Roasted Beet Salad with Whipped Ricotta, Fennel, and Orange

Roasted Beet Salad with thinly sliced fennel and orange. Drizzled with balsamic glaze and served alongside creamy whipped ricotta. 

Despite my love for beets, I don’t cook them all that often. I used to cook them all the time when I used to work in a restaurant. For a six month period, I roasted 25 lbs of beets at least 2 to 3 times a week. 

However, whenever I take the time to buy and cook beets at home, I’m reminded that I should cook them more often. They don’t require much effort, the cooking time is inactive, and they can prepped and used for easy meals or salads throughout the week.

This Roasted Beet Salad with Whipped Ricotta was inspired by a brunch at River Roast in downtown Chicago. The restaurant is actually known, not surprisingly, for their roasted dishes, but it was the beet salad that stuck with me.

One of my favorite things about their roasted beet salad is that it is served alongside fresh ricotta cheese! Bellwether Farms ricotta is particularly good if you can find it. 

The ricotta is a welcome (not to mention, tasty!) change from standard beet and goat cheese salads. Unlike goat cheese, ricotta is light and more delicate in flavor, which really allows the roasted beets, fennel, and fresh orange to shine through in this salad. 

To make the ricotta extra creamy, I like to whip it up in a small food processor until it is super smooth and then season it lightly with salt, pepper, and extra virgin olive oil. If you’re using a high-quality super fresh ricotta, such as the one listed above, you can absolutely skip this step.

Roasted Beet Salad with Whipped Ricotta, Fennel, and Orange

5 stars (3 ratings)

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Yield: 4 Servings

Prep: 15 minutes minutes

Cook: 1 hour hour

Total: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Roasted Beet Salad with thinly sliced fennel and orange segments. Drizzled with balsamic glaze and served with creamy whipped ricotta. 

The ricotta is a welcome (not to mention, tasty!) change from standard beet and goat cheese salads. Unlike goat cheese, ricotta is light and more delicate in flavor, which really allows the roasted beets, fennel, and fresh orange to shine through in this salad. 

Ingredients

Roasted Beets:

• 5 medium-large red or golden beets
• 1 tablespoon (15 mL) extra virgin olive oil
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Salad Assembly:

• 1 small head fennel fronds reserved
• 1 tablespoon (15 mL) extra virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons (10 mL) fresh orange juice
• 2 teaspoons (10 mL) fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon balsamic glaze not balsamic vinegar, plus additional syrup for drizzling
• kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2 navel oranges trimmed and cut into segments

Whipped Ricotta:

• ½ cup whole fat ricotta cheese
• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions 

• Roast the beets: Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C) with a rack in the center position. Rinse and scrub the beets under cold water. Place the beets in a large bowl and toss with the 1 tablespoon olive oil and generous sprinkle of salt and pepper. Wrap each beet in aluminum foil and place on a half sheet pan. Roast the beets until they can be easily pierced through with a sharp knife, about 50 to 60 minutes or longer, depending on the size of your beets. Once the beets are cooked through, set them aside on a plate (keep them wrapped in foil) until they are cool enough to handle. Trim the ends, peel, and cut into quarter segments. Place in a large salad bowl.
• Assemble Salad: Trim the tops and bottom of the fennel bulb and slice the bulb in half lengthwise. Remove the core of the fennel bulb with a sharp knife, and slice each half crosswise into very thin slices (roughly ⅛-inch thick). Place the sliced fennel into the salad bowl with the quartered beets. Add the olive oil, orange juice, lemon juice, balsamic glaze, and toss gently to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside to marinate as you prepare the whipped ricotta.
• Prepare the whipped ricotta: Combine the ricotta, olive oil, salt, and pepper in the bowl of a mini food processor. Pulse until very smooth.
• Serve: Distribute the tossed beets and fennel evenly on a large platter, garnish with the orange segments and reserved fennel fronds. Serve with a spoonful of whipped ricotta cheese. Drizzle each serving lightly with balsamic glaze.

Tips for Success:

• Balsamic glaze - essentially heavily reduced balsamic vinegar - can be found in most grocery stores (in the oil and vinegar aisle), but you can also make your own at home!

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 240kcal, Carbohydrates: 21g, Protein: 9g, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g, Cholesterol: 19mg, Sodium: 652mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 13g

Author: Laura / A Beautiful Plate

Course: Salads

Cuisine: American