I love beets.
And the saddest part is that I went most of my life so far without knowing that. It was just in the past 5 years or so that I came to realize that I love them. I had some roasted beets on a salad and immediately fell in love. Tender and full of flavor with such minimal effort? Sign me up!
Another thing I love about beets? Their amazing natural color. Generally when cooking beets, I find myself discarding the juices. Today though? I got the notion to reuse those juices along with some olive oil to make one of the best and simplest vinaigrettes that I’ve ever had.
There is literally only 3 ingredients in the vinaigrette, and I promise you it’s full of flavor. One of the best parts about this salad though, is that it’s meal prep friendly and has minimal ingredients all the way through it.
Seriously. There’s 10 ingredients in the whole thing all together. Like I said, simple!
I topped mine with some raw pumpkin seeds, but some feta added to the mix would be another delicious add-on! Make it ahead and divide evenly among meal-prep containers for almost a weeks worth of quick and easy lunches.
TheSkinnyFork.com An easy peasy roasted beat and butternut squash loaded salad that uses beet infused oil to make a homemade vinaigrette in no time at all! Prep Time: 10 Minutes • Cook Time: 45 Minutes
Servings: 4 • Serving Size: 1 Prepared Salad • Calories: 392 • Fat: 26 g • Saturated Fat: 5 g • Carb: 17 g • Fiber: 4 g • Protein: 2 g • Sugar: 4 g • Sodium: 66 mg
Salad:
• 2 Beets
• 1/3 C. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 3 1/2 C. Cubed Butternut Squash
• 8 C. Fresh Baby Spinach
• Salt & Pepper to Taste
Beet Infused Vinaigrette:
• 1/3 C. Beet Infused Oil (Reserved from cooking beets.)
• 1/4 C. Apple Cider Vinegar
• 2 Tsp. Dijon Mustard
• Salt & Pepper to Taste
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. and scrub the beats clean. Place them into foil and drizzle them with 1/3 C. olive oil and seal them up in the foil to bake for about 45 minutes or until fork tender.
When the beets are nearly done (at about 30 minutes), line a baking sheet with foil or a silicone baking mat and place the cubed butternut squash onto the baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper to taste and place in the oven to bake for about 15 minutes or until tender.
Once done, remove from the oven and allow to cool enough to handle. RESERVE the oil and juices that remain in the foil from when the beets are baking.
When ready, the skins should fall right off the beets.
Place the beets and squash in the fridge too chill.
While the beets are chilling, place 1/3 C. of the beet oil/juice into a blender or food processor along with 1/4 C. apple cider vinegar, 2 Tsp. dijon, and salt & pepper to taste. Blend into vinaigrette perfection.
Remove the beets from the fridge and slice, cut, or cube as desired.
Place 2 C. of spinach onto each of the 4 plates and top with the chilled beets and butternut squash divided evenly.
Drizzle the salads with about 2 Tbsp. of the beet infused vinaigrette and top with any option cheese or seeds.
Enjoy right away!
Step-by-Step Photos:
Nutritional Claims: Low Carb • Low Sodium • Vegan • Vegetarian • Pescatarian • Paleo • Specific Carbs • Dairy Free • Gluten Free • Wheat Free • Egg Free • Milk Free • Peanut Free • Tree Nut Free • Soy Free • Fish Free • Shellfish Free • Pork Free • Red Meat Free • Crustacean Free • Celery Free • Sesame Free • Lupine Free •Mollusk Free • Alcohol Free • No Sugar Added • Sulphite Free • Kosher
