Greek Beetroot Salad (Patzarosalata)

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This Greek Beet Salad, known as Patzarosalata, is a hearty and healthy side dish or appetizer. Covered with a garlicky red wine vinaigrette, creamy feta and some crunchy walnuts, it’s a delicious way to get more beets in your meals.

Derived from the Greek words “patzari” meaning beet and “salata” meaning salad, Patzarosalata has become a staple in many Greek households.

We made this with a lovely red wine vinaigrette, feta and walnuts and some chopped parsley to finish. It might sound a little strange, but it tastes great.

Roasting the beets intensifies the flavors and really brings out their sweetness.

It pairs nicely with many dishes, but it’s hearty enough you could probably eat it by itself! Serve this cold salad with 

Why You Should Try This Recipe

  • Easy + Straightforward: It’s simply a case of preparing and roasting the beets, then making the red wine vinaigrette in the meantime. You only need to check on the beets after about 45 minutes, so no need to be in the kitchen in the meantime.
  • Super Versatile: This dish works great both as a main or a side. Having guests over? It’s a surefire way to impress with minimal effort. Just a dinner for one? It’s satisfying and filling.
  • Full of Healthy Ingredients: Beets are loaded with fiber, as well as vitamins and minerals like folate, whilst the extra virgin olive oil and walnuts contain lots of healthy unsaturated fats.

Ingredients (+ Substitutions)

Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make this Greek beet salad:

  • Beets: The star of this dish, be sure to buy fresh, not canned – the flavors just don’t compare. By themself, they have quite a neutral taste, but that just gives you more freedom to spice and add what you want. Don’t buy beetroots in vinegar, which are too strong and sour for this salad.
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil: This is the base of the dressing and cooking oil. Choose a good quality extra virgin olive oil for the best taste for both roasting the beets and making the red wine vinaigrette. You can check our full guide to cooking with olive oil here.
  • Red Wine Vinegar: You’ll find red wine vinegar used in many Greek dishes. It’s sweeter than white wine vinegar and gives a lovely red color.
  • Oregano: Gives the beets an extra herby flavor as part of the vinaigrette.
  • Garlic: Adds extra flavor to the dressing. 
  • Feta Cheese: This classic Greek cheese complements the sweetness of the beets beautifully with its saltiness.
  • Walnuts: Gives the dish a nice crunch.
  • Parsley: Adds some freshness to the dish.

How to Make This Greek Beet Salad

  1. Prepare the beets: Preheat oven to 400F (200C), then wash the beets thoroughly to remove any dirt. Be careful not to break the skin. Toss the beets lightly with 1 tbsp olive oil and wrap each beet in aluminum foil. Place the wrapped beets on a baking sheet.
  2. Cook the beets: Roast for roughly 45-60 minutes depending on the size of the beets, until tender. You should be able to easily pierce with a knife, but not cooked too much that they are mushy. Remove from oven and allow to cool, for about 15 minutes. Once cooled, peel and slice into desired pieces and place in a bowl.
  3. Prepare the vinaigrette: In a separate bowl, combine the rest of the oil, garlic, oregano and red wine vinegar in a bowl and whisk together.
  4. Assemble: Pour the dressing over the beets, season with salt and pepper, crumble the feta, sprinkle over chopped walnuts and parsley, then serve. 

Variations & Substitutions 

If you want to try a few different things compared to the recipe, here are some of our suggestions:

  • Try mixing up the parsley with other fresh herbs like mint.
  • For extra flavor within the beets, place some garlic cloves and fresh thyme alongside them.
  • Try different types of vinegar. Balsamic, sherry and white wine vinegar are great alternatives. Balsamic and sherry vinegars are sweeter than red wine vinegar, whilst white wine vinegar is lighter.
  • Throw in some dried herbs with the beets. Warm spices like allspice, cumin and cinnamon work great with beets, as well as herbs like thyme, dill, mint and basil for some extra freshness.  
  • Change the feta for some goat’s cheese, or make it a creamy beet salad by topping it with some Greek yogurt.

Tips & Tricks

  • Let it sit if you have the time – the flavor from the garlic and vinegar in particular can be intensified by marinating the beets.
  • If you want to speed up the process, you can buy ready-roasted beets. 
  • If eating by itself, serve with some crusty bread. 

More Delicious Mediterranean Salads

If you’re looking for other salad dishes like this Greek Beetroot Salad, try some of these!

Yield: 4

Greek Beetroot Salad (Patzarosalata)

Greek Beetroot Salad (Patzarosalata)

This Greek Beet Salad, called Patzarosalata, is a Greek staple made with roasted beets in a delicious red wine vinaigrette and topped with feta cheese, walnuts and parsley.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes

Ingredients

  • 8 small beets or 4 large, trimmed (about 2 lbs)
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
  • ½ tsp oregano
  • ⅓ cup (80ml) extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • ¼ cup (40g) feta, crumbled
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Walnuts, chopped, to serve
  • Chopped parsley, to serve

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400F (200C)
  2. Wash the beets thoroughly to remove any dirt. Be careful not to break the skin. Toss the beets lightly with 1 tbsp olive oil and wrap each beet in aluminum foil.
  3. Place the wrapped beets on a baking sheet and roast for roughly 45-60 minutes depending on the size of the beets, until tender. You should be able to easily pierce with a knife, but not cooked too much that they are mushy.
  4. Remove from oven and allow to cool, for about 15 minutes. Once cooled, peel and slice into desired pieces and place in a bowl
  5. In a separate bowl, combine the rest of the oil, garlic and red wine vinegar in a bowl and whisk together.
  6. Pour the dressing over the beets, season with salt and pepper, crumble the feta, sprinkle over chopped walnuts and parsley, then serve.

Notes

  • Let it sit if you have the time - the flavor from the garlic and vinegar in particular can be intensified by marinating the beets.
  • If you want to speed up the process, you can buy ready-roasted beets. 
  • If eating by itself, serve with some crusty bread. 

    • Nutrition Information

    Yield

    4

    Serving Size

    1
    Amount Per Serving Calories 244Total Fat 21gSaturated Fat 4gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 17gCholesterol 8mgSodium 239mgCarbohydrates 11gFiber 2gSugar 8gProtein 3g
    © Alex Johnson

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