Shaved Fennel, Orange & Beet Salad
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!
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.
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:
Then you can slice right along the membranes (those white lines) to release segments, or you can cut it into slices like this:
I actually do both, because I think it’s so pretty to have different shapes.
Then, I cut up some 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:
Then use a mandolin to thinly slice the fennel:
For the vinaigrette, combine olive oil, fresh lemon juice, fresh orange juice, fresh mint, 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:
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.
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!
Shaved Fennel, Orange, and Beet Salad
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
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
3 Comments on “Shaved Fennel, Orange & Beet Salad”
I appreciate the detail with which you explain the whole process of each recipe. I am using a few for wine, and Tapas night I have at my cafe. I feel as if you are teaching me to cook. I very much appreciate your site.
Susan Murphy
Cupacity Coffee
I love all the ingredients in this salad and had to try it. Really yummy!
Wow! This salad looks so fresh and colorful! I wouldn’t have thought to add mint to a salad like this, but it sounds lovely. 🙂