Chopped Beet Salad

• This flavorful salad is on the table in 15 minutes for an easy side.
• The nitrates from the beets are excellent for your heart health. 
• Feel free to use goat cheese instead of the feta—it will be equally delicious.

If you think you don’t like beets, think again and try our Chopped Beet Salad. Earthy, heart-healthy beets are paired with soft, tangy feta cheese and crunchy pistachios for protein. The citrusy champagne vinaigrette is the perfect complement with flavors of orange, Dijon mustard and sweetness from honey—creating a perfectly balanced salad. Keep reading for our expert tips on beet selection, ingredient substitutions and more. 

Tips from the EatingWell Test Kitchen

These are the key tips we learned while developing and testing this recipe in our Test Kitchen to make sure it works, tastes great and is good for you too! 

• If you want to toss the feta with the beets rather than topping them, just use a larger bowl. Just bear in mind that the beets will color the feta.
• If you’re concerned about staining your hands with beet juice, consider wearing gloves. However, beet juice is easily removed by scrubbing your hands with a paste made of baking soda and water.
• Be sure to include the Dijon mustard, as it is a great emulsifier. It gives the vinaigrette a thicker, more appetizing consistency.
• You can swap the crumbled feta for goat cheese, which you can purchase in a block and crumble yourself if you prefer.

Nutrition Notes

• Beets are a root vegetable packed with nutrients. Most notably, beets are high in nitrates, which the body converts into nitric oxide. Nitric oxide helps dilate blood vessels, allowing blood to flow more freely, lowering blood pressure. This makes beets an excellent food for the heart. 
• Feta cheese is a sheep’s-milk cheese and is typically a lower-lactose cheese that may be tolerated better by individuals who have issues digesting cheese. Feta is also a source of protein to maintain muscle mass, and calcium for bone health. 
• Pistachios are a delightfully satisfying green tree nut that is also a complete protein, which means they contain all nine essential amino acids in adequate amounts. They also provide some fiber, potassium, magnesium and iron.