If you’re looking for a quick salad for a main or side that ticks every box, you won’t go wrong with this beetroot, walnut and feta salad. With the earthy beets, crunchy walnuts, tangy feta, zesty orange, refreshing mint and simple 3-ingredient salad dressing, it’s hard to say what the star of the show is!

Bonus – this vibrant salad uses ready-cooked beets, so with nothing to cook, it’s ready in around 15 minutes!

Why you’ll love it

✔ Ready-cooked beets. Most beetroot salad recipes require you to roast the beetroot yourself first. This recipe uses ready-cooked beetroot because… why ever not?!

✔ Delicious punchy flavors… and so many textures! Each bite is a delightful (and colorful!) surprise with the natural sweetness of the beets combined with creamy, tangy feta, and juicy orange. Add contrasting crunchy and earthy walnuts, peppery arugula (AKA rocket!), and refreshing mint for a salad with a ridiculous amount of flavor for the little effort it takes to make it.

✔ 3-ingredient balsamic dressing. So simple – but perfect for tying all the other flavors together.

✔ Suitable for different diets and occasions. Serve your walnut beetroot feta salad on its own as a light and healthy Mediterranean style meal, or pair it with pan-fried, roasted or grilled fish or meat.

Ingredients

Arugula/Rocket: To keep the salad super simple, I usually start with ready-packaged and washed arugula (known as ‘rocket’ in some places!). Feel free to use baby spinach or another kind of washed green salad leaves instead.

Beetroot: I’m going to be real here. I’m not one to roast my own beets for a salad! I usually simply grab a package of pre-cooked beetroot, slice it and throw it into the salad. Vacuum packed is great, but jarred or canned beets would be absolutely fine, too.

I usually don’t use pickled beetroot, but you can if you like – just reduce the amount of balsamic in the dressing a little if you do this.

Feta cheese: Not all feta cheese is created the same. I like to go for either a traditional Greek feta cheese, or a creamy style such as Danish feta.

Walnuts: I prefer chunky walnut halves or at least roughly chopped rather than finely chopped, to add plenty of texture to the salad. Other crunchy nuts or seeds would work just as well if you prefer.

Orange: I like to throw in pieces of 1 to 2 nice juicy oranges. They go particularly well with the feta cheese.

Fresh mint: This beetroot feta walnut salad is already very refreshing, but a little fresh mint is the icing on the cake. But no worries if you can’t get hold of any. An alternative fresh herb could be fresh dill or basil.

For the dressing: All you need to make the punchy balsamic vinaigrette is 3 ingredients – balsamic vinegar, good quality olive oil, and honey for the perfect amount of sweetness. Other types of vinegar will work too, such as apple cider vinegar or red or white wine vinegar, or use balsamic glaze without the honey instead.

How to make a beetroot walnut feta salad

This is one of those recipes that doesn’t need too much explanation. Literally all you have to do is to toss all the delicious ingredients together.

I usually start by lining a large salad bowl or platter with fresh arugula/rocket or other green salad. Then simply sprinkle everything else over the top.

I’d recommend tossing the salad with around half of the balsamic dressing, then let everyone add a little more at the table if they like.

To make the dressing, simply pour the 3 ingredients (plus a little salt and pepper to taste) into a medium sized jar with a lid. Then screw the lid on tightly before shaking vigorously to combine.

Variations

• No walnuts, or not a fan? Either substitute with a different kind of nut such as pistachios, hazelnuts or pecans, or add seeds such as pumpkin or sunflower seeds instead.

• For extra sweetness and crunch, try candied walnuts instead. Grab some from the supermarket, or try this recipe for candied walnuts from Simply Recipes.

• Feel free to substitute the oranges with pieces of grapefruit, peach, nectarine, plum, crunchy apple or even strawberries.

• No fresh fruit? Try dried cranberries instead.

• I absolutely love this salad with feta, but it could also work well with another cheese such as goat cheese, blue cheese or ricotta.

• Make it a more substantial dish (and up the protein) by adding canned cooked lentils, beans or chickpeas, quinoa, brown rice or another healthy grain (the little microwavable packets are perfect for this). I think this works especially well if you have leftovers. Stir the pulses or grains through, add a little more of the vinaigrette, and enjoy with toasted bread, or by itself!

How to serve

Is this beetroot and feta salad a main dish, or a side? Well, you’ll be happy to know that it can absolutely be either!

It’s wonderful enjoyed exactly as is, perhaps with your favorite fresh crusty bread on the side, these 2-minute olive oil toasts or, if you’re feeling adventurous, this easy no-knead focaccia bread.

I love eating my delicious beet salad with feta and walnuts as a workday lunch with some canned lentils stirred through, or try a different bean or grain as described above.

Thinking of serving this as a colorful, nutritious side? It pairs wonderfully well with any kind of pan-fried, roasted or grilled meat or fish.

Try it with:

• these favorite easy baked chicken thighs

• these easy salmon fishcakes and this super easy 10-minute salmon with dill sauce

• this easy crispy mustard and parmesan chicken

• quiche! Try Mary Berry classic quiche lorraine or this ‘impossible’ quiche (makes its own crust!).

• an air fryer whole roast chicken (if you have an air fryer, otherwise throw a chicken in the oven!)

• Greek chicken keftedes (meatballs – either in the air fryer or oven) or yogurt marinated chicken kebabs.

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