Oven Roasted Beet Salad

Oven Roasted Beet Salad

Don't redecorate the kitchen or waste another piece of foil to cook your beets! Simply throw them whole in a Dutch oven, to concentrate and seal in their sweet and earthy flavor, then easily turn them into this nutrition-packed, scrumptious Oven Roasted Beet Salad!

Ingredients

For the oven roasted beets

6 medium/large beets I used a combination of red and golden
2-3 tbsp avocado oil
Generous sprinkle salt and pepper
To make the salad

3 cups baby spinach leaves
1 small white onion thinly sliced
For the vinaigrette

3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp pure maple syrup
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp salt I use Himalayan salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Optional garnish

Roasted pumpkin seeds

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Wash the beets and place them into a Dutch oven (or other oven safe container with a lid, such as a ceramic or heat resistant glass cooking pot). Drizzle the beets with avocado oil and sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Put the lid on and place the pot on the middle rack of the oven for 60-90 minutes, or until the beets are tender. Start testing for tenderness after 60 minutes by carefully piercing one or several of the beets with a sharp knife; the larger the beets, the longer they will take to fully cook.

Remove the cooked beets from the oven and let them cool in the pot, covered, until they are cool enough to handle, but don't let them get too cold; warm beets are easier to peel.

Once the beets are cool enough to handle safely, simply rub them with your fingers to slip the skins off, preferably under running water; this will help prevent your fingers from turning all kinds of pink! Use a paring knife to get rid of any stubborn bits, as needed.

Cut the peeled beets into bite size cubes and, preferably, let them cool completely. 

Place the cubed beets in a large mixing bowl, along with the baby spinach leaves and sliced onion.

Combine the ingredients for the vinaigrette in a small glass measuring cup and whisk vigorously until well combined and slightly emulsified. Pour over the salad and toss delicately

Serve immediately, garnished with a handful of roasted pumpkin seeds if desired.