Heirloom Tomato Beet Salad
Celebrate the best farmer’s market produce with this fresh and oh-so-easy Heirloom Tomato & Beet Salad. It’s pure summer on a plate!
I really hit my stride with epic farmer’s market salads in late July and August. It seems like ALLLLL the good things are in season, and everything is juicy and colorful to the max.
A “salad” becomes very little else beyond slicing, piling things onto a platter and drizzling with some olive oil and maybe a little lemon juice, or my citrus vinaigrette recipe if I feel ambitious.
About this Tomato Beet Salad:
For this Heirloom Tomato & Beet Salad, I just reached into my big bowl of farmer’s market produce and pulled out some heirloom tomatoes, beets and herbs.
I added a little barley to make it a bit heartier, and served it with frozen pizza because, #reallife. On a weekend, I like this salad alongside some baby back ribs (don’t forget the dry rub for ribs when you make them)!
Summer Beet Salad
This Summer Beet Salad recipe celebrates the best farmer's market produce. Enjoy summer on a plate with a beet and tomato salad with herbs, barley and a fresh vinaigrette.
Ingredients
- 3 medium beets, stems removed, scrubbed
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper, divided
- 1/4 cup pearl barley
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 3 medium heirloom tomatoes, sliced
- 1/2 cup heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved if large
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (I used a combination of parsley and basil)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line baking pan with aluminum foil. Place beets on pan; drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with an 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Wrap foil around beets to form a packet. Transfer to oven and cook 45 to 60 minutes or until tender (see Home Chef Tip). Remove from oven and let stand in packet for 10 to 15 minutes or until beets are cool enough to handle but not completely cool. Then, carefully use paper towels to rub the skins off of the beets. Thinly slice beets.
- Meanwhile, prepare barley according to package instructions and let cool.
- In small bowl, whisk lemon juice and remaining 3 tablespoons oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper until well combined.
- Arrange tomatoes and beets on serving platter. Sprinkle with herbs and barley. Drizzle with vinaigrette and serve immediately.
Notes
Home Chef Tip: Exacting cooking time depends on the size of your beets. Small ones might take 30 - 45 minutes, whereas very large beets could take up to 90 minutes.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 171Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 275mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 3gSugar: 6gProtein: 2g
This website provides estimated nutrition information as a courtesy only. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
MORE GREAT SUMMER SALAD RECIPES:
- Chopped Broccoli Salad with Cheese Tortellini – this one is a crowd pleaser!
- Great Green Salad with Miso Dressing – simple and perfect.
- Watermelon & Avocado Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing – the best combo of sweet and salty!
- Coleslaw with Celery Seed – great with barbecue chicken or ribs.
- Israeli Couscous Salad with Summer Vegetables from Green Valley Kitchen
- Rosemary Chicken, Bacon and Avocado Salad from How Sweet Eats
Made this with tomatoes, basil, parsley and pineapple sage from my garden. The only other thing I added was roasted yellow peppers. It was delicious and so summery!
So glad you liked it, Lynda!
Excuse my ignorance, but what do you mean by roasted beets?
Cooked beets, not raw!
Easy delicious recipe….thanks! Used farm fresh beets, hoe grown organic heirloom tomatoes, and substituted Pearl Barley with cooked Millet.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this, Sushma!
This popped up in my Pinterest feed today but not linked to you – had to do a bit of sleuthing to get here but so glad I did. This has to be the most gorgeous salad I’ve ever seen! Can’t wait to make it. Oh, and barley is basically my love grain – never thought of scattering it in a salad like this but YUM. At first glance I thought they were pine nuts.
Ugh, I hate those dead pins! But I’m so glad you found your way here, and I hope you love this salad when you get a chance to try it, Deborah!
As a market farmer, I am always looking for ways to help my customers use my produce. This fits! Plus I am making it for a family gathering this weekend
I was stuck with some farmer’s market beets and some fresh heirloom tomatoes tonight so I googled the two and got your blog. Nice to see another Detroit er here (Pleasant Ridge here) with some great taste. Thanks for the inspiration!
Hi Jeff! So glad you found me, and a recipe that worked for exactly what you picked up at the market. I’m actually in Ferndale, so I’m waving at you from just a few streets away 🙂
This is right up my alley. Seems I always have beets around and those tomatoes are starting to come out of the woodwork, finally! Thanks for the idea of mixing the two!
Thanks for stopping by, Amy!