Recipe at a glance
Cooked beets are mixed with pitted prunes, walnuts, olive oil, salt, and pepper for a sweet and earthy salad.
This beet and prune salad is simple, amazingly tasty and incredibly healthy. It works great as a side dish and as a healthy snack, if you are watching your kilograms and wanting to improve your overall digestion.
It is very important to use sweet and rich red color beets for this salad. So when buying beets check carefully that they don’t look pink or white, and that they are fresh and firm. You can use different methods to cook beets - boil, roast or cook in the microwave . If you value your time and don’t want to wait for hours for the beets to cook, check out our suggestions on how to cook beet in the microwave. There are two ways to tell if the beets are ready: they start to smell yummy, or if you poke them with a fork it’ll go in easily. The beets that are well-cooked will have the skin almost slide off when you touch it. Using a paring knife to remove the skin works way better than a vegetable peeler, alternatively you can also use a paper towel to slide off the skins.
Prunes are an important ingredient in this salad. Their sweetness, chewy texture and mild taste compliments the flavors of beet. Prunes are full of nutrients and is a great source of fiber, adding prunes to your salads can significantly improve your overall digestion. You can learn more about health benefits of prunes by reading the summary of some studies.
Walnuts is another important ingredient in beet and prune salad. They have higher antioxidant activity and more healthy omega-3 fats than any other common nut, they help reduce inflammation and improve heart disease risk factors. It is important to use good quality walnuts - old walnuts can be bitter and will make your beet and prune salad taste bitter as well.
It is very important to use sweet and rich red color beets for this salad. So when buying beets check carefully that they don’t look pink or white, and that they are fresh and firm. You can use different methods to cook beets - boil, roast or cook in the microwave . If you value your time and don’t want to wait for hours for the beets to cook, check out our suggestions on how to cook beet in the microwave. There are two ways to tell if the beets are ready: they start to smell yummy, or if you poke them with a fork it’ll go in easily. The beets that are well-cooked will have the skin almost slide off when you touch it. Using a paring knife to remove the skin works way better than a vegetable peeler, alternatively you can also use a paper towel to slide off the skins.
Prunes are an important ingredient in this salad. Their sweetness, chewy texture and mild taste compliments the flavors of beet. Prunes are full of nutrients and is a great source of fiber, adding prunes to your salads can significantly improve your overall digestion. You can learn more about health benefits of prunes by reading the summary of some studies.
Walnuts is another important ingredient in beet and prune salad. They have higher antioxidant activity and more healthy omega-3 fats than any other common nut, they help reduce inflammation and improve heart disease risk factors. It is important to use good quality walnuts - old walnuts can be bitter and will make your beet and prune salad taste bitter as well.
How to make it
- 1
Step 1
Boil beet in a large pot for 2-3 hours. Drain, and set aside to cool.
- 2
Step 2
While beets are cooling, finely chop the prunes and roughly crush the walnuts.
- 3
Step 3
When the beets are cool enough, peel (you can use a paper towel), cut the root stems off. Then you can either grate the beets on the large side of a box grater or cut them into thin matchsticks.
- 4
Step 4
Add walnuts, prunes, olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix well to coat all the ingredients. Taste for seasoning and add whatever you think it needs. Serve at room temperature or chilled, store in an airtight container.
Cooking tips
Let the boiled beets cool before chopping and mixing them with the prunes and walnuts.
Ingredient substitutions
Pecans can replace walnuts for a different nut flavor and crunch; keep the prunes for the fruit contrast.
Questions about this recipe
Are the beets cooked first?
Yes. The first step boils them and sets them aside to cool before the salad is mixed.
What adds sweetness and crunch?
Prunes add sweetness, while walnuts provide the crunch.
