Beet and Avocado Salad with Chili-Soy Vinaigrette

Are you on team beets? Join me! I didn't know I liked beets until my early 30s when I went on a date with my boyfriend (now husband) and he convinced me to share a beet and spinach salad. I was hesitant, but mostly because I associated beets with the pickled variety found on the Sizzler salad bar that stained everything purple. Yuck. But this salad had a soy sauce-based dressing and the beets were earthy and sweet! This, this was a vegetable I could get behind. I've used that first experience as inspiration for this Beet and Avocado Salad with Chili-Soy Vinaigrette. There's also avocado and pistachios plus a bit of goat cheese for lots of flavor and texture contrasts. The vinaigrette has a bit of spice to it thanks to the chili oil, and with the soy sauce and vinegar it's a perfect finish to the salad.

Ingredients and Preparation

Start with the beets... are you getting beautiful beets at the farmer's market right now? Pick them up and roast them at home in a bit of olive oil and then peel them before slicing for the salad. Do you want the quick and easy version? Get prepared steamed and peeled ones at your local market. I find mine at Trader Joe's but I've also seen them at our supermarket chain. They are ready to drain and slice and let you make this salad in minutes.

Gather up the rest of the salad ingredients: a ripe avocado, arugula, shelled pistachios, and goat cheese. I like to arrange everything on a big platter for a family-style preparation, but this is an impressive enough salad for a dinner party and you can get everything arranged on salad plates ahead of time. start with a bed of arugula, then arrange the avocado and beets. Crumble the goat cheese over the top and sprinkle on the crushed or chopped pistachios.

Make the vinaigrette by either shaking all of the ingredients up in a mason jar or whisking everything together in a small bowl. I find chili oil at both my favorite Asian market or my supermarket. If you are afraid it will make your vinaigrette too spicy, try half the oil at first and add more to taste. I think the one teaspoon is a good balance between tart, spicy, sweet, and savory.

Serving Beet and Avocado Salad with Chili-Soy Vinaigrette

You can either drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad before serving or pass it around for each person to dress their salad to their own preference. If you are passing it around, you may want to double the vinaigrette amounts. It's better to have a little extra than not enough! Plus, I think this vinaigrette is so very tasty and it's great to have on-hand for lunch salads.

Try it and share

I'm a big salad fan and love it when they have all of the tasty toppings: nuts and other crunchy bits, tangy dressings, and peppery greens. I hope you try this Beet and Avocado Salad with Chili-Soy Vinaigrette and enjoy it. I want to see your results! Tag your photo with #planeatpostrepeat and mention me @planeatpostrepeat on Instagram. I can give you a virtual high five and thank you for cooking one of my recipes! Comment below with any questions and please leave a review so others can find this recipe more easily.

Are you looking for a few other salad options to shake up the salad routine? Try my Chicken and Cabbage Salad with Hoisin Vinaigrette or the Grilled Peach and Zucchini Salad. They are both full of flavor with punchy dressings to liven up basic greens.