Red White and Blue Salad is an ideal salad to serve on the 4th of July or Australia Day. Beets, blueberries and feta are tossed in our, oh-so-scrumptious blueberry basil dressing that everyone will love!
This is such a colourful salad, the vibrant green of the rocket, the intense dark red of the beets, the bright, blueish purple of the blueberries and the pure white feta. Which means that this salad contains a nice variety of nutrients.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Where Does the Red White and Blue Come From?
- Red - the intense red colour of beetroot is due to betacyanin – an antioxidant that is important for a healthy heart.
- White – comes from the creamy white feta made from goat’s milk a cheese that is low in calories and fat and contains a high amount of B vitamins.
- Blue - the purple of the blueberries comes from the anthocyanins a potent antioxidant.
How to Make it
Step 1 - Prepare Your Veg and Berries
Place a piece of baking paper on your chopping board to prevent it from staining. Rinse, strain then dice your beets into small to medium dice.
Wash your rocket, then either pat dry with a clean towel or spin dry in a salad spinner.
Wash your blueberries then gently pat dry.
Step 2 - Blitz Your Dressing
Place all the ingredients for the dressing in a small food processor, and blend until smooth.
Taste and adjust seasonings according to your liking. If necessary, add 1-2 tablespoons of water if the dressing is too thick.
Step 3 - Assemble Your Salad
Place your diced beets, rocket and blueberries in a large mixing bowl.
Season with salt and pepper, pour over the dressing, and toss until everything is well coated.
Arrange in a salad bowl and scatter the crumbled feta on top to garnish. Chill until you are ready to serve.
Serving Suggestions 🍽
Beets pair well with beef, pork, fish eggs and cheese such as feta, goat, parmesan, ricotta. Try it with grilled meats or chicken, roast beef or a feta and filo tart.
How to Make This Salad With Fresh Beets
If you would like to make this salad with fresh beets instead to boost the flavour, just allow an additional 30 to 40 minutes to boil the beets (sometimes longer depending on the beets).
You will need 3-4 medium beets (approximately 500 grams)
- Put a large pot of salted water on high heat to boil.
- Place a piece of baking paper on your chopping board to prevent it from staining.
- Then trim the root end and the leaves from your beets. (Do not throw them away if they are fresh and unmarked they make a great salad on their own.
- Scrub your beets thoroughly under cold running water to remove all the dirt. As beets are grown in the ground, they are quite often laden with dirt.
- Put them in your pot and allow them to boil rapidly (approximately 30-40 minutes or more). Pierce them with a fork, and when they are soft and tender, they are ready.
- While your beets are cooking, wash and dry your rocket and blueberries.
- Carefully strain your cooked beets in a colander, running them under cold water to cool them down so that they are easier to handle.
- Once cool peel them with a paper towel, with your fingers or with a small paring knife, then cut them into small dice. Make sure you cover your chopping board with some baking or wax paper to prevent staining.
Tips and Questions
Can I Use Canned Beets?
To be honest, I am just not a fan of canned beets, they are high in sodium and have a briny taste that does not go well in this salad.
Can I Make It in Advance?
- This salad can be made several hours ahead but just mix your dressing through just before serving otherwise your salad will become soggy and wilted.
- Blueberry basil dressings gels if left sitting for too long so you will need to add some water to thin it out a little.
- Your dressing can be stored in a covered container in the fridge for a couple of days, just add water if it becomes to thin it out.
How Do I Store Leftover Salad?
Store any leftover salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator and should be fine the next day even though the greens would be slightly wilted.
Alternatively, if you take out the wilted greens the rest of the salad will keep in several days.
Some Other Salads to Try:
Recipe Card
Equipment
- small food processor or bullet blender
- Salad Spinner
Ingredients
- 500 grams vacuum packed beets 2 packs
- 60 grams rocket arugula approximately 2 cups
- 250 grams blueberries 2 packs
- ¼ cup crumbled feta
- ½ cup fresh blueberries
- ¼ cup fresh basil chopped
- 3 tbsps red wine vinegar
- 2 tbsps raspberry vinegar
- 4 tbsps olive oil
- 1 teaspoon honey
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Place a piece of baking paper on your chopping board to prevent it from staining. Rinse, strain then dice your beets into a small to medium dice.
- Wash your rocket, then either pat dry with a clean towel or spin dry in a salad spinner.
- Wash your blueberries then gently pat dry.
- Place all the ingredients for the dressing in a small food processor, and blitz until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings according to your liking. If necessary, add 1-2 tablespoons of water if the dressing is too thick.
- Place your diced beets, rocket and blueberries in a large mixing bowl, season with salt and pepper, pour over the dressing, toss until everything is well coated.
- Arrange in a salad bowl and scatter the crumbled feta on top to garnish. Chill until you are ready to serve.
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