Beet Green Salad
Are you wondering what to do with beet greens? This Beet green salad with feta and sherry vinaigrette will turn anyone into a fan of eating beet greens! If you happen to have a lot of them on hand then this is a great recipe to try! The bold and savory dressing pairs so well with the strongly flavored leaves.
This post was originally shared on June 3rd, 2014. I have updated the images and text today.
Table of contents
Why We Love Beet Greens Salad
This salad will turn anyone into a beet green fan. If you have tried them and didn’t like them, then this is the recipe to change all that. I used to hate beet greens until I unlocked the key to flavor pairings! And now I love them.
Or maybe you came to this recipe because you are wanting to try beet greens for the first time. If you buy beets and already know what to do with the beetroot, (roasted beets and pickled beets are two of our favorite ways to make them,) but need some help figuring out what to do with the greens, this recipe is the answer!
This recipe pairs well with garlic herb grilled chicken, lemon rosemary grilled pork tenderloin, pan fried fish or shrimp kebabs. Or you could simply serve it at a cookout or potluck party instead of a more traditional green salad!
Guide To Beet Greens
Beet Green Nutrition
The greens of beets are high in lutein and zeaxanthin which are good for eye health. They are a great source of Vitamin A and are off the charts for Vitamin K. They also have natural fiber which helps keep you full longer, and help with digestive health.
How To Wash Beet Greens
- Cut off the red stems at the bottom of the leaves. I cut the greens into bite-sized pieces because I think tearing takes too long.
- Fill the salad spinner with cool water.
- Place the greens in the salad spinner basket, and submerge them into the water.
- Swish them around a bit.
- Let all the sediment fall to the bottom of the salad spinner, and then lift the basket of greens out.
- Empty the water and repeat again.
- Simply running water over the greens will not wash away all the dirt and grit.
Beet greens are usually pretty dirty, so you may need to wash them twice. If they’re from your own garden, probably four times!
Flavor Pairing and Cooking Tips
When raw, beet greens are best paired with other strong flavors. The salad recipe below is the kind of thing that works well with the earthy flavors of the green.
When cooking the greens, keep in mind that they cook pretty quickly like sauteed Swiss chard. They take about 4 minutes or so for a saute and only a minute or two if they are simmered in soup or blanched in boiling water.
You can use the red stems but they need to cook longer. Chop them up and sauté them with onions and garlic or other longer cooking veggies. Then add in the greens once the stems are soft.
Ingredients For This Beet Green Salad Recipe
- Beet Greens: You will need eight cups of washed beet greens from one to two bunches of beets. If the leaves are large, cut or tear them into bite sized pieces.
- Feta Cheese: I adore goat feta and think it is great with this combo. It is creamier and less acidic than cow and sheep feta and contrasts with the sharp dressing really well. Of course regular feta is great too.
- Sherry Vinegar: The boldness and bright acidity of the sherry vinegar is key to blocking some of the bitterness that would normally come through on the greens. Bitter and sour balance each-other! You can sub in another vinegar if you cannot find sherry vinegar. Read more about different vinegars here in my guide to vinegars.
- Olive oil: For the dressing you’ll need a high quality extra-virgin olive oil. I usually keep a lower cost alternative for cooking and one for recipes like this that really let the fruity flavors of the oil shine.
- Dijon: We added Dijon mustard to the dressing to emulsify it and to add a little spicy kick of flavor.
- Garlic: I find that the strong flavors of this dressing are what make the greens so pleasant to eat. So the pep of the raw garlic, paired with the mustard and strong vinegar are really key. To prevent big chunks of garlic it is made into a paste with the coarse salt.
How To Make This Salad
Step 1: Make a paste with the garlic and salt. Mash and chop the garlic with the salt until it becomes a smooth paste. This will prevent the dressing from having large chunks of raw garlic.
Step 2: Whisk the dressing together.
Step 3: Assemble the salad by combining the greens and feta in a large bowl.
Step 4: Whisk the dressing and then drizzle over the top. Toss well to combine.
Expert Tips and FAQs for This Recipe
Cut the greens off of the roots and store them in a resealable plastic bag. Leaving them out of the bag in the fridge will yield limp greens.
If the greens are limp when you are ready to use them, you can refresh them by completely submerging them in room temperature water for an hour. This works really well if the greens are cold from the fridge.
Use the greens within a few days of bringing them home from the grocery store. Fresh from the garden or CSA they will last about a week in plastic.
Though the beet root is a great storing crop, and therefore seasonal all year long, I would argue that the greens are at their best right now in the late spring and early summer. When they are young like they are now, their greens are tender and they are so yummy in salad. As the beets mature their greens are better suited for cooked recipes like in this savory galette.
The greens can be torn, washed and stored in a plastic bag up to four days ahead. The dressing can be made up to four days ahead. Store it in a jar in the fridge. Let it come to room temperature and shake it well before tossing the greens and feta.
We love this salad with grilled chicken (Try our Grilled Greek Boneless Chicken Thighs) and Baked Salmon with Mayonnaise. It is also great with Roasted Chicken Thighs or Veggie Lasagna.
More Beet Green Recipes
- Try our Savory Galette with Beet Greens and Kale mixed together
- Beet Green Pesto | Nutmeg Nanny
- Beet Green Pasta with Walnuts | An Edible Mosaic
- Beet and Barley Bowls with Beet Green Pesto | Love and Olive Oil
At Healthy Seasonal Recipes, we specialize in cooking with fresh veggies and creating weeknight meals. Sign up HERE to get more produce-forward dinner ideas for FREE! If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought! Happy Cooking! ~Katie
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Beet Green Salad
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 6 cups 1x
Description
Don’t throw away those beet greens! Wondering what to do with your beet greens? Make this simple and delicious Beet Green Salad with sherry vinegar and garlic dressing with crumbled feta cheese. Simple, gluten-free, wheat-free and vegetarian.
Ingredients
1 small clove garlic, chopped
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
8 cups beet greens, washed and spun dry (5–7 ounces)
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (about 1 ounce)
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Instructions
- Mash garlic with kosher salt with the side of a chef’s knife on a cutting board to form a paste.
- Whisk garlic paste, olive oil, sherry vinegar and Dijon in a small bowl.
- Place greens and feta in a large bowl.
- Pour dressing over greens, season with pepper and toss to combine.
Notes
Make Ahead Notes
The greens can be torn, washed and stored in a plastic bag up to four days ahead. The dressing can be made up to four days ahead. Store it in a jar in the fridge. Let it come to room temperature and shake it well before tossing the greens and feta.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups
- Calories: 120
- Sugar: 0 g
- Sodium: 329 mg
- Fat: 11 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Carbohydrates: 3 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 4 mg
This was amazing! I always ate beet greens steamed and do like them. I just made enough of the salad for 2. I added a grated carrot and some fresh chives from my garden. Not sure if I added the same ratio of the mustard, (grainy), maybe sl less. We loved this. Served it with toasted whole grsin bread. I actually dipped the bread into the juices at the bottom of the plate. Thank you, Katie, this will become a regular for us and I plan to share this recipe, too.
That’s awesome! It is music to my ears! Thank you so much, Helen!
We had fresh beets and greens from the garden, so I cooked and sliced 2 beets and added them to the salad. I also added walnuts for a protein crunch. Delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
I love both of those additions. I will have to try that next time. Thanks for coming back over to leave your remarks and rating! It’s much appreciated.
I made this and added green onions, chive, and strawberries very delicious!
Oh yummmm! What a great idea to add berries!
How many servings does this many beet greens make? Thank you.
This serves 4 to 6. It makes 6 cups total.
Made this using Giuseppe’s white condiment in place of sherry vinegar since I didn’t have any and beets I’d boiled and marinated in honey water. Topped with chopped pistachios. This was delicious, thank you so much
I’m happy to hear that!
Thank you so much for the information. Going to try it this week. Should I only use the leaves and cut off the stalks for stir frying? I’d like to try them raw but maybe they are too bitter and tough? I’m using tiny baby beets. Thank for all your recipes.
Yes the leaves are the best part to use for the salad and the stems can be cooked as you described. They are similar to chard stems but more fibrous. Cut them fine and they will be good in your stir fry.