If you’re looking for a pretty, colourful salad to have in the depths of winter, you found it! This golden beet salad is made with a base of baby spinach and mixed with orange pieces, pomegranate, and and zingy ginger vinaigrette.
The beets are roasted alongside chickpeas, and then assembled with the greens and vinaigrette for a simple, hands-off meal that works well as a lunch or light dinner. If you like beets, you’ll love this.
For some more seasonal salads, try my mango avocado salad (in season in late autumn in Europe), orange and pomegranate salad, or easy vegan coleslaw, German-style.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Spinach: rucola or another winter green, like baby kale or chard, can be used in place of the spinach. Lettuce can’t stand up to the heat of the roasted beets.
- Add-ins: switch up the types of seeds or sprouts to whatever you have on hand.
- Mandarins: if you prefer to use orange segments rather than mandarin or clementine pieces, that works just as well.
Recipe Notes
If you want to add a little more protein for a lunch or light dinner, add some quinoa and if you’re not vegan, toss in a hard boiled egg. It doesn’t need it, with roasted chickpeas, hemp, and sprouts already in the salad, but if you have a long day it doesn’t hurt.
This tastes great cold, so don’t be afraid to make it ahead of time and pack for lunches or to have on hand. You may want to use plain cooked chickpeas rather than roasting them if you plan on storing it, as they tend to dry out a bit if roasted and then refrigerated.
How to Store
Storage: this can be kept in the refrigerator overnight, even with the vinaigrette mixed in, placed in a sealed container. The salad, without vinaigrette added, will keep for up to three days in the refrigerator.
Freezing: I don’t recommend freezing this salad.
Expert Tips
- Don’t peel unless necessary: there’s no need to make work and peel the beets unless they’re really gnarly. Otherwise, trim off any bits that won’t scrub clean and leave and thin skin on them.
- Use small beets: on the same note, use quite small beets, no larger than a hockey puck in diameter at most.
- Rinse well: you can use either home-cooked or canned chickpeas, but if using canned, drain and rinse them very well.
More Beet Recipes
Chocolate Beet Muffins
Beet Tart with Greens
Roasted Beet Lentil Salad
If you make this Beet and Orange Salad or any other vegetarian sides on Occasionally Eggs, please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe. For more OE, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest, purchase the Occasionally Eggs cookbook, or subscribe for new posts via email.
Beet Salad with Spinach and Orange
Ingredients
- 2 medium yellow beets
- 150 grams cooked chickpeas
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 125 grams baby spinach
- 50 grams lentil sprouts
- 80 grams hemp hearts
- 1 pomegranate seeds
- 2 mandarins segments
Balsamic Ginger Vinaigrette
- 60 ml olive oil
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger*
- ½ teaspoon maple syrup or honey
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Cut the beets into wedges and place onto a baking sheet with the chickpeas, oil, and salt. Use your hands to mix until fully coated, then bake for 30-35 minutes, or until golden.2 medium yellow beets, 150 grams cooked chickpeas, 1 teaspoon olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- To make the vinaigrette, add all of the ingredients to a jar or container with a tight fitting lid. Shake until combined.60 ml olive oil, 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 1 teaspoon orange zest, 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger*, 1/2 teaspoon maple syrup or honey, Salt and pepper to taste
- To assemble the salad, place the spinach into a large bowl. Add the sprouts, hemp hearts, pomegranate, and oranges, then the roasted beets and chickpeas once they’re ready. Top with the dressing and serve warm. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for a day.125 grams baby spinach, 50 grams lentil sprouts, 80 grams hemp hearts, 1 pomegranate, 2 mandarins
Notes
* For American cup measurements, please click the pink link text above the ingredient list that says ‘American’.
Nutrition
Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.
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