Pickled Beet Salad with Arugula and Tomatoes

This Pickled Beet Salad is easy and perfect for the holiday table. Fresh tomatoes, pickled beets, and baby arugula tossed with a simple balsamic vinegar dressing is a great way to add a pop of brightness to balance out your favorite rich and decadent holiday dishes.

Easy Side Salad Recipe

If you need a tasty salad recipe, this tomato and pickled beet salad is the one to try. The color combo is on point, and the fresh flavor complements lots of main dishes.

I love the tangy, earthy flavor of the beets with the fresh tomatoes. Add in some peppery arugula, a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, and a sprinkle of feta cheese, and you get a festive salad that’s easy to make.

Ingredients

• Balsamic vinegar
• Olive oil
• Grape or cherry tomatoes
• Pickled beets
• Arugula
• Kosher salt
• Crumbled feta cheese

Recipe Tips

I like to use grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes because they are the best option flavor-wise when it’s not tomato season. They’re a little sweeter and not super juicy so your salad won’t get soggy.

New to pickled beets? Look for them near the other jarred pickles at the grocery store. I like the brand, Aunt Nellie’s, which are jarred sliced pickled beets. I like to cut the sliced beets into smaller pieces for the salad.

The juice the beets are stored in can stain everything pink, so I like to remove the slices with a fork and then pat them with a paper towel to remove the excess liquid.

Variations

• Greens: If you don’t like arugula try baby spinach or butter lettuce.
• Dressing: I like this pickled beet salad lightly dressed, but you can double the vinegar and oil if you want more. Or, use your favorite prepared balsamic vinaigrette.
• Cheese: This salad is really good with crumbled goat cheese, too, so feel free to swap the feta cheese.

Happy salad-making,

More Salad Recipes

• Roasted Parsnip Salad
• Roasted Sweet Potato and Arugula Salad
• Roasted Beet & Goat Cheese Salad

Tomato and Pickled Beet Salad

This pickled beet salad packs a lot of flavors – fresh tomatoes, earthy beets, peppery arugula, and a sprinkle of feta cheese. It’s great year-round, but the colors are perfect for special holiday meals. I like to serve it as a side, so this recipe makes enough for four people if other side dishes are on the menu.

Print Pin Rate

Author: April Anderson

Servings: 4 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 8 grape tomatoes halved
• 8 slices pickled beets halved (see note)
• 4 cups baby arugula
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt or to taste
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Instructions

• In a large bowl whisk the olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Add the diced tomatoes, pickled beets, arugula, and salt. Toss it all together.
• Top each serving with some feta cheese and enjoy!

Notes

Look for jars of pickled beets near the other pickles in the grocery store. I like to buy Aunt Nellie’s brand – the beets are already sliced and just need to be halved for the salad.

Substitutions: Use other greens like spinach or butter lettuce. You can also swap the feta for crumbled goat cheese. 

Nutrition Estimate

Calories: 72kcal | Carbohydrates: 3.8g | Protein: 2.3g | Fat: 5.7g | Saturated Fat: 1.9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3.5g | Cholesterol: 8.3mg | Sodium: 415.1mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2.8g

Sign up here to get recipes delivered to your email!

Course: Salads

Cuisine: American

Keyword: arugula salad, holiday salad recipe, pickled beet salad, tomato salad

Post updated from the archives. First published in November 2012.