Festive Beet Citrus Salad with Kale and Pistachios

Healthy and Colorful Beet and Kale Salad! Paleo and vegan, with red and golden beets, blood orange slices, kale, and toasted pistachios.

By
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.
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Updated June 24, 2022
Elise Bauer
Beet Citrus Kale Salad
Elise Bauer

During the dark days of winter, isn't it refreshing to see festive colors on a plate?

This beet citrus salad includes a mixture of vibrant red, pink, and golden beets, blood and navel oranges, slivers of dark green kale, and crumbles of lime green pistachios.

It's like a Christmas tree! That you get to eat.

My friend Katie made this salad for a holiday party last week and I loved it so much I made a version of it for my family for our Christmas dinner.

The recipe makes enough for a small crowd, so scale it back if needed and play with the proportions to your taste. The kale holds up well over time, so the leftovers are good for days.

Festive Beet Citrus Salad with Kale and Pistachios

Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 75 mins
Marinating 60 mins
Total Time 2 hrs 35 mins
Servings 8 to 10 servings

Save time by prepping the ingredients while the beets are cooking.

Because the kale resists wilting, this salad holds up remarkably well, several days in the fridge.

Ingredients

  • 6 to 10 large beets (about 4 to 5 pounds), a mix of red, pink, and golden

  • 2 to 3 blood oranges (or Cara Cara or navel oranges or a mixture)

  • 1 bunch kale (lacinato or dinosaur kale if available), center ribs removed, leaves thinly sliced

  • 1 cup roasted pistachios, roughly chopped

  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves

  • 3 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley

Dressing:

  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice

  • 1/2 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil

  • 6 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar (or unseasoned rice vinegar plus 2 teaspoons of sugar)

  • Zest 1 orange

  • Zest 1 lemon

  • 2 tablespoons capers, coarsely chopped

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • Freshly ground black peppe, to taste

Method

  1. Cook the beets:

    Scrub the beets clean, leaving the skin on. You can boil or roast the beets to cook them.

    If boiling, boil the beets separately by color (otherwise the red beets will run into the the orange, turning the orange beets red). Place each batch of beets in a pot and cover with water by about an inch. Add a couple teaspoons of salt. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer until you can just pierce easily with a fork, 30 to 60 minutes, depending on the size of the beets. Drain. Let cool. Rub the skins off.

    To roast the beets, wrap them in foil and roast them in a 400°F oven for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until fork tender. Then cool and peel. See our roasted beets recipe.

  2. While the beets are cooking, prepare the dressing:

    and prep the rest of the ingredients. Place all of the dressing ingredients into a jar, cover and shake until well blended.

  3. Marinate beets in dressing:

    Cut the beets into 1/2-inch to 1-inch pieces. Separate by color and place in separate bowls and toss with a little of the dressing (use about a third of the dressing). Chill for an hour or up to two days.

  4. Sprinkle sliced kale with some dressing:

    minutes to an hour or two before serving, place the thinly sliced kale in a serving bowl. Sprinkle half of the remaining dressing over the sliced kale and toss to lightly coat the leaves.

  5. Serve:

    Either create a composed salad by placing the beets, citrus, mint, parsley, over the kale, sprinkling with the chopped roasted pistachios, and drizzling with the remaining dressing, OR toss everything together, sprinkling with with pistachios at the end.

    Did you love the recipe? Leave us stars below!

Beet Citrus Kale Salad
Elise Bauer
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
260 Calories
17g Fat
27g Carbs
4g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8 to 10
Amount per serving
Calories 260
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 17g 22%
Saturated Fat 2g 11%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 212mg 9%
Total Carbohydrate 27g 10%
Dietary Fiber 5g 19%
Total Sugars 16g
Protein 4g
Vitamin C 96mg 481%
Calcium 83mg 6%
Iron 1mg 7%
Potassium 484mg 10%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.