Citrus and beets are one of my favorite combinations and I love this time of year because early-season beets are starting to crop up and there’s still a little bit of time left to enjoy winter citrus before the season is over. And this citrus, beet, and cabbage salad takes full advantage of both. It’s simple to whip up, requiring only some basic knife skills, and it holds up well in the fridge thanks to the cabbage base. It’s a great side salad but I like to top it with salmon to make it a meal all on its own.
CITRUS, BEET, AND CABBAGE SALAD INGREDIENTS
- I used a combination of grapefruit and blood orange because I always have grapefruit on hand and I’m a sucker for how pretty blood oranges are. Citrus fruits are high in vitamin C, which is well known to help give your immune system a boost. And I’m all about boosting my immune season this time of year as it’s not uncommon for me to catch a bit of a cold as the seasons change.
- Beets are easily one of my favorite vegetables. They’re chock full of antioxidants and have impressive anti-inflammatory properties, which has prompted studies into their cancer-prevention abilities. Plus, they’re delicious. You might be able to find an early crop of beets at your farmers market this time of year. If not, just look for good looking, unblemished ones at the grocery store. I lean toward smaller beets for a salad like this. Try to get beets that are all about the same size so they cook evenly, too.
- Purple cabbage not only lends a beautiful color to the base of this salad, but it is loaded with essential vitamins and minerals. It’s quite high in vitamin C, high in antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory. On top of that, it holds up well in the fridge, which means you can make this salad as part of your meal prep!
- I know I’ve said it before but I LOVE PARSLEY! It’s a diuretic, benefiting ailments like UTIs, kidney stones, cystitis, and edema. It can alleviate stagnant digestion (think: bloating and gas) and stimulate the appetite. It has an insane amount of vitamin K12, which can help decrease coronary artery calcification. And it is, of course, incredibly high in antioxidants. Because it has a milder flavor, it’s easy to add large amounts to salads. I’ve used an entire bunch in this recipe, in fact!
- The sliced almonds add a nice crunch to this salad without overpowering any of the other flavors. The mild sweetness complements the tartness of the citrus well, I think.
- The vinaigrette is just my go-to basic vinaigrette method but instead of using lemon juice or vinegar, I used the leftover juice from the grapefruit and blood orange. It creates a sweeter, milder vinaigrette that lets the other ingredients really shine.
RECIPE NOTES/SUBSTITUTIONS
You can easily use any sweet citrus you like in this salad. All oranges. All grapefruit. Even little mandarin segments. They’re all free game.
You’ll need to supreme your citrus for this salad, which is just a fancy word for removing the segments. It’s kind of hard to explain, so check out this tutorial if you could use some visual assistance.
You can use any color of beet for this recipe. You could even use canned beets if you wanted to take a little shortcut, though the flavor and texture of canned beets isn’t quite as good as roasted. Still a viable substitution, though!
You only need half a head of cabbage for this recipe but, luckily, cabbage holds up fairly well in the fridge. If you need some inspiration for the leftover cabbage, try my Almond Lime Slaw with Chicken or my Chili-spiced Shrimp with Cilantro Lime Slaw. I love a good slaw.
CITRUS, BEET, AND CABBAGE SALAD RECIPE
Perfect for the beginning of spring, this Citrus, Beet, and Cabbage Salad takes advantage of the lingering winter citrus fruits and the early crop of beets to make a vibrant, colorful dish as full of flavor as it is antioxidants!
Serves 3-4
Ingredients:
- 3-4 small golden beets
- 1-2 tablespoons avocado oil
- Half a small head of red cabbage
- 1 bunch parsley
- 1 grapefruit
- 2 blood oranges
- 1/8 cup sliced almonds
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup reserved citrus juices
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 small clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Slice the tops and a bit of the root end off of the beet, then scrub them under water to get rid of any dirt. Lay a large piece of foil on a baking sheet and top that with a piece of parchment paper. Place the washed and trimmed beets on the parchment paper and drizzle with the avocado oil. Then wrap the beets up to seal them. Place in the preheated oven and roast for 1 hours, until the beets are fork tender. Remove from oven and let cool.
Thinly slice the red cabbage and add it to a bowl. Rinse the parsley clean and then pat it dry. Then roughly chop the parsley, avoiding the thicker stems as much as possible. Add the chopped parsley to the bowl with the cabbage.
To supreme the citrus, slice off both ends and stand the citrus up on a flat end. Using a sharp paring knife, carefully cut away the pith and peel, moving down along the curve of the fruit. Once the peel is removed, cut right along the membranes to release each segment. Be sure to do this over a small bowl to catch the juices.
Place the citrus segments in the bowl with the cabbage and parsley. Squeeze any extra juice out of the remaining citrus remnants into the small bowl.
Once beets are cool enough to handle, peel off the skin using your hands and then slice each beet into 8 even wedges. Add to the bowl with the rest of the ingredients.
In a jar, combine the olive oil, ¼ cup reserved citrus juice, dijon mustard, garlic, salt, and pepper. Secure the lid and shake vigorously to combine.
Add about half of the dressing to the salad bowl and carefully toss to coat. Add the sliced almonds and toss again. Taste and add more vinaigrette as desired.
Store leftovers for 3-4 days in a covered container in the fridge.
CITRUS, BEET, AND CABBAGE SALAD RECIPE
Ingredients
- 3-4 small golden beets
- 1-2 tablespoons avocado oil
- Half a small head of red cabbage
- 1 bunch parsley
- 1 grapefruit
- 2 blood oranges
- 1/8 cup sliced almonds
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup reserved citrus juices
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 small clove garlic minced
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Slice the tops and a bit of the root end off of the beet, then scrub them under water to get rid of any dirt. Lay a large piece of foil on a baking sheet and top that with a piece of parchment paper. Place the washed and trimmed beets on the parchment paper and drizzle with the avocado oil. Then wrap the beets up to seal them. Place in the preheated oven and roast for 1 hours, until the beets are fork tender. Remove from oven and let cool.
- Thinly slice the red cabbage and add it to a bowl. Rinse the parsley clean and then pat it dry. Then roughly chop the parsley, avoiding the thicker stems as much as possible. Add the chopped parsley to the bowl with the cabbage.
- To supreme the citrus, slice off both ends and stand the citrus up on a flat end. Using a sharp paring knife, carefully cut away the pith and peel, moving down along the curve of the fruit. Once the peel is removed, cut right along the membranes to release each segment. Be sure to do this over a small bowl to catch the juices.
- Place the citrus segments in the bowl with the cabbage and parsley. Squeeze any extra juice out of the remaining citrus remnants into the small bowl.
- Once beets are cool enough to handle, peel off the skin using your hands and then slice each beet into 8 even wedges. Add to the bowl with the rest of the ingredients.
- In a jar, combine the olive oil, ¼ cup reserved citrus juice, dijon mustard, garlic, salt, and pepper. Secure the lid and shake vigorously to combine.
- Add about half of the dressing to the salad bowl and carefully toss to coat. Add the sliced almonds and toss again. Taste and add more vinaigrette as desired.
- Store leftovers for 3-4 days in a covered container in the fridge.