French Beet Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette, Paleo, Dairy-free, Gluten-Free
French Beet Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette recipe. A fresh and satisfying naturally sweet beet salad made with boiled beets and seasoned with a simple mustard vinaigrette.
We love incorporating salads into our diet in unique and satisfying ways. From creamy coleslaw to grilled chicken greek salad to lighter broccoli salad, the more flavor and texture, the better.
This boiled beet salad with mustard vinaigrette is exactly our type of salad. It is a versatile and tasty salad that reminds us of the beet salads that we have eaten in France. It is made with a few lighter ingredients and is naturally dairy-free, gluten-free, Paleo, Whole30, and just overall lighter!
Why this recipe works
- It tastes like France. This simple beet salad is one that our mother ( who is French) makes all the time. You’ll also find French Beetroot salad in ready made containers in grocery stores there.
- It is satisfying and lighter salad. It is full of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.
- It has great flavor. Beets have a satisfying earthy sweet flavor. Add in mustard dressing and the whole combination is satisfying.
Recipe ingredients
- Fresh beets– these have our favorite flavor.
- Apple cider vinegar- or tarragon vinegar, both of them work here.
- Olive oil– this is used to make the dressing.
- Horseradish mustard or dijon mustard– this is also used to make the dressing.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Additions/ Substitutions
- Instead of apple cider vinegar, you can use tarragon vinegar.
- Instead of olive oil, you can use avocado oil.
Step by step instructions
Step 1: boil the beets
To make sure this works best, cut the beets in half and then put them into a large pan. Then fill the pan with water until the tops of the beets are just covered in water.
Then let them boil for roughly 35 minutes. Until they are cooked through and fork tender.
Note: fork tender for beets is different than potatoes. They will still feel harder but a knife can easily cut through them.
If anything, boil them for an extra 5 minutes if you aren’t sure that they are ready.
Step 2: cut and peel the beets
We usually start dicing the beets on a cutting board and while we are cutting them, the skin peels off.
If this works for you, do it this way.
If not, you can thinly cut the skin off.
Step 3: make the dressing
The dressing is simple to make. All you have to do is mix the mustard, olive oil, salt and pepper together until the mixture thickens.
Step 4: mix the dressing into the beets
Recipe FAQs
How do you serve this salad?1) With goat cheese on top! The tart goat cheese pairs so well with the sweetness of the beets.
2) With a side of grilled chicken
3) Added to another salad. One of our favorite ways to serve salad is to have different veggies separated out or different kinds of salads separated out and then we mix it all together as we eat it.
4) Double the recipe to make it more of a meal
In an airtight container in the fridge for 5 days.
Can you make it in advance?Yes, you can make it and store it in the fridge for a few days before.
Prep 15 minutesCook 35 minutesTotal 50 minutesMakes 4
Ingredients
- 3 medium beets, washed and scrubbed
- 1 Tbs apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tbs olive oil
- 1 Tbs horseradish mustard
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp salt
Method
- Cut the beets in half and put them into a large pan.
- Fill the pan with water, until the beets are just covered.
- Set the heat to high until the water boils. Then lower to medium.
- Boil the beets for 35 minutes, until fork tender or you can easily stab it with a knife.
- Drain the beets and let them cool.
- Once the beets cool, dice them.
- While dicing, you’ll notice that the outer skin easily falls off– throw the skin away.
- Put the diced beets into a bowl and set aside while you make the dressing.
- In a small bowl, mix the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, black pepper, and salt together. Pour the dressing on top of the diced beets. Mix and serve.
Notes
- Instead of apple cider vinegar, you can use tarragon vinegar.
- Instead of olive oil, you can use avocado oil.
