Steamed Beet, Feta, and Walnut Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette

Can’t Beet It

A refreshing beetroot salad is a year-round favorite of mine. This beetroot feta and walnut salad hits that exact craving. I absolutely love the earthy flavor they lend and pair so nicely with a variety of flavors, especially a creamy, salty cheese like feta. Plus I find the texture very satisfying - they’re soft yet have a bite to them which I love. I’m such a big fan, we had a beet salad served at our wedding!

While this version of the beet salad is different from what we served at our wedding, I love this one just as much. It’s a great combination of textures and flavors that makes for a great starting salad for any meal or as a side to a main meal paired with a protein.

Frequent Questions When Making a Steamed Beetroot Salad

Q: How do I get beets prepared to steam?

A: Before steaming, whole beets will need to be peeled before you can dice them. Grab a handheld peeler and peel the rough, brown outsides off of each beet, revealing the bright beet-red center and then remove the stem. Be careful though, as the center of the beets can dye anything it touches red, including your hands.  Store the peeled and cut beets in a glass or aluminum bowl and use a cutting board that cleans easily and wash your hands right away to avoid dying anything pink.

Q: Anything I should take into consideration when setting up my steamer?

A: Yes!  If your steamer basket is easily removed, leave it out of the pot while you initially bring the water to a simmer. Fill the basket with your beets and then carefully add it on top of the pot. If your steamer doesn’t come in and out easily, use a pair of tongs to transfer the beets into the pot, being careful not to burn your fingers. Second, make sure the water does not touch the bottom of the steamer basket. Otherwise, you’ll boil the beets instead of steam them.

Q: How do I know my beets are done cooking?

A: After about thirty minutes of cooking, remove the lid off of your steamer and pierce a couple of beets with a butter knife. If you can pick up the beet with the butter knife, but then it easily slides off, your beets are done cooking. If it does not easily slide off, let steam another 3-5 minutes and check again.

Q: How should I store leftovers?

A: Beets are notorious for staining anything they touch a shade of pink. If you have any leftovers, store the beets separately from any of the other ingredients in the salad so they don’t stain the remaining ingredients until your ready to eat them. Keep the beets in a glass or ceramic container, not plastic, for easier cleanup and no stained tupperware.

Recipe Tips and Tricks

When you make this beetroot salad with walnuts and feta, here are a few tips to make it extra delicious:

• I recommend using a high quality, finishing olive oil in this recipe as the flavor will be very prevalent. Keeping two kinds of olive oil at home is something I started doing about a year ago, one that I like to cook with and one for finishing. That way I can keep the nicer quality oil for salads and finishing dishes, meaning I use it less and it can last me much longer. My favorite finishing olive oil is the Graza Drizzle Olive Oil - it’s a perfectly balanced oil and I love the design of the container. I love the product so much, I’ve partnered with Graza to give you $5 off your first order with the code “LAURALOVESTOCOOK”!
• To toast your walnuts, you’ll do it in a pan without any extra oil. The walnuts will toast in the oil that releases from the nuts themselves. After a few minutes, they’ll start to smell toastier and that’s when you’ll need to flip them to toss them in the oil and toast each side of the nut. Otherwise, you’ll run the risk of burning one side of the walnuts. If you do burn your nuts, I’d recommend tossing that batch, washing your pan, and starting again. Otherwise, you can get an acrid taste in all of the walnuts, which won’t be pleasant to eat.

Recipe Details

Steam the Beetroot

To start this recipe, you’ll focus on the star of the show: the steamed beetroots. Once your beets are prepped, add them to a steam basket and place over an already simmering pot of water. Let the beets steam for around 30 minutes until they are tender all the way through.

Make the Vinaigrette

While the beets are steaming, prepare the red wine vinaigrette. The vinaigrette will serve as both the marinade for the steam beets once you take them out of the steamer and as the dressing for the salad once you assemble it.  To make the dressing, you’ll combine olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic powder, cumin powder, lemon zest, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper in a glass jar, shaking it vigorously to create an emulsion (i.e. combining the oil and vinegar together).

Toast The Walnuts

Next, I recommend toasting the walnuts. Add dry, untoasted walnuts to a small frying pan and toast them over medium-low heat, giving them a good toss every couple minutes to ensure they don’t burn on one side. Once they are very fragrant and lightly toasted on the outside, transfer the walnuts to a bowl to cool.

Marinate the Beets

Once the beets are done steaming, carefully transfer them to a mixing bowl and immediately add the juice of ½ a lemon and a pinch of salt. Toss to coat in the juice. Drizzle the red wine vinaigrette over the beets and stir to coat. Let the beets cool on the countertop, stirring every few minutes to re-coat them in the marinade.

Assemble the Salad

Now that all of your ingredients are prepped, you can begin assembling your beetroot feta and walnut salads!  To make four individual salads, add ½ cup of baby arugula with a drizzle of olive oil over the top. Divide spoonfuls of the marinated beets over the top of the salad, letting any extra red wine vinaigrette drip onto the arugula. Sprinkle the thinly sliced shallots, the toasted walnuts, and crumbled feta over each salad. Top with the chopped parsley and a small pinch of flaky sea salt over each salad. Enjoy right away!

I hope you love this beetroot feta and walnut salad as much as I do!