Sharing is caring!

This recipe originally appeared as a guest post on Juggling Act Mama.

Want a new take on salad? Try this refreshing roasted beet, orange, and mint salad with a crumbling of salty cotija cheese on top! Add in some crunchy pecans, and you’ve got a roasted beet salad fit for any meal!

How to Roast Beets

One of the jewels of early 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.

If you’ve never roasted your own beets before, no worries. I have you covered with a full tutorial right here:

How to Oven Roast Beets

All you need is some beets, olive oil, salt, and aluminum foil! You can do this step days in advance or right before making this roasted beet salad with fresh oranges.

I have to tell you, beets are kind of a wonder vegetable. Not only can you eat the entire thing, 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. 

What You’ll Need for Orange and Beet Salad

• 2-3 roasted beets (see link above for instructions)
• 3-4 naval oranges (or any kind you have on hand)
• 3 Tbsp chopped fresh mint
• 1/4-1/2 cup fresh pecans
• 1/2 cup crumbled cotija cheese
• 3 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 2 Tbsp White wine vinegar
• Salt and Pepper

Orange and 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!

Even if you have hesitant beet eaters in your house, the sweet combination of oranges and mint may win them over. This salad is a great way to introduce beets, and I already mentioned above how amazing they are nutritionally. So you definitely want to try and get these incredible vegetables into your diet.

Roasted Beet Salad Variations

Don’t have all of the ingredients above? I’m always varying things to suit what I happen to have on hand. Here are some ideas:

• Swap the cotija cheese for feta
• Use any kind of oranges you have laying around, including mandarins or tangerines
• Use walnuts in place of the pecans
• Try red wine vinegar instead of white wine
• Swap avocado oil for the olive oil

I’d love to know if you gave this recipe a try and what you thought of it! Comment down below and let me know!