Baby Beet and Clementine Salad

5

4

Save to FavoritesPrintJump to Recipe

This post may include affiliate links. Thank you for your support.

This delicious beet and clementine salad is loaded with greens, cooked beets, sweet clementines, crunchy pistachios, pickled onions and goat cheese all topped with a balsamic glaze. Perfect as a side salad or topped with protein for a more satisfying meal.

Somehow I always forget that winter = citrus season. Each winter, I get so excited when I walk in the grocery store and see loads of fresh oranges… and every variety you can imagine! It really is a bright spot in the dreary winter months.

An overhead photo of a plate containing baby beet and clementine salad. A fork rests on the plate.

Why You’ll Love This Salad

  • It’s the perfect salad for winter! If you don’t usually crave salads in the winter months, I understand! This salad is made with in-season ingredients that make it perfect for cooler months.
  • It’s so simple to assemble. All you have to do is prep the beets (or use pre-cooked store-bought beets for a shortcut) and then layer on the ingredients!
  • Enjoy as a side salad or addd some protein for a meal-sized salad.
Ingredients measured out to make a baby beet and clementine salad: spring mix, clementines, beets, pickled red onions, pepper, salt, balsamic glaze/dressing, goat cheese and pistachios.

Here’s What You Need

  • spring mix – any base of greens will work for this salad but I used a spring mix.
  • beets – beets are nutritious little vegetables! They’re a great source of fiber and packed with folate, potassium, iron and vitamin C. A lot of grocery stores sell pre-cooked beets which is a great shortcut for this salad! You can also boil your beets or make roasted beets.
  • clementines or mandarin oranges – ’tis the season for fresh citrus! Any type of orange would work in this salad but I recommend clementines or mandarin oranges because they are bite sized.
  • roasted and salted pistachios – add a little crunch, salt and healthy fats to the salad with pistachios. You can swap for any nut of your choice.
  • quick pickled red onion – don’t skip these! Make quick pickled onions in no time at all and add a ton of flavor and nutrients to this salad.
  • goat cheese â€“ sprinkle goat cheese on top for added creaminess. You can swap for a dairy-free cheese or omit to make this dairy-free.
  • salt and black pepper – to taste.
  • balsamic glaze or balsamic dressing – I loved the simplicity of drizzling a balsamic glaze on this salad but my homemade balsamic dressing would also be delicious!

How to Make Beet and Clementine Salad

If you’ve already prepped your beets (or are using store-bought beets) this is a super simple recipe! Simply add the package of spring mix to a large salad bowl. Top with chopped beets, clementine pieces, pickled red onion, goat cheese, pistachios, salt and cracked pepper. Fair warning: if you toss the salad, the toppings will sink to the bottom and the liquid from the beets can make the salad look a little messy so I don’t recommend tossing! Drizzle the entire salad with balsamic glaze or dressing and enjoy!

pro tip!
For a shortcut use store-bought beets! Love Beets cooked beets are my favorite for whenever I'm in a pinch and don't have time to boil or roast beets. 

Customize Your Salad

One of the reasons I love this salad is how customizable it is! Here are some suggestions for variations and substitutions:

  • Switch up the greens â€“ if you’re not a spring mix fan, feel free to use your favorite leafy green instead. Spinach or arugula would be my next choice of greens for this salad.
  • Make this dairy-free and vegan â€“ simply skip the goat cheese (or use a vegan option).
  • Switch up the dressing â€“ craving a different dressing? This creamy poppyseed dressingred wine vinaigrettewhite balsamic vinaigrette or creamy balsamic vinaigrette would be delicious on this salad!
  • Add grains â€“ I love adding grains to my salad for some extra volume and nutrients. Toss in cooked quinoa, rice or farro to make this a heartier salad.
  • Add protein â€“ want to enjoy this as a meal-sized salad? Add a protein of your choice! Since there are so many flavors in the salad, I like to keep it simpler with the protein so it compliments the dish and doesn’t overpower flavors. It would be delicious with crispy baked tofutempehapple cider vinegar chicken or roasted chickpeas.
  • Swap the pickled onions â€“ Not a fan of pickled onions? Feel free to skip them or swap them for raw onions.
  • Switch up the fruit or add more fruit – I think this would be delicious with fresh blueberries as well!
  • Use candied nuts â€“ the ultimate treat. Try adding candied walnuts or candied pecans.
  • Swap the nuts for seeds â€“ if you have a nut allergy or if you just prefer seeds you can swap the pistachios for sunflower seeds or pepitas.
  • Add roasted veggies â€“ I could see this salad being delicious with some roasted sweet potatoes or roasted butternut squash mixed in.

How to Cook Your Beets

Boiled Beets

Boiling beets is super easy. Place washed and trimmed beets in a large saucepan, add water to cover, as well as, a little lemon juice or vinegar. The lemon juice or vinegar help to prevent the beets from bleeding. Bring beets to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until tender, about 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the size of your beets. Drain and place pot under cold running water. Keep rinsing until beets are cool enough to be handled. At this point the skin will slip right now off. Peel the skin off the beets, quarter and set aside.

Roasted Beets

Before roasting make sure to prep your beets. If your beets came with beet greens, cut them off about 1/2 inch above the beetroot. Use your beet greens in another recipe – I love my sautéed beet greens!

Use a vegetable scrubber to scrub the beets well, removing any dirt that you can from the root vegetable. Now, you’re ready for roasting!

Poke 2-3 times with a fork and wrap the full beet tightly in aluminum foil. Roast at 400ºF for 75-90 minutes – on the shorter end if your beets are smaller and on the longer end if your beets are larger!

Carefully unwrap the beets and run cool water over them. The skin should easily peel off while you do this.

How to Serve Beet and Clementine Salad

Like I mentioned earlier, this makes the perfect side salad or meal-sized salad if paired with protein. If you’re serving this as a side dish, here are some dishes that would pair well:

Prepping This Salad Ahead of Time

This salad is super simple to throw together, but you can also prep it in advance! Here’s what I recommend:

  1. Add spring mix to a large container with an airtight lid.
  2. Slice beets, peel clementine and add to the container with spring mix.
  3. Add pickled onions and pistachios.
  4. Crumble goat cheese on top.
  5. Store balsamic glaze or dressing in a separate container.
  6. When you’re ready to serve, drizzle glaze or dressing over top and mix to combine.

You want to make sure you mix in the dressing as close to serving as possible. If you don’t plan to eat the full salad, only add dressing to the portion you plan to eat and store the rest in the fridge.

More Beet Recipes to Try

Be sure to check out my full collection of salad recipes and all my side recipes on EBF!

Want to save this recipe? Enter your email below and we’ll send the recipe to your inbox. Plus you’ll get great new recipes every week!
5 from 6 votes

Baby Beet and Clementine Salad

This delicious beet and clementine salad is loaded with greens, cooked beets, sweet clementines, crunchy pistachios, pickled onions and goat cheese all topped with a balsamic glaze. Perfect as a side salad or topped with protein for a more satisfying meal.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 2

Ingredients  

  • 1 5 ounce package spring mix
  • 3-4 medium cooked beets, chopped
  • 2 clementines or mandarin oranges, peeled and segmented
  • ¼ cup chopped roasted and salted pistachios
  • ¼ cup quick pickled red onion
  • 2-3 ounces goat cheese
  • salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste
  • balsamic glaze or balsamic dressing

Instructions 

  • Add the package of spring mix to a large salad bowl. Top with chopped beets, clementines, red onion, goat cheese, pistachios, salt and cracked pepper. You can toss the salad, but I find that all the toppings sink to the bottom and the liquid from the beets make the salad look kind of messy so I don’t toss it in the serving bowl.
  • Drizzle with balsamic glaze or dressing. Alternatively you can serve the salad without the glaze and allow everyone to add their own amount of dressing to taste.
    Ingredients for baby beet and clementine salad layered in a serving bowl.

Notes

  • Boiling beets: Place washed and trimmed beets in a large saucepan, add water to cover, as well as, a little lemon juice or vinegar. The lemon juice or vinegar help to prevent the beets from bleeding. Bring beets to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until tender, about 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the size of your beets. Drain and place pot under cold running water. Keeping rinsing until beets are cool enough to be handled. At this point the skin will slip right now off. Peel skin off the beets, quarter and set aside.
  • Roasting beets: Once beets are washed and trimmed poke 2-3 times with a fork and wrap the full beet tightly in aluminum foil. Roast at 400ºF for 75-90 minutes – on the shorter end if your beets are smaller and on the longer end if your beets are larger! Carefully unwrap the beets and run cool water over them. The skin should easily peel off while you do this.
  • Balsamic dressing: If you want to use a dressing instead of the glaze, this balsamic dressing would be delicious!
 

Nutrition

Serving: 1/2 of recipe | Calories: 302kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 571mg | Potassium: 824mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 21g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Keyword: beet and clementine salad
Did you make this recipe?Mention @eatingbirdfood and tag #eatingbirdfood!

About Brittany

Hey there, I’m Brittany, the creator of Eating Bird Food, cookbook author, health coach and mama of two littles. Here you’ll find quick and easy recipes that make healthy fun and enjoyable for you and your family!

More about Brittany
Chicken fajita filling on a sheet pan with a wooden spoon. Tortillas are resting on the bottom of the sheet pan.
Get Your FREE High-Protein Meal Plan
Struggling to eat enough protein? Subscribe to my email list and I’ll send you a 3-Day High-Protein Meal Plan with a Shopping List!

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




4 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This was a lovely combination of flavors and it came together quickly. I used pre-cooked beets, Boston lettuce, and feta instead of goat cheese because that’s what I had. I loved the crunch of the pistachios. Your balsamic dressing was perfect and easy to shake up in a jar. My beet-loving husband was very happy!

    1. Woo!! So happy to hear this salad was a hit, Kathy. Thanks for trying it out and coming back to leave a review. I really appreciate it!

  2. 5 stars
    This is so quick to make and the taste is really good. I used pre-cooked beets and swapped goat cheese with my favourite vegan cheese https://violifefoods.com/ because I’m vegan. My kids loved this salad. Will definitely be making this again!

    1. Ah yay! So happy to hear, Jennifer. Thanks so much for trying out and and coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!