• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Mrs Jones's Kitchen logo

  • ALL RECIPES
  • BUDGET
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • HOME
  • ALL RECIPES
  • BUDGET
  • eBooks
    • Welcome To ME
    • 10 Soups
    • 10 Muffins
    • 12 Christmas Cookies
  • About
  • Contact
  • Services
  • Recipe Shop
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
  • ×

    Home » Dinner

    Beetroot Feta Walnut Salad

    By Robyn | Published: Jun 7, 2022 | Modified: Jun 7, 2022

    TO THE RECIPE
    photo of salad served on white plate with text overlay to create beetroot salad pin for Pinterest

    This beetroot feta walnut salad has everything you need in a salad; salty feta, earthy beetroot and sweet spicy walnuts. It makes a delicious side to your favourite barbecued meat or fish, or enjoy this feta beetroot salad as a main dish.

    a plate of beetroot walnut and feta salad with a bowl of extra orange dressing to the right of the plate

    Feta and beetroot are such a classic ingredient pairing. Add some baby spinach leaves, and you have a simple and delicious salad which is perfect enjoyed as both a summer salad (with this refreshing summer elderflower cocktail), or with pesto lasagna and winter salad with crispy parmentier potatoes.

    Jump to:
    • Why we love this recipe
    • Ingredients notes and substitutions
    • How to make this recipe
    • FAQ
    • My recipe tips
    • Serving Suggestions
    • Make ahead / storage
    • Variations
    • More easy salad recipes for you
    • Beetroot Feta Walnut Salad

    Why we love this recipe

    • Feta cheese makes a salad! It’s salty and creamy and goes with so many in-season vegetables, from Greek salad to carrot salad, green bean salad and this herb platter.
    • This beetroot salad is such a versatile recipe – take it along to BBQs and picnics, or serve at dinner parties alongside baked chicken thighs.
    • Mixing walnuts with honey and baking them makes them similar to a candied walnut (but with much less sugar!)

    Ingredients notes and substitutions

    • Feta – I have used Danish feta, Greek feta and basic smooth feta from the supermarket and all work well!
    • Beetroot – I like to use plain cooked beetroot, but you can also use roast beetroot in this salad.
    • Baby spinach – feel free to sub in pepper rocket / arugula or your favourite lettuce leaves.
    • Walnuts – honey roast walnuts are an extra optional step, but one I think works so well in the salad, you can just toast the walnuts if you prefer.
    • Orange – fresh orange juice is sharp, sweet and delicious both in the orange vinaigrette and the walnuts.
    • Oil – use extra virgin olive oil if you can as the vinaigrette is simple so you want maximum flavour from the oil.
    • Red wine vinegar – you can use balsamic vinegar or sherry vinegar instead of red wine vinegar.

    How to make this recipe

    • Cook the beetroot: Place the beetroot in to a medium – large saucepan and cover with cold water.
      • Bring to the boil and boil for 30-50 minutes depending on the size of the beetroot. When tender drain and leave to cool before you peel and chop them.
    • Make the honey walnuts:
      • Preheat the oven to 170˚C fan / 190˚C /340˚F / 374˚F.
      • Line a baking dish with baking paper / baking parchment.
      • In a small bowl whisk the honey with the orange juice and smoked paprika, then stir in the walnuts and mix until the walnuts are coated.
      • Pour the walnut honey mixture onto the lined baking dish, spread out so that the walnuts are not all clumped together and bake for 10-15 minutes until golden, stirring halfway through.
      • Leave to cool in the dish.
    • Make the Orange Vinaigrette:
      • In a small bowl mix the olive oil, red wine vinegar and orange juice together and season with salt and black pepper – remembering the feta is salty.
    • Assemble the beetroot salad:
      • Peel the cooled beetroot either with a blunt knife, some kitchen paper towel or your fingers under running water, and slice the beetroot into sliced ½ cm (¼”) thick then arrange on a plate with the baby spinach, cooled walnuts and feta.
      • Tip: Once you mix the feta will become purple from the beetroot so it’s best to not stir if you want a striking salad.
      • Drizzle over the orange dressing and serve straight away or cover and leave in the fridge for up to 2 days.
    two plates of salad with extra honey walnuts in a bowl to sprinkle over the beetroot salad

    FAQ

    Can I prepare the beetroot feta salad ahead of time?

    The beetroot and walnuts can both be cooked ahead of time: The beetroot can be cooked and kept in the fridge for up to 3 days, and the walnuts can be made the day before and kept in an airtight container. Depending on humidity the walnuts can become soft if kept any longer.

    What nuts go well with beetroot if I don’t have walnuts?

    You could use almonds, or cashews and cook them like the walnuts in the honey and orange juice. Pistachios go well, but I recommend leaving them plain.

    What cheese goes with beetroot if I don’t have feta?

    Goats cheese also pairs well with beetroot, and makes a great alternative to the feta, as does blue cheese – change the dressing?

    What’s the best way to peel cooked beetroot?

    You can peel cooked beetroot a number of ways: either by rubbing the beetroot skin with a blunt knife or some kitchen paper towel, or peel the beetroot under a running tap with your fingers.

    My recipe tips

    • Leave the beetroot to cool before trying to remove the skin and chopping. Peeling hot beetroot is not a fun or easy thing to do!
    • When peeling the beetroot, wear gloves if you don’t want to stain your hands purple and place the beetroot on non absorbent surfaces – the juice can be pretty hard to remove from a wooden chopping board.
    • Use good quality olive oil for the best flavour in your vinaigrette.

    Serving Suggestions

    • If you want to make the beetroot walnut feta salad in to a filling meal, serve with crusty bread, Duchess potatoes (which can be made ahead – a great potato dish for entertaining) or some slices of air fryer garlic bread.
    • This feta beetroot walnut salad is a beautiful pairing to lamb; either BBQ lamb chops or cutlets or grilled lamb chops.

    Make ahead / storage

    • This beetroot salad will keep in the fridge for up to 2 days in an airtight container. If you are planning to serve it for a party or when entertaining I would personally assemble it the day of serving it possible. You can make the dressing, cook the beetroot and the walnuts a few days beforehand so all you need to do on the day is assemble the salad.

    Variations

    • Salad dressing: If you want another flavour of salad dressing, replace the orange with lemon in the vinaigrette, or use a balsamic vinegar dressing. Flavour it with dijon or wholegrain mustard or add some fresh herbs such as chives or parsley.
    • Orange: add the segments of a fresh orange to make a delicious beetroot orange and feta salad.
    • Honey – use maple syrup to make the sweet walnuts instead of honey. They will taste different but will still be sweet and sticky.
    • Vegan – swap in vegan feta cheese and use maple syrup in place of the honey.
    • Pear – add a thinly sliced pear to the salad just before serving,
    • Roasted beetroot salad – to roast beetroot, preheat the oven to 200˚C / 400˚F. Place the washed beetroot on a baking tray, drizzle with oil and season with salad. Roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour until the beetroot are tender. Peel the same way as boiled beetroot.
    • This salad is easily adapted to make a beet and goats cheese salad, just swap the feta cheese for your favourite goat cheese.

    More easy salad recipes for you

    • White Bean Caprese Salad
    • Rocket Pomegranate Salad
    • Pear and Walnut Salad
    • Smoked Salmon Caesar Salad
    three plates of salad laid out for people to eat with extra orange vinaigrette, walnuts and black pepper

    Beetroot Feta Walnut Salad

    Author: Robyn

    This beetroot feta walnut salad recipe with baby spinach dressed in a simple orange vinaigrette makes a delicious side or enjoy as a main meal.
    4.75 from 4 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 50 mins
    Cook Time 10 mins
    Course light meal, Salad
    Cuisine Modern english/modern australian
    Servings 4 people
    Calories 239 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 250g (9 oz) beetroot
    • 150g (5¼ oz) baby spinach
    • 75g (2½ oz) feta

    Honey walnuts:

    • 50g (1¾ oz) walnuts
    • ½ tablespoon runny honey
    • ¼ tablespoon fresh orange juice from ¼ of a medium sized orange
    • ½ teaspoon smoked paprika

    Orange Vinaigrette:

    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
    • ½-1 tablespoon fresh orange juice from the rest of the orange
    • Black pepper

    Instructions
     

    Cook the beetroot:

    • Place the beetroot in to a medium – large saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil and boil for 30-50 minutes depending on the size of the beetroot.
    • The beetroot are ready when they are tender (insert a fork in to the beetroot and it should be tender).
    • Drain the beetroot and cool.
    • Whilst the beetroot is cooking, prepare the walnuts.

    Make the honey walnuts

    • Preheat the oven to 170˚C fan / 190˚C /340˚F / 374˚F.
    • Line a small – medium baking dish with baking paper / baking parchment.
    • In a small bowl whisk the honey with the orange juice and smoked paprika, then stir in the walnuts and mix until the walnuts are coated.
    • Pour the walnut honey mixture onto the lined baking dish, spread out so that the walnuts are not all clumped together and bake for 10-15 minutes until golden, stirring halfway through.
    • Leave to cool in the dish.

    Orange Vinaigrette

    • In a small bowl mix the olive oil, red wine vinegar and orange juice together and season with salt and black pepper – remembering the feta is salty.

    Assemble the salad

    • Peel the cooled beetroot either with a blunt knife, some kitchen paper towel or your fingers under running water, and slice the beetroot into sliced ½ cm (¼") thick then arrange on a plate with the baby spinach, cooled walnuts and feta.
    • Tip: Once you mix the feta will become beetroot coloured so it’s best to not stir.
    • Drizzle over the orange dressing and serve straight away or cover and leave in the fridge for up to 2 days.

    Notes

    Nuts: Use almonds or cashews instead of the walnuts, or plain pistachios.
    Cheese: Goats cheese works really well in this salad instead of feta.
     
    when you try to peel the skin away with a blunt knife, the skin comes away.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 239kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 7gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 289mgPotassium: 479mgFiber: 4gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 3739IUVitamin C: 14mgCalcium: 152mgIron: 2mg
    Keyword beetroot salad, feta salad, walnut salad

    HAVE YOU MADE THIS RECIPE?

    I’d love to see your creation!

    Tag me! #atmrsjoneskitchen
    Tag me! @atmrsjoneskitchen

    Or just leave a comment below!

    « Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
    Domoda (Gambian Peanut Stew) »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Sylvie says

      October 01, 2019 at 6:26 pm

      I love love love the combination of feta and beetroot – this is my dream salad!! Perfect for Fall 🙂

      Reply
      • Robyn says

        October 02, 2019 at 7:53 am

        Thanks Sylvie, me too!

        Reply

    Let me know your thoughts! Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    Robyn Jones, Recipe Developer & Food Photographer

    Robyn Jones

    Recipe Developer | Food Photographer | Writer

    Hi! I'm Robyn, a toddler mum with a passion for all things food! Having moved internationally 7 times in the past 12 years I have developed a love of making international recipes into family friendly ones you can make in your own home, with local ingredients; wherever you live!

    Latest

    • Yasai Gyoza (Veggie Gyoza)
    • Turkish Sumac Onions
    • Malfouf Salad
    • Haydari (Turkish Yogurt Sauce)
    • Polish Cucumber Salad (mizeria)
    • White Bean Caprese Salad

    Loved Right Now

    • Parmentier Potatoes
    • Bourbon Biscuit Recipe
    • Savoury Mince
    • Easy Indian Chapati Recipe
    • Rocket Pomegranate Salad
    • Chicken and Ham Pie

    Footer

    Services

    Recipe Creation
    Recipe Audits
    Photography | Portfolio
    Videos
    eBooks

    Information

    About
    Contact
    Disclaimer
    Accessibility Policy
    Terms & Conditions
    Privacy Policy
    Cookie Policy

    Recipe Customers

    Register
    Log in
    Recipe Shop
    Terms of Business

    Copyright © 2022 Mrs Jones Kitchen International

    Website by Vanilla Ink