Orange Beetroot Walnut Salad: quick & easy, juicy summer salad, budget friendly

For busy cooks in a small household, this is an attractive, juicy plate of salad ready in minutes.  Multiplies easily.

Lovely, juicy and satisfying

This recipe, a simpler version of 67's zucchini salad, ticks all the boxes.  

It's ready in minutes.  It's budget-friendly.  You're likely to have most of the ingredients on hand - and they will fit easily into other salads.  And it tastes as good as it looks.

Cost: £2.50'ish (6/25)

Feeds: 2

Ingredients

Salad

1.5 med-large beetroot packaged in vinegar, drained

1.5 large orange

3-4 generous handfuls well washed preferably soft English lettuce or lamb's lettuce

generous handful walnuts, halves if you have them

Balsamic Orange Vinaigrette (see below)

   3-4 tbsp good olive oil 

   1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

   good pinch salt and 1/8 tsp pepper, pref. coarsely ground     

   1 rounded tsp Dijon mustard     

   zest one orange

   1-2 tbsp orange juice

Method:

1. Prepare dressing: pour all ingredients into a jar with a tight fitting lid; shake until thick and blended; taste for seasoning; refrigerate until needed
2. Toast walnuts at 180C/350F in oven or air-fryer 5 mins max; set aside 
3. Soak lettuce in 99-5 mix of water and vinegar, 20 mins; repeat for 5 mins twice.  Dry in paper towels or clean tea towel.
4. Peel cooked beetroot; cut in medium slices; pour over some of the orange dressing; set aside
5. Remove peel and pith from oranges (method: Sunshine Salad); slice in the same size as beetroot 
6. Scatter a platter generously with lettuce
7. Drain beetroot slices and arrange in a horizontal line over lettuce
8. Halve (or leave whole) orange slices and arrange below the beetroot in a separate line
9. Arrange walnuts neatly in between
10. Shake dressing to re-emulsify; drizzle over the salad with dressing; serve the rest on the side

note: 67 now uses organic packaged beetroot 

Comment: 'I loved this; it was so easy, so fuss-free, so delicious and so summery!'  Retired writer 

This recipe was developed by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission.