Pumpkin and Beetroot Salad

This is a pumpkin and beetroot salad recipe with celery, apple, gorgonzola cheese, and sesame and sunflower seeds. It’s not only delicious and healthy, but it’s also filling. Really, it’s a whole meal, however, you can also serve it as a side dish.

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I am in a state of pumpkin salad craze! Every fall I find myself in one or another sort of pumpkin craze because I love pumpkins and I can’t see any of them go to waste. I love all the sweets so I always make my low-sugar pumpkin bread and my delicious pumpkin cheesecake. I can a whole lot of pumpkin (see my how to can pumpkin tutorial) and I also freeze a lot of pumpkin puree so I can make these delicious recipes all year plus the puree is also for my pumpkin soup which is always an amazing dinner.

But this year, for some reason, it’s all about pumpkin salads. I made this delicious pumpkin and lentil salad, then this pumpkin and feta salad, and now I am going to share with you this amazing pumpkin and beetroot salad.

Pumpkin and Beetroot Salad Recipe…

I find that because I’m home by myself a lot now, these salads are my preferred meal. In previous years, my kids were home-schooled and even though they like pumpkins, a pumpkin salad wasn’t exactly their favorite meal.

Since they are all in school now and I work from home, I find that a salad is often enough for me especially if it’s one that has lentils or quinoa or nuts and seeds in it. Add to that the delicious heaviness of the pumpkin and the cheese and it’s really all I need for a good lunch.

Ingredients…

• Pumpkin – use whatever pumpkin you can put your hands on. The smaller sugar pie pumpkins are usually a bit more creamy and flavorful but even a carving pumpkin is fine here.
• Beet – fresh, firm beet (preferably from your garden!)
• Celery – Celery leaves are so tasty! Unfortunately, the celery that we get at the store has it’s leaves removed so to get just a little bit more leaves, I use the center of the celery stalk. Also, the center is younger and more flavorful and better in salads.
• Apple – any kind will do just fine. My favorite varieties are Pink Lady and Honeycrisp because they are exceptionally sweet and crisp. They work really well in a salad.
• Dressing – you can use any kind of dressing to dress this salad. If you prefer store-bought dressing that’s fine, if you like to make a homemade honey mustard or something like that, that’s fine too. I keep it simple, and dress this salad with sunflower oil, fresh lemon juice, and salt. There are so many amazing flavors in this salad, when I dress it simply I can really enjoy the vegetables, fruit, cheese, and seeds.

Kitchen Tools we are Going to Need…

• Kitchen knife
• Cutting board
• Baking sheet
• Oil spray bottle or Kitchen oil brush
• A small pot
• A vegetable peeler
• A large mixing bowl
• Smaller serving bowl
• 1 tablespoon measuring spoon

How to Make Pumpkin and Beetroot Salad Step By Step…

Step one – roast the pumpkin.

1. Start by cutting around the stem of the pumpkin and remove it.
2. Clean out the stringy mess that is inside the pumpkin. Make sure to keep the seeds and roast them or make pumpkin seed butter because they are very healthy.
3. Keep cutting the pumpkin into smaller pieces.
4. Place the pumpkin pieces on a baking sheet, drizzle each piece with olive oil and use a brush to brush it well (or spray with the oil). Season with salt and black pepper.
   Note – remember that we are only going to use 2 cups of cubed pumpkin so if you’re planning to use the rest of the pumpkin in sweet recipes you might want to roast some of it without the seasoning and the oil.
5. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and roast the pumpkin for around 30 minutes or until it’s soft (stick a fork in it to check if it’s soft).
6. Take the pumpkin out of the oven and let it cool a bit. Use your knife to remove the skin from each piece and cut it into smaller pieces.
7. Set the pumpkin pieces aside to cool completely.

Step two – cook the beets. If you choose to use a fresh beet, work on preparing the beet while the pumpkin is roasting in the oven. You can also use canned beets if you’d like, then, you can skip the boiling and just dice your beets. For this pumpkin and beetroot salad, we are using one large beetroot…

1. Remove both ends.
2. Peel the beet and slice it (slices should be about 1/2 inch thick).
3. Add the beetroot to a small pot and fill it with 2 or 3 inches of water. Set this pot on the stovetop, turn the heat to high and bring the water to a boil. Lower the heat just a bit to keep it at a rolling boil and cook the beetroot for around 30 minutes until the beet is soft.
4. Remove the beet from the hot water and set it on the cutting board to cool. Once the beet slices are cool, dice them and set aside.

Step three – chop the celery and apple. Wash the apple and celery. Core the apple and chop it, I usually don’t peel my apple but you can if you want to. Then, chop the celery.

Serving Pumpkin and Beetroot Salad…

Step four – put this salad together.

1. Once all the vegetables are diced, add them to a large bowl and toss them together. If you are the only one who is eating this salad, you can scoop as much as you want into a smaller bowl and dress only the smaller serving. Then, use a plastic food wrap to cover the larger bowl and place it in the fridge. It will last for days so you can come back the next day and scoop another smaller serving into a smaller bowl and so on. If you are serving this to a crowd, you can go ahead and dress the whole amount.
2. You can use any salad dressing that you’d like. I usually dress this salad with sunflower oil, fresh lemon juice, and salt. That’s it. Give the vegetables and the dressing a gentle toss.
3. Add the Gorgonzola cheese and sunflower seeds (raw or roasted), and a little bit of sesame seeds. Then, dig in!

What to Serve This Salad With…

This salad is very filling and can be a whole meal on its own, however, if you feel that you want to add something next to it, here are a few ideas…

• Zucchini and Corn Fritters
• Fried Chicken Meatballs
• Delicious Spinach Patties
• Mediterranean Zucchini Casserole

Frequently Asked Questions…

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This salad is, hands down, one of my favorite fall meals! It’s healthy, filling, and full of delicious flavors. I love that I can make a large bowl of it, stick it in the fridge, and just scoop as much as I want into a personal serving. I sure hope that you give it a try!

Other Recipes to Try…

• Israeli Beetroot Salad
• Dehydrating Beets
• Red Cabbage Salad
• Yellow Split Pea Soup
• Mediterranean Egg Salad Recipe

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