This beetroot and halloumi salad has the perfect balance of sweet and salty, with an herby garlicky dressing, toasted croutons, apples, and chopped walnuts.
I’m a beetroot salad fanatic. There, I said it. Beetroot salad on the menu? I order it. Listing of things that bring me joy…insert beetroot salad. And speaking of joy, let’s talk grilled halloumi. I am obsessed with this salty, squeaky, grillable cheese. I want to add it to everything, hence the creation of this glorious beetroot and halloumi salad. It strikes the perfect balance of sweet and salty, with an herby, garlicky dressing, toasted croutons, apples, and chopped walnuts.
How to make this beetroot and halloumi salad
Guys, this salad is easy peasy. Just put on some tunes and get chopping.
- Cook beets (see my preferred/lazy method below), peel, and chop into small 1/2 inch cubes. Place in a shallow serving bowl.
- While the beets are cooking, prep the other ingredients: chop chives, parsley, apples, and combine dressing ingredients in a mason jar.
- Roughly chop walnuts, add to a small dry pan on medium heat to toast. Toss them around frequently, for five or so minutes…just until they are fragrant and starting to brown. Set them aside to cool.
- Slice your country bread into small crouton-sized bites and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil over the top, along with chives and kosher salt. Toss around with your hands until they are all evenly coated. Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes (stirring mid-way) until they are lightly browning and crisp.
- Slice and grill/fry halloumi — see details below!
- Time to eat. Back to the serving dish. Top the beets with the chopped apple and remaining parsley. Drizzle two-thirds of the dressing over the top and gently toss. Top with the walnuts, croutons, warm halloumi, and drizzle over the remaining dressing.
- And, don’t forget to add salt and fresh pepper to taste.
Side note, to minimize the prep time, many of these ingredients, like the beets, can be prepped ahead of time.
The easiest way to peel beets
- Toss the beets (as is—skins on) into a large pot of water.
- Bring the pot of water to a boil.
- Cook the beets until tender—about 40-60 minutes, depending on their size.
- Remove the beets and run them under cool water until they can be handled.
- Using kitchen poly gloves (to save your hands from a pink stain), firmly rub the beets with a paper towel until the beetroot skin peels away.
How to grill halloumi?
- Cut the halloumi cheese into 1/2 inch thick slices.
- Pat them dry with a paper towel to remove any excess liquid.
- Lightly coat the slices in olive oil.
- Place on a BBQ grill or stove-top pan on medium-high heat and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden grill marks appear. Lower the heat if they begin to burn.
More on halloumi…
If you have two and half minutes to spare, watch Gordon Ramsey make halloumi…because one it’s Gordon Ramsey and two knowing how to make halloumi cheese is cool. 😎
Last but not least, this beetroot and halloumi salad is super adaptable. If you can’t find halloumi, feta will work nicely. As will pecans in place of walnuts and mint/or basil in place of parsley.
If you give this beetroot salad a try, let me know in the comments below. I love to hear from you!
xo Bri
Looking for more delicious salad recipes? Check out these fan favs!
- Rainbow beet salad with feta and mint
- Salmon Poke Bowl Recipe with Quinoa
- Mexican bean salad
- Sweet potato buddha bowl
Beetroot and Halloumi Salad
Ingredients
Salad
- 2 lbs beets (red, golden or rainbow) cooked, peeled and cubed ~ 10 small beets
- 1 honeycrisp apple washed, cored and chopped into small bites
- 1/2 cup walnuts roughly chopped and lightly toasted
- 250 grams halloumi sliced and grilled
- 1 tbsp fresh flat leaf parsley
- kosher salt and fresh pepper to taste
Chive Croutons
- 1 1/2 cups crusty Belgian bread (or any type of country loaf) sliced and cubed ready for toasting
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp fresh chives finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
Dressing
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 tbsp fresh flat leaf parsley finely chopped
- a pinch of kosher salt
- freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- Cook beets (see my preferred/lazy method below), peel, and chop into small 1/2 inch cubes. Place in a shallow serving bowl.
- While the beets are cooking, prep the other ingredients: chop chives, parsley, apples, and combine dressing ingredients in a mason jar.
- Roughly chop walnuts, add to a small dry pan on medium heat to toast. Toss them around frequently, for five or so minutes…just until they are fragrant and starting to brown. Set them aside to cool.
- Slice your country bread into small crouton-sized bites and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil over top, along with chives and kosher salt. Toss around with your hands until they are all evenly coated. Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes (stirring mid-way) until they are lightly browning and crisp.
- Cut halloumi into 1/2 inch slices and lightly coat with olive oil. Place on a grill or in a stove-top pan over medium-high heat. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, just until grill marks/ light browning appears.
- Back to the serving dish. Top the beets with the chopped apple and remaining parsley. Drizzle two-thirds of the dressing over top and gently toss.
- Top with the walnuts, croutons, warm halloumi, and drizzle over the remaining dressing.
- And, don’t forget to add salt and fresh pepper to taste.
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