Simple beetroot salad

This simple beetroot salad is healthy, very tasty and super easy to make. It’s great as a side dish or as part of a larger mixed salad that you can serve as a main course at any time of the year. The ingredients are simple: beetroot, apple cider vinegar, red onion, unrefined sea salt, a twist of freshly ground black pepper and a drizzling of extra virgin olive oil.

I’ve loved this simple beetroot salad ever since I first ate it at my Italian boyfriend’s house years and years ago when I was in my twenties. His mum took a shine to me and was very motherly and affectionate. She was a great cook too, and she used to spoil me rotten with lots of delicious food. She sometimes used to serve this beetroot salad as a side dish to accompany the second course at lunch or dinner.

It’s traditional in Italy to eat two courses – known as primo e secondo. At lunchtime, it’s usually pasta or rice followed by vegetables or a side salad. In the evening they mostly eat some kind of protein. Soups are popular as a first course at dinnertime. Otherwise, they have vegetables, potatoes, or some kind of salad to accompany the protein-based secondo piatto (main course).

Beetroot

Packed with essential nutrients, beetroot is a great source of fibre, folate (vitamin B9), manganese, potassium, iron, and vitamin C. Also known as beet, red beet, table beet or garden beet, it is a highly nutritious vegetable that has several potential health benefits:

• Beetroot is high in nitrates, which can help to lower blood pressure by dilating blood vessels and increasing blood flow.
• The nitrates in beetroot can also improve exercise performance by reducing the amount of oxygen needed to produce energy during physical activity.
• Beetroot contains antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds that can help to reduce inflammation in the body.
• Beetroot is high in fibre, which can help to promote healthy digestion and regular bowel movements.
• The nitrates in beetroot may also improve cognitive function by increasing blood flow to the brain.
• The antioxidants in beetroot, including betalains and polyphenols, may help to reduce the risk of chronic diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer.
• Beetroot is high in betaine, a compound that can help to improve liver function and prevent fatty liver disease.

You can read more about the health benefits of beetroot here.

Ways of incorporating more beetroot into your meals

This simple beetroot salad is one of the easiest and tastiest ways of eating it. You could also put it in a fruit smoothie or roast chunks of it in the oven. Try this recipe for roasted vegetable couscous. I also like to make beetroot hummus in the summer or use beetroot juice to make vegan tartare from tempeh. Juice it and add it to carrot juice, apple juice or orange juice. Make elaborate salads using beetroot as a base ingredient (see the suggestions below).

How to make simple beetroot salad

• First of all, remove the skin from the beetroot and cut off the hard part where the roots were.
• Next, slice the beetroot, put it in a glass container and pour the apple cider vinegar all over it. I use apple cider vinegar because it has more health benefits than other types of vinegar. Use whatever kind of vinegar you’ve got on hand. Later, you can read more about the health benefits of apple cider vinegar here. Leave it to stand in the vinegar for 15 minutes, turning the beetroot every now and then to distribute the vinegar evenly.
• Cut a small red onion into quarters. Red onion is best because it has a milder flavour than yellow onion. Then, take one quarter and cut it crosswise into thin slices.
• When you are ready to serve your simple beetroot salad, lift the slices out of the container with the vinegar and transfer them to a serving dish.
• Sprinkle the slices of red onion over the beetroot.
• Season with unrefined sea salt and a twist of freshly ground black pepper.
• Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and serve.

How to turn this simple beetroot salad into a complete meal

You could turn this simple beetroot salad into a complete meal by adding other ingredients. Here are a few ideas:

• Bump up the protein by adding chickpeas or beans.
• Put the beetroot salad on a bed of rocket, baby spinach or leafy green salad.
• Add baby potatoes for more carbohydrates.
• Leave out the onion and substitute it with slices of orange and apple, and sprinkle a few walnuts over the top.
• Add slices of avocado. Red onion, beetroot and avocado go really well together.

How to store leftovers

Store any leftover beetroot salad in an airtight container in the fridge, where it will keep for 5 – 6 days.

I hope you enjoy this simple beetroot salad recipe. If you like it, please consider giving it a star rating and leaving a comment. Your feedback is valuable to me and helps others discover my blog and recipes. Thank you for your support!

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