This healthy salad stars a classic restaurant dish combination of shaved fennel bulb, fresh orange slices, and roasted beets, with a bright citrus mint vinaigrette to bring it all together. It’s so fresh and flavorful!

Fennel Orange Salad - with pistachios, fresh mint citrus vinaigrette on a plate

One of the many constants in my life is that I’m always looking for new salad recipes.

Oh, and especially ones that don’t have cheese.

Because adding salty hunks of feta, crumbly blue cheese, and shaved parmesan is an incredibly easy way to make salads delicious, but these days I’m only eating dairy on special occasions.

Today’s shaved fennel, orange, and roasted beet salad has been one of my staples lately, especially since citrus right now is in-season and SO delicious.

The colors of the ingredients in these photos probably look a little strange, but it’s because I used Cara Cara oranges instead of the regular.

They have a bright pink color inside (though they’re still orange on the outside), and a really sweet flavor.

I have friends who claim they don’t like oranges, but have tried Cara Cara and are obsessed with them. I always snatch them up when I see them!

I also used Chioggia beets (photos are below), which have a striped pattern and lighter color than the deep purple ones you usually see. A bonus to using them is they won’t stain the rest of the ingredients with purple color.

Beet Fennel Salad - On a Plate with Sliced Cara Cara Orange Segments, Chioggia Beets, Pickled Red Onions, Shaved Fennel Salad with Spoon Drizzling Citrus Vinaigrette

To prep the oranges, start by cutting off the top and bottom, then run your knife along the sides to get rid of the rind:

Segmenting a Cara Cara Orange, Cutting Off Rind With Chef's Knife

Then you can slice right along the membranes (those white lines) to release segments, or you can cut it into slices like this:

Slicing Rindless Cara Cara Oranges With Serrated Knife

I actually do both, because I think it’s so pretty to have different shapes.

Then, I cut up some roasted beets:

Sliced Chioggia Roasted Beets

These are Chioggia beets, which were the ones my store happened to have that day.

They are cool-looking, and they won’t stain the rest of the ingredients purple, however I’ve found that purple beets tend to be sweeter in my experience.

Now it’s time to shave the fennel. Trim the top and bottom of the bulb, and remove the outer layer if it looks brown or shriveled:

Trimmed Fennel Bulb On Cutting Board Ready To Be Shaved

Then use a mandolin to thinly slice the fennel:

Thinly Shaved Fennel Bulb From Mandolin Slicer

For the vinaigrette, combine olive oil, fresh lemon juice, fresh orange juice, fresh mint, mustard, salt, and pepper:

Citrus Vinaigrette In White Bowl With Freshly Chopped Mint, Lemon Juice, Orange Juice, Olive Oil, Mustard, Salt, and Pepper

And finally, I don’t do this all the time (and thus, it isn’t in the official recipe below), but sometimes I like adding some pickled red onion to the salad.

Simply slice up a red onion and soak it in red wine vinegar for 15 minutes:

Quick Pickled Red Onions In White Bowl

Toss everything together, including a couple cups of your favorite salad green (like spring mix, baby arugula, mache, etc.), and add some salted pistachios on top to finish.

Shaved Fennel, Beet, Orange Salad on Plate with Fork

This salad is not a lettuce-focused one, but you can certainly tweak it to be if you’d like, and include the same ingredients.

For more salad ideas, check out my recipe index. A few of my favorite other salads right now are my Spiced Carrot Raisin Salad with Pine Nuts, Zesty Lime Shrimp and Avocado Salad, and Mexican Street Corn Salad with Black Beans.

This salad is also vegan, gluten-free, paleo, and Whole30-compliant (see all my Whole30 recipes here).

Enjoy, and happy eating!

A Plate with Sliced Cara Cara Orange Segments, Chioggia Beets, Pickled Red Onions, Shaved Fennel Salad

Shaved Fennel, Orange, and Beet Salad

Servings: 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
This healthy salad stars a classic restaurant dish combination of shaved fennel bulb, fresh orange slices, and roasted beets, with a bright citrus mint vinaigrette to bring it all together. It's so fresh and flavorful!
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Ingredients

  • 2 medium roasted beets
  • 2 oranges
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp fresh orange juice
  • 2 tbsp chopped mint
  • 1 tsp mustard
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1 softball-sized fennel bulb shaved
  • 2 cups spring mix or other baby lettuce
  • 1/2 cup salted pistachios

Instructions 

  • Peel the beets, then cut into segments or slices.
  • Cut the rinds off the oranges, then cut into segments or slices.
  • To make the dressing, whisk to combine the olive oil, lemon juice, orange juice, mint, mustard, salt, and pepper.
  • In a large bowl, toss to combine the sliced beets, cut oranges, shaved fennel, spring mix, and pistachios. 
  • Drizzle the dressing evenly over the ingredients, and serve!

Notes

I like to roast beets and keep them on hand in the fridge for salads like this. To cook in the oven, wrap individually in foil, then roast at 400 for 60-70 minutes, until fork tender. You can also pressure cook them in the instant pot!

Nutrition

Calories: 280kcal, Carbohydrates: 22g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 21g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Sodium: 368mg, Fiber: 6g, Sugar: 13g

Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.

Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Author: Fifteen Spatulas