This pickled beetroot salad is super easy to make! I created it when a friend brought over some fresh picked beetroots recently.
What are pickled beetroots?
Pickled beetroots (called beets in the USA) are cooked beets that have been preseved in vinegar. Sometimes they are also pickled with salt and sugar and sold in jars, for longer shelf life preserve. I tend to get mine in the fresh veg section of a supermarket where they are fresher than the jarred ones.
The ones I have been getting in the local supermarket consist of 99% beetroot and 1% (or less) malt vinegar. Pickled beetroot is not for everyone, but if you like it, then you will certainly love this salad.
A pickled beetroot salad that needs no dressing
This salad consists of pickled beetroot, sweet potato and basil.
It requires no dressing.
The natural sweetness from the beetroot and roasted sweet potato mean you have incredible flavour. And then the vinegar from the beets, the sweet herby essence from the basil and the salt and pepper from the sweet potato all work in harmony creating a delicious meal.
Roasting sweet potato in cubes for a salad
Roast sweet potato is an excellent addition to a pickled beetroot salad. It brings in extra earthy sweetness and a soft texture.
The first thing you need to do is roast the sweet potato. If you are using organic then there is no need to peel it. Simply make sure it is clean and cut off any gnarly bits.
Aim for cubes of a similar size to the pickled beetroot (below). I would say 1 to 1.5cm (half an inch) cubed works for nice bite-sized pieces for a salad.
Sprinkle them with a generous amount of salt and pepper, and a teaspoon or two of oil. Then after that, toss until all of the sweet potatoes are evenly covered. And finally, bake in an oven for about 20 minutes, until soft.
Use pickled beetroots (or roast fresh ones as an alternative)
The rest of the pickled beetroot salad is super easy. All you need to do is cut the pickled beetroot into small pieces. Again, I go for 1 to 1.5cm (half an inch) cubed so that they are similar in size to the sweet potato cubes.
As an alternative you could actually roast your own fresh beetroots instead of using pickled ones. This is super easy to do, and you can roast them at the same time as your sweet potato. Here is my tutorial on roasting beetroot here:
How to make perfect roasted beets
Super easy to make the pickled beetroot salad recipe
Then to finish it off, chop your fresh basil. If you don’t have fresh basil but have parsley, coriander (cilantro) or mint then use them instead.
Once the sweet potato has been roasted, and you’ve chopped your beets… simply mix everything together and serve.
Fresh pickled beetroot salad with roast sweet potato
A super easy fresh pickled beet salad with roasted sweet potatoes and fresh basil. Keeps for a few days if you make ahead.
Ingredients
- 300g fresh pickled beetroot
- 500g sweet potato
- 10g fresh basil leaves
- Sprinkle of salt
- Sprinkle of black pepper
- Two teaspoons olive oil
Instructions
- Peel the sweet potatoes, unless they are organic, in which case leave on the skin.
- Chop the sweet potato into small cubes of a similar size. I aim for 1 to 1.5cm (half an inch) cubed.
- Place the sweet potatoes on an oven tray. Sprinkle with a generous amount of sea salt and black pepper, along with a very light (2 teaspoons) drizzle of olive oil.
- Mix everything on the tray together thoroughly until everything is evenly coated.
- Put into a hot oven (200C/400F) and bake for about 20 minutes, or until you can easly pierce a fork in the sweet potatoes.
- In the meantime, cut the pickled beetroot into a similar size to the sweet potatoes.
- Cut the basil up into small pieces.
- Once the sweet potato has roasted, take it out of the oven. You can either let it fully cool down, or use it hot.
- When you are ready mix everything together to create your fresh picked beetroot salad.
- Serve immediately, or keep in a sealed container in the fridge and enjoy over the next few days.
Notes
An alternative the using picked beetroot would be to use roast beetroot instead. Please see my page here for instructions on how to roast beet...
How to make perfect roasted beets
Beetroot falafel recipe…
More delicious beetroot recipes…
Pin pickled beetroot salad for later…
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