Roasted Fennel & Beet Salad w/ Honey Vinaigrette

A simple, elegant, and warming salad. This Roasted Fennel and Beet winter salad has it all! Sweet, savory, earthy, spicy and nutty all topped with an incredible and easy Honey Vinaigrette.

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This Roasted Fennel and Beet Salad came out of the need to use some beets that I purchased on sale. I had an intention of doing something with them, but then never ended up making the dish. Often when I am not sure what to do with a vegetable, especially in the winter, I roast it. It is so easy, just turn on the oven and throw a sheet tray of oiled veggies in. They come out crispy and honestly addictive, if you use enough oil that is.

I also had some fennel leftover from cooking another night. So I did what I often do, tossed the veggies on a sheet tray and roasted them. I like do this and then see what I can make. Usually I serve the roasted goodness over grains or with meat like chicken or fish. This time I kept it meat free and as a warm salad. Well, the Roasted Fennel and Beet Salad with Honey Vinaigrette turned out to be so good, I figured I would write the recipe down.

Whenever I make a salad as a meal I like to make sure I have at least one hot element. Truthfully a lot of my salads are basically grain bowls with raw spinach or arugula tossed in to wilt. After all a dressing is a sauce, and I prefer something warm on the dish. Adding a warm element makes the meal feel far more hearty. It also wilts to spinach so it keeps the fresh crunch but also starts breaking it down just slightly. It helps make sure everything is coated in the dressing, and that the flavors blend so much better.

I also feel I like I can make a really good and simple salad dressing. I pretty much always make oil and vinegar based salad dressings. But I change a few things depending on the flavors I am working with. There are a three main keys to my salad dressing. First is that I always use mustard. It adds incredible flavor and acidity without being overbearing. Also, depending on the type of salad dressing you are making you can change up the mustard, but I typically stick with dijon. Please note, I do not use yellow mustard. This stuff has its place on hotdogs and cuban sandwiches, but not in oil and vinegar based salad dressing (in my opinion).

The second key to a beautiful salad dressing is using garlic paste, not powder and definitely not diced. Garlic powder just does not bring the same flavor or bite as fresh garlic and nobody likes to bite into a chunk of raw garlic. Pasting the garlic allows the beautiful fresh garlic flavor to permeate throughout the entire dressing while not having large chunks that are aggressive little bombs of garlic. By pasting the garlic you can actually soften the flavor because you don’t bite into a chunk, it coats everything. Seriously, give it a try, your salads will forever be changed for the better.

The third key is that I always taste the dressing before dressing the salad. This may seem obvious, but I find a lot of people don’t regularly taste their food as they are going along and just assume or hope it will be good. After you add the ingredients, taste it. Grab a piece of arugula or whatever you’re tossing it in, dunk it in the dressing and taste. Is it too oily? Add more acidity. Is it too tart or puckering? Add more oil and something sweet. Is it almost there, but missing something? Add salt. It is far easier to adjust a container of dressing than to redo a whole salad.

With these tricks you will for sure step your salad game UP! Seriously, this honey vinaigrette is so good and perfectly ties together this Roasted Fennel and Beet winter salad. Don’t forget to make this salad even better and serve it with the Sparkling Honey Cranberry Prosecco Cocktail.

Roasted Fennel & Beet Salad Recipe Notes & Substitutions

Vegetables– I used fennel bulb and beets for this recipe (quite obviously since it is a Roasted Fennel and Beet Salad). Truthfully you can switch up the veggies used if you prefer other ones. However, the flavor will be different. Beet and fennel really do work so well together and the orange helps tie it all together. Make sure to roast your veggies properly, add plenty of oil, roast between 425-250oF and leave in long enough to brown. Different veggies take different amounts of time so keep like with like.

Arugula– I used arugula because I love the spice and pepperiness it brings. However, I do know that many people do not like the taste of arugula. I love arugula now, but I was not always that way. When I was younger I thought it was sulfuric, pungent and skunky. And yes I am talking skunky, like a dog just got sprayed by a skunk in my mouth type of skunky. However, now I love the spice and pungency it brings to a dish. If you are one of the people that find arugula offensive, use spinach. Using another green will not make or break the flavor, so if you prefer or have spinach use spinach.

Orange– Fruit is underrated on a salad. Often when it is used it is either apples, mandarin oranges in syrup or dried. Why not use other fresh fruits in a salad? Plus I had a lot of oranges at the time and wanted to use them in a different way than just eating as a snack. Furthermore, the beet and orange flavor combination is so incredible! Orange livens up the beets and takes away the dirt flavor of the beet with added sweetness and acidity. Orange also pairs incredibly well with fennel, as the sweetness and acidity almost help reduce some of the anise flavors, but balance them out in the best way.

Walnuts– I always have walnuts on hand. Not only are they incredibly tasty but they also are extremely healthy with omega-3 fatty acids, the healthy fat. So typically when I need to use a nut I go with walnuts. However, this salad would work well with almonds, pistachio, or pecans as well if you prefer one of these. Can’t eat nuts due to an allergy? No problem! Substitute pumpkin seeds, butternut squash seeds (yes I always roast and eat them when I cook butternut squash) or sunflower seeds (without the shell please).

Honey Vinaigrette– You can use any oil based salad dressing you want, but man this stuff is GOOD! The honey pairs perfectly with the beets, fennel and orange. Plus it is so easy to make and I always make extra to save in the fridge for dressing salads and bowls the rest of the week. If you do not want to make your own salad dressing that is fine, don’t. I always do because I can make it how I like it, control the sugar, plus it is so simple and I usually have all the ingredients on hand. Furthermore, I can make what I need and not be stuck with an entire bottle of the same dressing.