Roasted Beet Greek Salad with Olive Vinaigrette Recipe
I had a roasted beet Greek salad with olive vinaigrette at a favorite LA restaurant, Jon & Vinny’s, and asked myself, “why didn’t I think of this??” The olive vinaigrette was a great twist (instead of having whole olives in the salad) and I am always trying to find ways to enjoy beets since they’re so good for you. If you hate olives, no big deal. Just omit and add a little more salt to the dressing to taste. You may try some capers instead which are also briny and salty. Since restaurant prices and extra fees are making dining out a very expensive activity, I have been posting more and more restaurant dupes on my social media channels.
Why you’ll love this Roasted Beet Greek Salad with Olive Vinaigrette
- it’s a different twist on Greek salad, which is such a classic and always a crowd-pleaser;
- the vinaigrette is fabulous on a simple plate of tomatoes and thinly sliced red onion or as a dip for bread;
- you can prep everything ahead of time and dress it right before serving;
- beets can also stand in for tomatoes when they are no longer in season.
Ingredients
- Lemon juice – I usually always have lemons on hand because I like to use the juice for salad dressings. Red wine vinegar would also work.
- Red wine vinegar – I love mixing different acids in salad dressings because it makes the flavor more interesting. I always have red wine vinegar in the pantry and it lasts a long time.
- Olive oil – use an unrefined olive oil for best flavor.
- Kalamata olives – I recommend buying pitted olives so you don’t have to struggle pitting them yourself. Since the olives get blended in the dressing and provide some saltiness, you could use capers instead if you’re not an olive fan or simply omit and add salt to the dressing.
- Dried oregano – I bought some dried oregano in Greece and it was the best I ever tried!
- Cucumber – I love Persian cucumbers because you can enjoy the entire thing (thin skin and minimal seeds.) But an English cucumber is a fine sub or standard supermarket cucumbers with the seeds scooped out.
- Tomato – Tomatoes are in season during the summer and that’s when I can find beautiful tomatoes at farmer’s markets. I like to cut them into wedges for this salad.
- Red onion – I like to soak onion in ice water to neutralize some of the harsh onion flavor when using it raw in a recipe. Just make to sure to pat the onions dry afterwards so it doesn’t make your salad watery and that way the dressing will adhere better.
- Beets – are so good for you. I use red beets in this salad that I roast in the oven. Please refer to the notes for how I roast beets at home. If it helps you, you can find already cooked beets at some markets.
- Feta – I love feta and I think it makes everything taste better. Authentic feta is made from sheep or goat’s milk. Please do not buy pre-crumbled feta or cow’s milk feta. Just not that good. Violife feta is a great vegan option.
How to make Roasted Beet Greek Salad with Olive Vinaigrette
- Place the lemon juice, vinegar, and olive oil in a blender. Add the olives and pulse until finely chopped, but not pureed. Stir in ½ teaspoon dried oregano. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste.
- In a serving bowl, toss the cucumbers, tomatoes, onion and beets with enough dressing to coat. Arrange the feta on top and sprinkle with a little extra oregano if you like.
Tips
- If you want this to be a main course salad, you can serve as is or add chickpeas or a simple piece of fish or shrimp.
- I love Persian cucumbers because you can enjoy the entire thing (thin skin and minimal seeds.) But an English cucumber is a fine sub or standard supermarket cucumbers with the seeds scooped out.
- I recommend adding salt to the salad right before serving. Otherwise, if you salt too far in advance, it will draw out moisture from the tomatoes and make the salad extra watery.
Substitutions
- Kalamata olives – another olive variety, prepared olive tapenade (Trader Joe’s has one), capers, or omit and use more salt in the dressing
- Perisan Cucumbers – long english cucumbers
- Feta – vegan feta (such as violife)
Other recipes you may like
*Farro with golden beets, cucumber, feta and mint vinaigrette
*Roasted beet and burrata salad
*Moroccan carrot and beet salad
*Nectarine and goat cheese salad with beet dressing
*Arugula salad with persimmons, beets and burrata
If you give this roasted beet greek salad with olive vinaigrette recipe a try, snap a pic and tag @pamelasalzman so I can see your beautiful creations. I also really appreciate readers taking the time to leave a rating and review! Subscribe for free to my site for the latest recipes, updates and things I’m loving lately. If you enjoy this recipe, I taught it last year in my online class! Give me an hour a month, and I’ll make you a better, healthier cook!
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- Dressing
- 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice (or just use all red wine vinegar if you don’t have lemon)
- 1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 6 Tablespoons unrefined cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil
- ⅓ cup pitted Kalamata olives or prepared olive tapenade (I had some leftover once and it worked great)
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Greek
- Sea salt and black pepper to taste
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- 4 Persian cucumbers, unpeeled, cut in half lengthwise and then sliced on the diagonal
- 4 small tomatoes, cut into wedges
- ½ small red onion, sliced very thinly (soaked in ice water to neutralize some of the harsh onion flavor, if desired*)
- 3 cooked medium-size beets, peeled and sliced into thin wedges (see below on how to cook)
- 4 ounces sheep or goat milk feta, sliced thinly into slabs or left whole
- Other options: sliced pepperoncini, chickpeas, green bell pepper
- Place the lemon juice, vinegar, and olive oil in a blender. Add the olives and pulse until finely chopped, but not pureed. Stir in ½ teaspoon dried oregano. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste.
- In a serving bowl, toss the cucumbers, tomatoes, onion and beets with enough dressing to coat. Arrange the feta on top and sprinkle with a little extra oregano if you like.
How to Cook Beets
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Scrub beets and place in a pie plate or a baking dish with ½ inch of water. Tightly cover with foil and roast beets until tender, about 45-50 minutes. You should be able to insert a paring knife easily into the center of the largest beet.
2. Set beets aside uncovered until cool enough to handle.
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