Are you searching for the ultimate easy and elegant side dish to grace your holiday table or brighten up a simple winter meal? A stunning, jewel-toned salad so vibrant, so packed with flavor, and so unbelievably simple to make? This incredible, from-scratch Beet and Blood Orange Salad is that perfect recipe. We’re talking sweet, earthy beets and juicy, ruby-red blood orange segments, all tossed with peppery arugula and a simple, sophisticated sherry vinaigrette.
This isn’t just another salad recipe; it’s your definitive guide to a show-stopping side that looks and tastes like it came from a gourmet restaurant but requires minimal effort. We’ll show you the simple but crucial professional secrets to perfectly tender beets and beautiful, restaurant-quality citrus segments. This is a satisfying, soulful, and deeply impressive dish that is perfect for your Thanksgiving or Christmas feast.
Table of Contents
Recipe Overview: The Ultimate Easy & Elegant Fall Side Dish
What makes this Beet and Blood Orange Salad so spectacularly delicious is its incredible, fresh flavor and its beautiful, vibrant presentation. This recipe is a masterpiece of simple, rustic elegance. The star of the show is the perfect pairing of sweet, earthy beets and tart, juicy blood oranges. The beets are simply boiled until tender, which brings out their natural sweetness. The bright, jewel-toned oranges are carefully segmented to remove any bitter pith. The entire salad is brought together with a bed of spicy arugula and a simple, from-scratch vinaigrette made from olive oil and sherry vinegar.
| Metric | Time / Level |
| Total Time | 50 minutes |
| Active Prep Time | 15 minutes |
| Difficulty Level | Easy |
| Servings | 4-6 |
The Flavors of the Season: The Essential Ingredients
This iconic dish uses a handful of high-quality, simple ingredients to create its signature rich and vibrant flavor.
- The Beets: For the best, most flavorful result, choose small to medium-sized fresh beets that feel firm and heavy for their size. Boiling them is a simple and fantastic way to cook them until they are perfectly tender and their natural sweetness is enhanced.
- The Blood Oranges: The secret to the stunning, jewel-like appearance! Blood oranges have a beautiful, deep ruby-red flesh and a wonderful, sweet-tart flavor with notes of raspberry. They are the perfect, bright counterpoint to the earthy beets.
- The Arugula: The fresh, peppery bite of arugula is the perfect green for this salad, providing a wonderful contrast to the sweet beets and oranges.
- The Sherry Vinaigrette:
- Sherry Vinegar: This is a brilliant, sophisticated choice for a simple vinaigrette. It has a much more complex, nutty, and less sharp flavor than a regular red or white wine vinegar, which perfectly complements the other ingredients.
The Chef’s Secrets: The Masterclass for a Perfect Salad
This recipe uses two simple but brilliant professional techniques that guarantee a flawless, impressive result.
- Boil, Don’t Roast (for ease!): While roasting beets is also delicious, boiling them is a wonderfully simple and quick method. The secret to easily peeling them is to do it right after they have been cooked and are still warm. You can simply use a paper towel to rub the skins right off!
- The Art of the Suprême: The number one, restaurant-quality secret to a truly elegant citrus salad is to “suprême” or segment your oranges. This simple technique involves cutting away all the peel and the bitter, white pith, and then carefully slicing out the individual segments from between the membranes. This leaves you with beautiful, jewel-like pieces of pure fruit that are a joy to eat.
Step-by-Step to the Best Beet and Blood Orange Salad
This elegant, festive side dish is a joy to prepare.
Part 1: The Simple Art of the Perfect Boiled Beets
In a large pot of salted water, boil your 1 pound of beets for 30 to 40 minutes. You will know they are perfectly done when they are tender and can be easily pierced with a fork or a sharp knife.
Drain the beets. Once they are cool enough to handle, use a paper towel to easily rub off the skins. Slice the peeled beets into wedges and place them in a large serving bowl.
Part 2: The Elegant Assembly
Step 1: In your serving bowl with the beets, add the 1/4 cup of olive oil, the 2 tablespoons of sherry vinegar, and the 2 tablespoons of chopped chives. Season with salt and pepper and gently toss everything to combine.
Step 2: Add your 1 bunch of arugula and your 2 segmented blood oranges to the bowl.
Step 3: Gently toss everything together one last time, being careful not to break up the delicate orange segments.
Serve immediately.
Beet and Blood Orange Salad (An Easy & Elegant Recipe!)
A simple and refreshing recipe for a Beet-Orange Salad. This vibrant, healthy dish features wedges of tender boiled beets, juicy segmented blood oranges, and peppery arugula. The salad is tossed in a light and easy vinaigrette made with olive oil, sherry vinegar, and fresh chives, creating a perfect balance of earthy, sweet, and tangy flavors.
Ingredients
- 1 pound beets
- Kosher salt
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
- 2 tablespoons chopped chives or scallions
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 bunch arugula
- 2 segmented blood oranges
Instructions
- Place the whole, unpeeled beets in a pot and cover with salted water. Bring to a boil and cook for 30 to 40 minutes, until the beets are tender when pierced with a fork.
- Drain the beets. Once they are cool enough to handle, peel them and slice them into wedges.
- In a large serving bowl, combine the beet wedges, olive oil, sherry vinegar, and chopped chives. Season with salt and pepper and toss to combine.
- Add the arugula and the segmented blood oranges to the bowl.
- Gently toss everything together and serve immediately.
Notes
- This is a very easy and elegant side salad that is perfect for any season.
- Boiling the beets is a simple, straightforward cooking method. The skins will slip off easily after they are cooked and cooled slightly.
- The dressing is made directly in the serving bowl with the beets, which allows them to absorb the flavors.
- Blood oranges provide a beautiful color and a sweet-tart flavor, but regular navel oranges can be substituted.
What to Serve With Your Beet and Blood Orange Salad
This beautiful and savory-sweet dish is a fantastic and incredibly versatile side dish. It is the perfect accompaniment to almost any fall or holiday main course.
- Holiday Roasts: It is an absolute must-have alongside a classic Roasted Turkey, a Glazed Ham, or a beautiful Prime Rib.
- Weeknight Dinners: It is also the perfect, elegant side for a simple roasted chicken or some pan-seared fish, like salmon or scallops.
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Storage and Make-Ahead Tips
- Make-Ahead: This is the perfect make-ahead holiday side dish! You can boil, peel, and slice your beets and make your vinaigrette up to 3 days in advance. Store them in separate, airtight containers in the refrigerator.
- Storage: For the best, freshest result with a crisp arugula, it is highly recommended to assemble the entire salad just before you plan to serve it.
Frequently Asked questions (FAQs)
Q1: What is the absolute, number one secret to beets that aren’t messy to peel?
The secret is to boil them whole, with their skins on, and then to peel them while they are still warm. The skins will slip right off with almost no effort, especially if you use a paper towel to rub them. This also helps to prevent your hands and your cutting board from getting stained.
Q2: Can I make this side dish with roasted beets instead of boiled beets?
Yes, absolutely! Roasting beets is another fantastic method that will result in an even deeper, sweeter, and more concentrated flavor. Simply toss your peeled and wedged beets with olive oil and roast them in a 400°F oven for about 30-40 minutes.
Q3: Can I use a different kind of orange if I can’t find blood oranges?
Of course! This beautiful salad would also be delicious with other sweet, seasonal citrus, like a classic navel orange, a sweet Cara Cara orange, or even some juicy grapefruit segments.
Q4: Can I add any other toppings to this salad?
Yes! This salad is a wonderful canvas for all sorts of delicious additions. A generous crumble of a tangy goat cheese or a salty feta, or a sprinkle of some toasted, crunchy walnuts or pecans would all be fantastic.
Q5: What is the best way to “suprême” or segment an orange?
It’s easier than you think! First, use a sharp knife to slice off the top and the bottom of the orange. Stand it up on your cutting board, and then carefully slice down, following the curve of the fruit, to remove all the peel and the white pith. Then, simply hold the peeled orange in your hand over a bowl and carefully cut on either side of each membrane to release the perfect, jewel-like segments.