Roasted Beet And Fennel Salad With Walnut Bread Crumbs

It’s light and refreshing and the perfect meal or side dish for warmer weather. At the same time, since the veggies are roasted instead of raw, it’s heartier and more satisfying than your standard salad. It’s great as a side dish, but thanks to the addition of chickpeas and avocados, it also works as lunch or dinner. If you’re looking for another fabulous not-so-average salad, this Vegan Broccoli Salad is a must-try!

Why you’ll love this salad

Wholesome. This salad is made with several nutritional superstars: fennel (antioxidants, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory compounds), walnuts (omega-3 fatty acids), chickpeas (protein, fiber, and iron), and beets (potassium, iron, fiber, nitrates, antioxidants!). A salad for non-salad people. While I enjoy traditional lettuce salads, a good salad doesn’t need lettuce! If you’re a salad skeptic, I promise this dish will make you enjoy salads. Or, at least this salad.
Texture heaven. In my Youtube video on how to build a great salad, I mention that one of the best ways to create salads you’ll love is by introducing textural variety. Here, we have crispy textures from the walnut breadcrumbs, creaminess from the avocado chunks, a slight chewiness from the roasted beets and chickpeas, juiciness from the orange pieces, and a slight crunchy crispness from the roasted fennel. PS: if it’s summer when you’re reading this, one of my favorite texture-heavy recipes to make is this crispy zucchini and corn casserole! Flavor-packed. If I’m going to share a salad recipe, you better believe it’s a salad brimming with flavor. Here we have slightly earthy yet sweet beets paired with anise-flavored fennel and earthy walnuts, which are all a natural match made in heaven. The tangy citrus vinaigrette makes everything pop, and the fresh herbs (parsley, dill, and fennel fronds) bring a bright herbaceousness. A mostly “make ahead salad.” The citrus vinaigrette can be made several days in advance and stored in the fridge. Roasted beets can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. And the walnut breadcrumbs can be stored in a jar in the pantry for several weeks. The fennel can also be roasted a couple days in advance and reheated later (in the oven on a baking tray), but I find it’s best the day of roasting.

How to make this salad (step by step photos)

Trim most of the stalks and greens off of the beets, leaving about 2 inches of stalks. Do not cut the skinny tails off. Use the beet greens for another use or add to this recipe (see the “how to use up beet greens” section below). Add the beets to a baking dish or Dutch oven. Very lightly rub the beets with olive oil and pour water into the pan to go ¼-inch (.6 cm) up the sides. Cover the pan with its lid or foil and roast at 425°F/218°C until fork tender (time dependent on size of beets; see recipe card for time ranges). Slice the fennel stalks (reserve stalks for veggie broth or to simmer in soups) and set aside the wispy fronds for the salad. Cut each fennel bulb into half, vertically; then slice horizontally into rings, about 1/3 to 1/2-inch thick (0.8-1.3 cm). Transfer fennel to a rimmed sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt/pepper. Roast until tender and browned on edges. Make the walnut bread crumbs. Add the olive oil and finely chopped walnuts to a frying pan. Cook for 90 seconds. Add the panko bread crumbs and cook 2 minutes. Stir continuously to prevent burning. Add the Aleppo pepper and flaky salt and briefly cook. Transfer to a plate, spread out, and allow to cool. Combine the roasted beets, fennel, and chickpeas in a large bowl. Add the walnut bread crumbs, lemon zest, lemon juice, and chopped parsley, dill, and fennel fronds. Season with sea salt and pepper. Toss everything to combine. Add the avocado chunks and chopped oranges (I used cara cara oranges). Gently toss to combine. Transfer the beet and fennel salad to plates and pour some vinaigrette on each salad just before serving.

How to use up beet greens

If your beets come with greens that look decent, don’t toss them! Especially in late spring and early summer during their first season, beets have delicate greens that are delicious! I learned this from the fabulous Six Seasons cookbook by Joshua McFadden. Here’s what I like to do with beet greens. Clip them off the beet stalks and wash them (they’re very dirty). Pat dry or use a salad spinner. Then roll up the leaves and slice them thinly into ribbons (like a chiffonade for basil). Heat up a frying pan over medium heat with a bit of extra virgin olive oil. Add the beet greens and sauté for just 3 to 4 minutes, until wilted but not soggy. Season very lightly with salt and pepper. Simple but tasty! You can add the beet greens to this salad if you like, or serve as a side dish with another meal.

Tips for making this roasted beet and fennel salad

Beets

Don’t slice off the beet tails before roasting. Keeping them intact helps the beets stay juicy inside. Traditional red beets bleed quite a bit and will stain the rest of the salad ingredients pink. I learned that after making this salad for the first time. There is nothing wrong with this and it doesn’t affect the taste, but as a food photographer, it was impossible to photograph lol (hence, the finished photos use golden beets). To make the process of slicing and cooking red beets less messy, lightly grease your cutting board and hands with olive oil or a neutral-flavored oil. For why this works, check out this quick video from Nik Sharma, author of The Flavor Equation (another fantastic cookbook). In any event, beet stains will come out of cutting boards easily and will fade from your fingers in a few hours. Tip: Roast an extra beet and then you can easily make this gorgeous, wholesome Beet Hummus!

Walnut Bread Crumbs

Don’t skip the walnut bread crumbs! It’s what takes this salad from great to fantastics. Plus, they’re quite simple to make. You just need walnuts (finely chopped), panko bread crumbs, Aleppo pepper (or red pepper flakes), and flaky/coarse salt. You’ll need to finely chop the walnuts – about the size of bread crumbs. This can be done by pulsing them in a food processor (faster but more dishes) or with a knife (slower but fewer dishes). Keep an eye on the walnuts and stir frequently while cooking them to prevent burning. Once you add the panko, you’ll want to stir almost continuously. PS: Walnuts are a versatile, heart-healthy ingredient I recommend keeping on hand! Use them in salads like this, in baked goods like these outrageously good vegan banana muffins, or to make vegan bolognese meatier.

Assembly

If you are planning to keep leftovers, assemble the amount you wish to eat now. Then store the components separately. This will preserve the best texture. Storage instructions can be found in the “frequently asked questions” section below. Also, don’t add the avocado to the portion you plan to keep as leftovers (it’ll brown in a day).