A simple cold beet salad to welcome in the warmer months. I love the simplicity of this dish – only 5 ingredients and lightly seasoned with quality olive oil and salt and pepper. Serve this dish alongside any BBQ, or have it on its own for a light and nutritious lunch.
This dish was introduced to me by one of my good friends Sage. She made it over a summer weekend when we rented a house on the beach for a beautiful fun and friend-filled weekend in Tofino. The dish allows for the ingredients to speak for themselves. I love steaming my vegetables for maximum nutrient availability, but the beets and green beans can also be boiled for ease. Seasoned lightly with some fresh lemon, olive oil and salt this is a delicious cold beet salad is a must for any recipe repertoire.
Ingredients for Cold Beet Salad: Beets, green beans, goat cheese, lemon, olive oil, salt and pepper
Why I Made This Cold Beet Salad with Goat Cheese
Beets Are Really Healthy
Beets are very high in a phytonutrient called betalain. Betalains function both as antioxidants and anti-inflammatory molecules (see my post What Are Antioxidants Good For). Rhubarb, chard, amaranth, prickly pear cactus, and Nopal cactus are examples of foods that also contain betalains
Green Beans Are Nutritious
Green beans are also an antioxidant superstar! They contain a wide variety of carotenoids and flavonoids which have all been shown to have health-supportive antioxidant properties.
This Cold Beet Salad Is Only 5 Ingredients
Simply steam beets and beans together, and add lemon juice and goat cheese. Seasoning is optional but highly recommended – I suggest quality olive oil and salt and pepper.
Peel and cube the beets. Trim the ends off the beans and chop into 2″ lengths.
Tips For This Cold Beet Salad with Goat Cheese
Making A Canned Beet Salad
To save on time you can use canned beets in place of fresh beets. Canned beets do not need to be cooked, so simply drain the canned beets and add to a boil. Blanch the prepared green beans in boiling water for 1 minute before adding to an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Add the balanced beans to the canned beans, along with the remaining ingredients.
How To Keep The Goat Cheese White
If you mix all of the prepared ingredients together at once, the goat cheese will take on the colour of the beets. To keep the goat cheese white, fold in the goat cheese last once all the other ingredients are mixed together.
Making A Cold Beet Salad with Dill
I love the combination of beets and dill (like in this Raw Beetroot Salad with Kale Apple and Dill). Fresh dill is particularly delicious in this salad. Add 1/2 cup of fresh chopped dill to the beets, green beans, lemon and olive oil. Fold in the goat cheese at the end.
Add chopped beets to the steamer.
Notes For This Cold Beet Salad with Goat Cheese
Making A Vegan Cold Beet Salad
You can omit the goat cheese to make a vegan beet salad. Try topping it with some cashews to add some more texture to the dish.
Using Asparagus in Place of Green Beans
When asparagus season hits it is truly a time to celebrate and to take advantage of this short-seasoned veg. To use asparagus in this beet salad, first, prepare the asparagus by trimming off the bottom woody ends. Cut the asparagus into 1 1/2″ pieces and then use it as per the recipe in place of the green beans. Love asparagus? Check out my Baked Asparagus Pearled Barley Risotto.
Using Vinegar In Place Of Lemon
If you don’t have a lemon on hand you can use vinegar to season this salad. I like the combination of balsamic and red wine vinegar – use 1 1/2 tablespoons of each.
Add beans on top of beets in the steamer.
Want Some More Beet Recipes?
Here are some of my favourite recipes using beets:
- Beetroot Dip with Cream Cheese
- Raw Beetroot Salad with Kale Apple and Dill
- Baked Tofu Kale Quinoa Salad with Glory Bowl Dressing
Cool the beets and beans. Once cooled add the remaining ingredients – lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper and goat cheese last.
Want Some More Salad Recipes?
Here are some of my favourite salad recipes:
- Baked Tofu Kale Quinoa Salad with Glory Bowl Dressing
- Baked Tempeh Asian Salad with Ginger Sesame Dressing
- Japanese Salad Bowls with a Miso Tahini Dressing and Brown Rice
Did you make this Cold Beet Salad with Goat Cheese? Please let me know how it turned out for you! Share it on Pinterest and leave a comment below. I would love it if you shared a picture of your recreation on Instagram so I can take a look, and be sure to tag me @theconsciousdietitian.
Cold Beet Salad with Goat Cheese and Green Beans
Ingredients
- 6 small beets greens removed
- 1 lbs green beans 2 handfuls
- 3 oz goat cheese organic
- 1/8 cup olive oil extra-virgin
- 1 lemon juiced (or 1/4 cup)
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- black pepper ground
Instructions
- Peel the beets and chop them into 1" cubes. Place in steamer and let steam for about 25 minutes. Keep checking on them, they should be tender but have a slight resistance.
- Wash the beans and trim of the end bits and discard. Chop the beans into 2 inch pieces. After about 25 minutes of the beets steaming add the green beans to the steamer. They will only require 3 minutes to cook.
- Check that the beets and the green beans are tender to your liking and remove from heat and place them in a bowl to cool. You can put the bowl in the fridge to speed up the process.
- Once the vegetables are cool, add the olive oil and lemon juice to the bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
- Lastly, crumble on the goat cheese just before serving. It is best to add this last so the cheese doesn't turn purple. Enjoy!
Notes
Make it 50% raw: Do not cook the green beans. Stir in 2-3 cups of baby spinach.
Nutrition
Want To Pin This Cold Beet Salad Recipe For Later?
Rachel Dickens, The Conscious Dietitian, is a Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator. She graduated with her Masters in Nutrition and Dietetics in 2010 from Griffith University. She strives to provide evidence-based nutrition information with a focus on plant-based nutrition and share some of her favourite seasonal recipes and sustainable eating tips.
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