Description
This Pickled Beet Salad is a vibrant, flavorful dish featuring tender boiled beets, quick-pickled red onions, and briny green olives. Tossed with fresh herbs like parsley and mint and dressed in a tangy lemon and honey vinaigrette, it offers a perfect balance of sweet, sour, and savory notes. Ideal as a refreshing side or a light, healthy snack, this salad can be enjoyed warm or chilled, developing deeper flavors over time.
Ingredients
Scale
Pickling and Dressing
- 1/2 small-medium red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup (about 20) pitted green olives, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
Main Ingredients
- 2 small-medium boiled beets*
- 1/2 cup finely minced parsley
- 1/2 cup finely minced mint
Instructions
- Quick-pickle the onions and olives: Add the thinly sliced red onion, finely chopped green olives, lemon juice, olive oil, honey, lemon zest, kosher salt, and freshly cracked black pepper into a large serving bowl. Toss everything together well and allow this mixture to sit for 30-45 minutes. This quick-pickling step will infuse the onions and olives with vibrant flavors, enhancing the overall taste of the salad.
- Prepare and add the beets and herbs: Chop the boiled beets into small cubes. Add the chopped beets along with finely minced parsley and mint to the serving bowl. Toss all the ingredients gently to combine. Let the salad rest for an additional 15 minutes to allow the flavors to meld together beautifully.
- Serve and enjoy: You can enjoy this salad warm immediately or refrigerate it and enjoy cold over the next few days. The salad tastes excellent either way, though the pickled flavors intensify the longer it sits.
Notes
- You can use pre-packaged boiled beets or boil them yourself. To boil at home, bring a large deep pot of water to a boil and salt it generously. Add washed beets and reduce heat to medium-high, gently boiling for 50-60 minutes until fork-tender but still slightly firm. Drain and let cool in a colander. Use a paper towel to rub off the skins gently for easier peeling.
- Allowing the salad to sit enhances the pickled flavor, but it can be served immediately as a fresh, vibrant dish.
- This salad stores well in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 of recipe
- Calories: 150 kcal
- Sugar: 7 g
- Sodium: 460 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 15 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg