I asked myself the other day….what can I make with some beetroots, one sweet potato and a lonely orange that was left in the fridge? Well this Roasted Beetroot and Sweet Potato Salad with Orange Vinaigrette is the answer. Deeply sweet that makes you crave seconds.
It’s vibrant colors make it perfect for special ocasions. The walnuts and salad dressing turn these very simple vegetables and tender greens into somthing rather amazing.
I’m a bit of a fan of using roasted veggies in a salad. Our Roasted Vegetable and Quinoa Salad was one of our first warm salad recipes we made on Just One Bite at a time and I’ve cooked it on repeat.
Recipe credit: I recently found this sweet potato recipe in a vegan cook book and couldn’t wait to try it. This recipe was originally created by Gaz Oakley from his cook book Vegan 100. I’ve given it my own little twist and tweaked the ingredients to suit our taste buds because apparently I can’t leave a recipe alone! 😂 (my version isn’t technically vegan as I’ve used honey in the dressing)
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Leftover veggies often get a bit of a bad wrap as I don’t often find recipes for odd bodds veggies in the crisper. But this was perfect for turning a humble veggie into a special occasions dish. Plus it’s a great way to have a salad that has unusual ingredients instead of the normal tomato, lettuce cucumber variety.
Recipe Ingredients for the salad
You’ll need the following ingredients to make this amazing roasted beet salad.
Greens: baby spinach and rocket (or peppery arugula) . The fresh chives add a hint of zingyness whitle the thyme adds yet another flavour bomb.
Root Veggies: raw beetroot and sweet potato when roasted can give the most amazing caramelized sweetness making this a flavorful salad.
Fresh Oranges: This adds such a different feel and taste to this orange salad recipe. The pith and stringy skin bits need to be removed but well worth the effort. The sweeter the orange the more flavouful the salad.
Walnuts: the crunch factor and when lightly toasted release yet another flavour as well. Walnuts are one of the best plant sources of omega-3 fats, fibre and plant protein.
Extra virgin olive oil: Roasting with olive oil gives these beets and pototes a new dimention in flavour. Skipping the oil means your vegetables will dry out and may not get those golden, crispy edges.
Vinaigrette ingredients
Olive oil: 2-3 tablespoons
Mustard: Wholegrain was used for this orange vinaigrette but you can swap it out for dijon mustard if you prefer to leave out all those seeds.
Vingegar: Rice wine vinegar is slightly milder and less intense.
Orange juice and zest: They add the sweetness and zingyness to this dressing recipe and the star of the vinaigrette. Orange juice brings acidity and sweetness that cuts through the richness of the roasted vegetables.
Honey: I use good quality honey.
Salt and pepper:
Recipe Dressing Tip: Taste your vinaigrette before it hits the salad! Too sweet? Add a splash more vinegar. Too tangy? A little extra honey will do the trick. Too thin? Whisk in more mustard or olive oil. Once it’s on the salad, there’s no going back!
How to make Roasted Beetroot and Sweet Potato Salad with Orange Vinaigrette STEP BY STEP
- Peel and cut your red beets and sweet potatoes into the same bite-sized pieces. Lay on a flat baking tray lined with parchment paper and dizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle the thyme leaves over the beets and potatoe’s. Bake in a moderate to hot oven 180 – 200 degrees celsius (350 – 400 farenheit) until cooked through and they look like golden beets and potatoe’s. While the veggies are roasting, lightly roast the walnuts in a small frypan on medium to low heat for a few minutes.. Once the vegetables are cooked set aside to cool.
Mix all the dressing ingredients together with a whisk in a small bowl and set aside.
2. Grab a large serving bowl and throw in the greens. Add the cooked veggies, orange slices, walnuts and sprinkle with the chives.
3. Drizzle with the orange vinagrette dressing and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Cut the vegetables into similar-sized pieces so they cook evenly. If your beetroot chunks are twice the size of your sweet potato, one could be mushy while the other is still hard in the middle! It all depends on the size of the beets.
- Seperate trays for baking: While this isn’t really necessary you might like to bake the beetroot on a sperate sheet pan. Sometimes the beets can bleed a little changing the colour of the vegetables that are baking next to them.
- Don’t Skip the Orange Zest! The orange juice brings the tangy sweetness, but the zest is where all those lovely citrusy taste comes into full on mode. Together, they make the vinaigrette bright, fresh and full of flavour. (it’s kind of like skipping garlic in Italian cooking….mmm…no I don’t think so)
Serving Suggestions
Serve the salad warm or at room temperature as it actually tastes better. When the veggies are still warm or at room temperature, the natural sweetness and the vinaigrette flavors are just that bit tastier and the texture stays tender instead of turning waxy and hard.
Storage
This salad doen’t really keep that well after being dressed so if you would like to make it earlier keep all the salad ingredients seperately in thieir own individual airtight container and assemble and dress just before serving. The dressing will firm up when stored in the fridge so bring it to room temperature before drizzling on the salad.
Additions and Substitutions
For a vegan salad option you can swap out the honey in the dressing for maple syrup or omit altogether. It won’t be as sweet but you might prefer it that way/
Nuts & Seeds: I think this side salad could also have the added cruch of some seeds. By all means make this salad your own by adding either sunflower seeds or even larger ones like pumpkin seeds.
Cheese additions: For even more deliciousness the addition of either, feta cheese or creamy goat cheese will raise the bar even higher. Why not go all out and try blue cheese if you’re game. We also have another salad idea Roasted Beetroot and Goats Cheese salad that we’ve made over and over because it’s just that yum.
FAQ
Q. Is there other vinegars I can use for this sweet potato beetroot and walnut salad?
A. Yes you can use red wine vinegar. This will give it a deeper tangy taste. You can use white wine vinegar or for more of a balsamic vinaigrette use aged sweet thick balsamic vinegar. You will have to test the dressing as you go and adjust to make sure it balances well.
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Recipe Card
Roasted Beetroot and Sweet Potato Salad with Orange Vinaigrette
Ingredients
DRESSING INGREDIENTS
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp orange juice
- zest of an orange
SALAD INGREDIENTS
- 1 sweet potato medium size
- 2 beetroots small
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- thyme fresh 2 sprigs
- ½ cup walnuts lightly toasted
- 1 orange peeled and cut into segments
- 2 cups rocket
- 2 cups baby spinach leaves
- chives finely chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Peel and cut your red beets and sweet potatoes into the same bite-sized pieces. Lay on a flat baking tray lined with parchment paper and dizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle the thyme leaves over the beets and potatoe’s. Bake in a moderate to hot oven 180 – 200 degrees celsius (350 – 400 farenheit) until cooked through and they look like golden beets and potatoe’s.
- While the veggies are roasting, lightly roast the walnuts in a small frypan on medium to low heat for a few minutes.. Once the vegetables are cooked set aside to cool.
- Mix all the dressing ingredients together with a whisk in a small bowl and set aside.
- Grab a large serving bowl and throw in the greens. Add the cooked veggies, orange slices, walnuts and sprinkle with the chives.
- Drizzle with the orange vinagrette dressing and enjoy!
