the prepared wire rack and bake until the beets are easily pierced with a knife. It will take an hour and a half for small beets, and for medium and large - one and a half or two. After that, open the package of foil and pour all the liquid into a medium bowl (you should have about half a glass). Set the beets aside until it cools. Peel the vegetable and cut into 5–7 mm thick slices.
If you decide to boil beets, follow the instructions below. Put the vegetable in hot water and boil until tender. You may notice that in red beets, color seeps into the liquid. There are some tricks that allow you to maintain its brightness. To do this, just add vinegar to the water.
Cooking a peeled vegetable is the most effective way to reduce pigment loss. How much to cook beets until ready for salad? Thirty minutes are enough for a small root crop, 45–50 for an average one, an hour and a half will be required for a large one. Cool the finished vegetable completely, and then cut it into slices or cubes.
With any method of cooking beets, it can also be grated for salad on a fine or coarse grater.
Goat Cheese Option
What salad can be made from beets? The combination of a sweet vegetable and tart savory cheese will appeal to many. If you cannot find this product from goat milk, you can replace it with feta. Greek yogurt is used as a dressing in this appetizer. The addition of tart pomegranate seeds provides a pleasant acidity, while fresh dill and tarragon add a pleasant aroma. In total, you will need the following ingredients:
- 3 large red beets cooked in any way;
- 3 tbsp. l olive oil;
- 2 tbsp. l water;
- 2 tbsp. l sherry vinegar;
- salt and pepper;
- 120 grams of goat cheese or feta, crumbled (1 cup);
- half a glass of Greek yogurt;
- 1 tbsp. l odorless vegetable oil;
- 120 grams of leafy greens, chopped;
- a quarter cup of pomegranate seeds;
- 1 tbsp. l finely chopped fresh dill;
- 1 tbsp. l finely chopped fresh tarragon.
How to make this salad?
Combine feta and a quarter cup of Greek yogurt in a small bowl and mix with a fork to make a homogeneous mass, refrigerate until ready to serve. Add a quarter cup of Greek yogurt and the liquid remaining from the beetroot preparation.
Heat the oil in a skillet over high heat. Carefully lay the beet slices in it in one layer. Fry until both sides of the slices of the vegetable become rosy, from 5 to 7 minutes, turning them over. Transfer the beets to a cutting board, cut into very small pieces and place them in a bowl with yogurt dressing.
Add chopped greens to a bowl with beets and mix. Salt and pepper. Spread the mixture evenly on a large plate. Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds, dill and tarragon, immediately serve.
A simple option with garlic
This beetroot salad with garlic and mayonnaise has a pleasant aroma, sweetness and pungency. It can be served as an independent snack, side dish or spread on crackers (bread). To prepare it, you will need:
- 3 large beets;
- 8 cloves of garlic;
- 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise;
- table salt and pepper to taste.
How to make this simple snack?
Boil the beets or cook them in another way. Cool and grate on a coarse grater. Chop the garlic. Combine all the ingredients in a deep bowl, and then serve the beetroot salad with garlic and mayonnaise as it is, or spread on crackers or dried bread. In addition, you can place it on the halves of the boiled egg.
Option with garlic and walnuts
This is a delicious beetroot salad with garlic and walnuts. The combination of sweet root, tender dressing made of mayonnaise and the spicy taste of garlic with crunchy nuts is simply excellent. You can serve this appetizer on your own or spread on dried slices of white bread. In total, you will need:
- 4 large beets;
- a quarter cup of walnuts (finely chopped);
- 3 cloves of garlic, chopped into gruel;
- 2 tbsp. l mayonnaise;
- table salt and pepper to taste.
Cooking a snack with nuts
Make beets first. The most preferred and least dirty way is to wash the vegetable, wrap in foil and bake in the oven. After that, completely cool the beets in the refrigerator. Cleanse her skin and grate the vegetable on a fine grater. Add mayonnaise, chopped garlic, table salt and pepper, as well as chopped walnuts. All this needs to be mixed well. Store in the refrigerator until serving.
Beetroot Vinaigrette
This is a great snack option. Beetroot vinaigrette is very tasty and low-calorie. To prepare it, you will need:
- 3 large potatoes;
- 3 large beets;
- from 6 to 8 large carrots;
- 8 small pickles, diced;
- 2 pcs. shallots or 1 small red onion, diced;
- a small bunch of fresh dill, chopped;
- a glass of green peas;
- a quarter cup of olive oil;
- from 2 to 3 tablespoons of wine vinegar (can be replaced with 2 tbsp. l. apple);
- 1 tsp table salt.
How to make vinaigrette?
Preheat the oven to 190 degrees. Cover the baking sheet with foil. Peel the carrots, leave the potatoes and beets unpeeled. Cut the beets in half. Put vegetables on the prepared pan and cover with foil, tightly wrapping it. Bake in a preheated oven until the vegetables are soft. It takes about 25 minutes for carrots and 45 minutes for beets and potatoes.
After the vegetables are cooked, remove them from the oven and refrigerate completely. Peel potatoes and beets. Dice the carrots and all the other ingredients. Put canned peas and dill to them, mix everything in a large bowl. Season with salt, olive oil and vinegar.
This baked beetroot salad can also be seasoned with half a glass of mayonnaise. Chill the appetizer if you do not serve it immediately.
Pickled Beetroot Option
What salad can be prepared from pickled beets? A great idea would be a Swedish appetizer with onions and apples. To prepare it, you must prepare the following:
- 600 grams of pickled beets, diced;
- 2 red apples, diced, unpeeled (use sweet and juicy varieties);
- 1 red onion, cut into small cubes;
- half a glass of mayonnaise;
- half a glass of sour cream;
- 1 tbsp. l Dijon mustard;
- table salt and pepper to taste.
Cooking a Swedish appetizer
In a medium-sized bowl, combine beets, apples and onions. Set aside. In a separate container, combine mayonnaise, sour cream, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper. Pour the dressing over the components of the salad and stir to distribute it evenly. Cover and refrigerate for one hour or more to mix aromas. Stir before serving and serve cold.
Raw Vegetables Option
This is a delicious salad of raw beets, which contains many nutrients and vitamins. This appetizer is not only low-calorie, but also low-carb and dairy-free. In total, you will need:
- 2 raw carrots;
- 2 large raw sweet beets;
- a quarter cup of chopped fresh parsley;
- zest and juice of one orange;
- 2 tbsp. l olive oil;
- 1 tbsp. l white wine vinegar;
- salt and pepper.
Cooking raw salad
Wash and peel the beets and carrots. Using a peeler or a very thin knife, cut the vegetables into strips. In a bowl, mix them with chopped parsley. Grate the zest of one orange and add to the salad. In a separate bowl, combine orange juice, olive oil and vinegar. Serve the salad with prepared dressing. Season it with salt and pepper. This appetizer can be stored for 2-3 days in the refrigerator.
Moroccan version
What salad can be cooked with beets with spices? Moroccan recipe suggests using vegetables along with raisins, cinnamon and caraway seeds. In total, you will need:
- 2 glasses of grated carrots (from about three pieces);
- a glass of grated boiled beets (from about one peeled root crop);
- half a glass of golden raisins;
- half a teaspoon of paprika (sweet);
- a quarter of a teaspoon of ground cumin;
- a quarter teaspoon of cinnamon;
- a small pinch of salt;
- a small pinch of cayenne pepper;
- 2 tbsp. l lemon juice;
- 2 tsp honey;
- 2 tbsp. l fresh mint.
Cooking Moroccan Appetizer
This carrot, beet and raisin salad is very easy to make. Place the grated carrots in a medium-sized serving bowl. Put the grated beets in a sieve and rinse quickly with cold water. This will wash off a little extra beetroot juice, which can color all the components of the salad in red. Pat the vegetable with a paper towel, then add to the bowl of carrots. Put raisins and stir to gently combine all the ingredients.
Prepare the dressing: in a small bowl, combine paprika, caraway seeds, cinnamon, salt and cayenne pepper. Then add lemon juice and honey and beat until smooth.
Sprinkle the carrots and beets with the cooked dressing and mix thoroughly. Let it brew for an hour. Stir with chopped mint before serving.
Option with onions and pickles
This red beet salad is incredibly delicious despite its simplicity. To prepare it, you need to take:
- 6 small beets, boiled;
- 5 boiled eggs;
- 1 bunch of green onions;
- 2-3 pickles;
- 4 tbsp. l mayonnaise.
Cooking a light beetroot salad
Cut everything into small cubes and add mayonnaise. Mix well. Serve this simple salad chilled.
Fried onion
Beetroot salads with fried onions are very easy to prepare. As a rule, refueling for them is made of one or two components. In total, the following ingredients will be needed:
- 2 beets - boiled or baked;
- 2 onions of medium size;
- 3 tbsp. l tomato paste;
- 3 tbsp. l salt;
- 1 tsp white sugar.
How to make a light salad?
Prepare the beets in any way so that they remain a little hard inside. Rub it on a coarse grater. Cut the onions into thin strips. Heat a skillet lightly oiled and fry the onion until lightly golden in color. Put the beets and tomato paste in the same place, salt and add sugar. Reduce the heat to a minimum, cover the pan with a lid and cook everything for half an hour. Chill the cooked beetroot salad with fried onions completely and serve immediately.
Satisfying option
As a rule, vegetable salads are quite light. But if you add meat to them, you can get a full hearty meal. For one of these options you will need:
- about 300 grams of boiled beef;
- 4 small beets, boiled;
- 4 pickles;
- onions to taste;
- 8 tbsp. l low-fat yogurt or sour cream;
- 4 tbsp. l mustard;
- 4 tbsp. l honey;
- table salt to taste.
Cooking Beef and Beetroot Salad
Dice beets, cucumbers and beef. Chop the onion. If you want, you can put a little root celery in the salad. To make dressing, combine mustard with sour cream, salt and honey. Add it to a salad of beets, beef and pickles just before eating.
Pecan Option
This delicious autumn salad has vibrant colors and aromas, as well as pleasant contrasting textures. To prepare it, you will need:
- 1 kg of a mixture of red and yellow beets, boiled, cut into small cubes;
- 6 medium carrots, boiled, thinly sliced;
- 3 tbsp. l olive oil;
- coarse salt and ground pepper;
- 3 tbsp. l fresh orange juice;
- one and a half teaspoons of wine vinegar;
- one and a half teaspoons of chopped fresh tarragon leaves;
- 3 large stems of chicory or 2 heads of frieze salad, cut into small pieces;
- 120 grams of fresh goat cheese, crumbled (about a glass);
- third of a glass of chopped pecans toasted.
Cooking an original vegetable salad
This salad of boiled beets and carrots is prepared quite simply. Boil the root vegetables until cooked and cool them. After complete cooling, cut into cubes.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix orange juice, vinegar, tarragon and one and a half tablespoons of oil, season with salt (coarse) and pepper. In a large container, mix half the cooked dressing with chicory or freeze salad, then transfer to a serving dish. Mix the beets and carrots with the remaining dressing and add to the greens. Put goat cheese and pecans before serving.