Greek Beet Salad With Vinegar

This is a classic, simple Greek beet salad, the way my mom used to make it. What I love about it, is that you use all the parts of beets, the root, stems and leaves, so nothing goes to waste. If you can’t find beets with the leaves on, then you could just use the roots.

This beet salad is really healthy, low in calories and full of antioxidants. We like to pair it with some grilled meat or fish, or my healthy, baked meatballs (biftekia) and some feta cheese on the side. I personally like it most on the next day, as the taste of vinegar and garlic gets much stronger.

If you like beets in salads then I urge you to also try a couple more salads on the blog with beets in them. My fig and beet salad with feta cheese and walnuts or another favorite, pearl couscous and beet salad. So let’s get started!

Why you should try my recipe

• Quick and easy, ready in less than 30 minutes.
• Perfect for a light lunch or dinner.
• Just a handful of simple ingredients that you have in your kitchen.
• Full of nutrients and antioxidants.
• Great as a side dish with fish or meat.

Ingredients & How-to

The ingredients you will need for this healthy beet salad are: beets (roots and greens), green onions, garlic, vinegar, olive oil and salt. You could use any type of beets you like. Usually, I make it with red beets, but you could also make it with yellow or heirloom beets.

01. I start with preparing the beets. I cut the leaves into 3 or 4 depending on the length. That’s about the width of my palm.

02. I fill in a big bowl with water and add some vinegar. I add the leaves and leave them in the water until the rest of the ingredients are ready. The leaves have often little bugs and soil and soaking them in water and vinegar helps to get rid of both. Then I drain them and rinse them very well before boiling them with the beet roots.

03. Now it’s time for the beet roots. I peel them and cut each one in big chunks. Cutting them before boiling will speed up the process. Make sure you wear gloves when handling the beets or wash your hands immediately after, and the same goes for your wooden board.

04. I fill a pot with water and bring it to a boil. Then I add the beets and boil them for 10 minutes. The roots are a bit harder than the stems and leaves, so I just give them a bit more time to get soft before adding the rest. Then I add the washed leaves and stems in and continue boiling for 10-15 minutes until they are fork tender but not mashy.

05. While the beets are boiling, I prepare the rest of the ingredients. I cut the green onions into slices and coarsely chop the garlic cloves. You could also use a garlic press if you prefer.

06. When the beets are ready, I drain them with a slotted spoon or you could use a colander. Make sure most of the water is out otherwise you will end up with a watery salad and dressing.

07. Now it’s time to add the remaining of the ingredients. I add the beets and greens to a bowl and add the olive oil, vinegar, garlic and green onions. I season with salt and toss everything until well coated and combined. I like to leave the salad to rest for half an hour to bring out all the flavors.

Substitutions

• You could substitute the green onions with half a red onion.
• You could add some chopped parsley or dill for extra aroma and freshness.

Tips

• Make sure you strain the water off the beets well as you don’t want the dressing to get too watery.
• Leaving the salad to rest at least for half an hour, brings out the flavors and makes it taste better.
• Wash the beet leaves well as they usually have lots of dirt and little bugs on them.

Serving suggestions

We usually have this Mediterranean beet salad as a side dish with our main or as a light lunch on its own with a slice of bread. I love having this salad with my healthy, baked meatballs (biftekia) for lunch or baked salmon in foil.

Storage

You could store any remaining of the Greek beet salad in the fridge for up to 4 days. You will find that the longer it stays the stronger it gets from the vinegar and garlic. It kind of resembles pickled beets but I personally like it that way.

FAQ

• How long does it take to boil beet greens? Beet greens are a more tender than the root and it should take 10-15 minutes to get fork tender.

• How long can I keep beet salad in the fridge? Beet salad with just vinegar and oil can last in the fridge for 4-5 days without going bad.