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Spring is a major transition season, especially in the kitchen. Warm days will have you craving bright and fresh summer salads, then leave you disappointed when you remember that it’s not actually tomato season yet. Luckily, there are tons of delicious salads that focus on seasonal spring fruits and veggies—we’re partial to ourAvocado Tuna Spinach SaladandSpring Pea Salad with Strawberries, for instance.
To make this salad an easy lunch to put together, Giada suggests meal-prepping the roasted beets and keeping them in reusable containers in your fridge. Her recipe for the roasted beets is simple, so you could easily pop them into the oven after dinner on Sunday and dole out lunch salads for yourself during the week.
How to Cook Beets So They’re Actually Delicious
You may also want to prepare the salad’s dressing ahead of time, too. For the citrusy drizzle, you’ll need an orange, apple-cider vinegar, extra-virgin olive oil and salt. Combine the zest of the orange with about 2 tablespoons of its juice in a bowl. (You’ll also use this orange to add orange segments to your salad, so don’t feel the need to over-squeeze—whatever juice remains behind will still end up in your salad.) Add the rest of the dressing ingredients and whisk until combined.
When you’re ready to put together your salad, add some dressing and some beets into your bowl and toss to coat. Lightly massage some thinly sliced kale and add it to the bowl as well, along with feta, Castelvetrano olives and the orange segments. Toss everything together and top with a sprinkle of peeled, toasted hazelnuts. If you don’t have feta on hand, you could use goat cheese in its place.The resulting salad will be a riot of color that serves about six—or serves one, if you decide to divvy the salad up for lunch during the week.
Anti-inflammatory ingredients are an added bonus of this quick, fresh meal. Dark leafy kale, beets, olive oil, herbs, citrus and nuts all work tomake this salad nutrient- and antioxidant-denseand packed full of flavor. Beets can be an especially healthy, anti-inflammatory veggie to add to your plate—they’re high inbetalains, antioxidants known to fight cancer, and they’ve been tied to improved heart health and athletic performance. Roasted beet recipes like this salad (or even cozy side dishes like ourMelting Beets with Ricotta) help retain the veggie’s colorful nutrients, so you’ll get more out of every bite.
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