This simple, delicious balsamic beet salad is as easy as it gets with just four ingredients. Tender beets are paired with creamy baby mozzarella balls and drizzled with a rich balsamic/Olive Oil vinaigrette that creates an explosion of flavor with each bite. This may be the perfect salad!
What You Will Need
The first step to preparing this, or any recipe, is to read and understand the recipe, collect all the equipment you’ll need and to gather all the ingredients required to make Balsamic Beet Salad with Baby Mozzarella. In culinary terms, this is called “Mise en Place,” which means “Everything in its Place.” Preparing ingredients and setting up any needed equipment in advance not only speeds up cooking but also ensures all necessary components are ready for the dish.
Simple Ingredients
- Beets: I used fresh beets that I boiled for this recipe. As an alternative, you can also roast the beets in the oven.
- Mozzarella Cheese: This recipe features Bocconcini, small mozzarella balls that originated in Naples, Italy. Authentic Bocconcini, crafted from water buffalo milk, can be challenging to locate in the United States. Nonetheless, numerous versions made from cow’s milk are readily accessible in the U.S. Regardless of the milk source, Bocconcini acts like a tiny flavor sponge, enhancing the taste of other ingredients it’s paired with.
- Balsamic Vinegar: Buying Balsamic Vinegar is very similar to buying fine wine and it can be equally expensive. Use your favorite balsamic vinegar.
- Olive Oil: Use the olive oil that you most like the taste of. If you don’t enjoy the taste off of a spoon, you won’t like it on a salad.
- Fresh Dill and/or Fresh Basil (Optional): For garnish.
Nutrition Benefits of Beet Salad
Beets have been cherished for their health benefits since ancient Roman times. Back then, they were used to treat everything from constipation to fevers – and even considered an aphrodisiac! Fast forward to today, and modern science confirms their medicinal prowess. Packed with nitrates, beets are great for your heart, helping to lower blood pressure and improve blood flow. Plus, they’re loaded with antioxidants, which repair DNA, promote cell health, and fight inflammation.
With all these perks, it’s no wonder beets are hailed as a nutritional powerhouse, offering a natural way to manage conditions like cardiovascular disease and cancer. So, next time you’re sipping on beetroot juice or enjoying roasted beets in a salad, remember you’re not just indulging in deliciousness – you’re nourishing your body too!
How to Make Beet Salad
- Trim the steams/leaves, leaving a small bit of the stem at the top of the beetroot.
Pro Tip: Leaving a bit of the stem intact helps prevent the red beet juices from leaching into the water while boiling.
- Then, using a washcloth or scrubbing pad, wash the beets really well under running water to remove any dirt or debris. I don’t worry about the stringy parts or the skin as those easily come off after cooking. Beets contain a pigment that stains easily, so promptly wipe surfaces they touch to avoid lasting stains.
- Place the beets into a large enough pan so that the beets are in a single layer with about 4 inches of water. Turn the heat to high and add a tablespoon of salt. Boil the beets for 25-45 minutes, depending on their size, or until you can pierce them easily with a fork. Smaller beets will cook more quickly than larger beets.
- When the beets are fork tender, remove from the heat and carefully pour the hot water and beets into a colander in the sink. Return the beets to the pan and cover with cold water. When the beets are comfortable to handle, use your hands to gently remove the skins under cool running water.
- Using a sharp knife, remove the stems and root.
- Dice the beets into 1/2 pieces and refrigerate.
- While the beets are cooling, whisk together the Olive Oil and Balsamic vinegar in a small mixing bowl.
- Just before serving, whisk the balsamic vinaigrette, add to the beets, and toss to coat. Then arrange the mozzarella balls on top of the beets. Optional, garnish with fresh dill or fresh basil. Serve immediately.
How to Remove Beet Juice Stains
What’s the secret when you have those pesky beet stains, despite your caution to avoid them?
Here are a couple tricks to get rid of those stubborn stains:
Removing Beet Stains From Hands: For beet-stained hands, try squeezing fresh lemon juice on them, rubbing them together, and letting it sit for 10 seconds before rinsing with soap and water.
Removing Beet Stains From a Cutting Board: To remove beet stains from your cutting board, sprinkle salt all over and give it a good scrub. Then rinse with soap and water.
Beet Salad Variations
This beet salad with mozzarella is an extremely flexible recipe that you can easily adapt depending on your mood and what you have available.
- Greens: Serve over a bed of your favorite greens – spinach, arugula, mixed greens, garden greens, or lettuce.
- Add nuts: I recommend toasted pine nuts, walnuts, or sliced almonds to add a nice texture.
- Cheese. Beet salad is delicious with Mozzarella cheese, Burrata, Feta, Goat cheese, or Gorgonzola.
Make Ahead Meal Prep and Storage
- Make-Ahead: It is so easy to boil beets ahead of time to have them ready for your favorite recipes!
- Store: Keep boiled beets in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 4 days.
- Freeze: Place peeled beets in airtight container and store in the freezer for up to 3 to 4 months.
Delicious Beet Salad with Baby Mozzarella
Tender beets are paired with creamy baby mozzarella balls and drizzled with a rich balsamic/Olive Oil vinaigrette that creates an explosion of flavor with each bite.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 8 (1/2) cup servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American, Italian, Mediterranean
Ingredients
Salad:
- 6 medium-sized beets
- 14 ounces baby mozzarella balls
- 1 tablespoon Kosher Salt
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Fresh Dill and/or Basil for garnish (optional)
Vinaigrette:
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Wash and clean the beets to remove all dirt and debris. Cut and remove the leaves, leaving an inch or so of the stems.
- Place the beets in a large saucepan and add about 4 inches of water and one tablespoon of Kosher salt.
- Boil the beets until they can be easily pierced with a fork – about 20-30 minutes for smaller beets and up to 40-50 minutes for larger beets. When done, drain beets in a colander, then return to the pan and cover with cold water to cool.
- When the beets are comfortable to handle, use a sharp knife to remove the stem and root. Then, under cool running water, remove the skins.
- Dice the beets into 1/2-inch pieces. Refrigerate.
- While the beets are cooling, whisk together 2 tablespoons of Olive Oil and 1 tablespoon of Balsamic Vinegar to form the simple vinaigrette. Set aside.
- Just before serving, whisk the balsamic vinaigrette, add to the beets, and toss to coat. Then arrange the mozzarella balls on top of the beets. Optional, garnish with fresh dill or fresh basil. Serve immediately.
