This Balsamic Beet Winter Salad is the salad of my dreams! Beets, Oranges, Pears, Spiced Pecans, Red Onions, Golden Raisins, Goat Cheese, Mixed Greens and Balsamic Vinaigrette all in one bowl! This beautiful Winter Fruit Salad is loaded with colors, textures, flavor, and nutrients.
Balsamic Beet & Winter Fruit Salad
Roasted Beets To roast beets, place them in a baking dish with an inch of water and sprinkle with salt and pepper. If you have rosemary or thyme place those in the pan as well. Cover tightly with foil and roast for 30 minutes to an hour or until you can easily insert a knive into it. Let cool until cool enough to touch. Wearing gloves to keep your hands from staining, peel the outside skin off and dice into bite sized pieces. Toss the beets with 3 Tablespoons of the Balsamic Vinaigrette and a pinch of salt.
In busy seasons, I like to buy the Gefen Organic Cooked beets from Costco. It definitely saves time and less mess.
Oranges If you know how to supreme an orange, that gives the ultimate bite. If not, peel the orange and cut them into segments.
Pears Red or Green Pears are both great for this salad. I like to toss the pears with the oranges to keep them from browning.
Spiced Pecans HEB has my favorite Cinnamon Spiced Pecans.
Red Onions Onions give this salad a nice bite to balance the sweetness of the fruit.
Golden Raisins Sweet golden raisins are very underestimated. I love them in salads, especially in this one with citrus and balsamic. Dried Cranberries or Cherries are great too.
Goat Cheese Tangy, creamy goat cheese is the perfect topping to this delicious salad.
Mixed Greens Grab your favorite mixed greens for this salad. I love the Central Market Romaine, Baby Red Butter & Arugula Blend.
Balsamic Vinaigrette A nice balsamic vinegar, dijon, maple syrup, dried parsley, salt and oil come together to make a yummy viniaigrette. Use a light flavored olive oil or Grapeseed oil. If you are making the dressing ahead of time, grapeseed oil will keep from thickening in the fridge. Blend, whisk or shake this vinaigrette together. If you like a thicker creamier vinaigrette, blend the ingredients all together. Season to taste.
If you like this recipe, try our Strawberry Caprese Salad or Crisp Asian Salad with Sesame Ginger Dressing.
Recipe
Balsamic Beet & Winter Fruit Salad
Beets, Oranges, Pears, Pecans, Red Onions, Golden Raisins, Goat Cheese, and Mixed Greens tossed in a Vinaigrette makes for the perfect Winter Salad.
Ingredients
- **For the Vinaigrette**
- 1/4 Cup Balsamic Vinegar
- 1/2 Cup Light Flavored Olive Oil or Grapeseed Oil
- 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
- 1 Tbsp Maple Syrup
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Dried Parsley
- **For the Salad**
- 4 Cups Mixed Greens
- 3 Beets, Roasted and Diced
- 1 Large Orange, peeled and cut into Segments
- 1 Pear, cored and diced
- 1/4 C Red Onion, diced
- 1/4 C Golden Raisins
- 2 oz. Goat Cheese
- 1/4 C Spiced Pecans, chopped
Directions
- Step 1 To make the dressing, combine all ingredients and blend, shake or whisk together. Season to Taste.
- Step 2 Toss the roasted beets with 3 Tbsp of the Balsamic Vinaigrette and season to taste.
- Step 3 In a large salad bowl, top the mixed greens with the beets, oranges, pears, red onions, golden raisins, goat cheese and spiced pecans.
- Step 4 Serve with dressing on the side or toss with the vinaigrette. You will not need all of the vinaigrette.
About the Author
Lauren is a classically trained, professional chef. A culinary school graduate, she has spent time working organic farms in the Italian countryside and was the pastry/sous chef at a high profile restaurant in Dallas prior to becoming a full-time personal chef. Her cooking style is often referred to as “rustic.” Being a personal chef, she is not bound by a single type of cuisine and has had the opportunity to experiment with hundreds of regional recipes from all over the world.
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