The best sweet potato and beet wild rice salad recipe - Rhubarbarians (2024)

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Gorgeous sweet potato and beet wild rice salad recipe! This healthy, vegan salad is loaded with roasted root vegetables, a nutty wild rice blend, tart cranberries, and sweet pecans.

The best sweet potato and beet wild rice salad recipe - Rhubarbarians (1)

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Floating Leaf. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Rhubarbarians!

Hi, Rhubarbarians!

The holidays are here! I've been getting quite a few requests for healthy, vegetarian options for this time of year. Recipes that feel cozy and festive, but are still nutritious and exciting for the whole fam. Not just vegetarians.

This wild rice salad is PERFECT. It checks off all of those boxes. Gorgeous enough your holiday table ✅. Exciting for everyone, even meat eaters ✅. A healthy, yet filling option around the holidays ✅.

You'll love this golden beet arugula and goat cheese salad!

The best sweet potato and beet wild rice salad recipe - Rhubarbarians (2)

Floating Leaf Prairie Blend: Sprouted crimson lentils, wild rice, and quinoa

I'm so thrilled to be partnering with Floating Leaf Fine Foods on this post! I used the Prairie Blend for this root veggie salad, which has a mix of sprouted lentils, wild rice, and quinoa. I loved this blend for this salad, because it really brings wild rice up a notch. The quinoa and the lentils soak up the tarragon vinaigrette, while the wild rice keeps it nutty and al dente. PERFECT!

If you'd like, you can just toss in some Floating Leaf wild rice and go that route, but I highly recommend the blend!

I respect Floating Leaf's approach to considering dietary restrictions of their consumers. They are conscious of consumers with celiac disease, diabetes, heart disease and those who simply desire optimum health.

You can purchase Floating Leaf products here through their website!

The best sweet potato and beet wild rice salad recipe - Rhubarbarians (3)

How to make an easy tarragon vinaigrette:

The tarragon vinaigrette for this wild rice salad is super simple! It's only a few ingredients, but is loaded with flavor.

I like to put everything in a jar with a tight fitting and lid and shake until emulsified. But, you can also whisk everything together until it emulsifies. Whichever is easiest for you.

In a small jar, combine the shallot, tarragon, sherry vinegar, and oil. Seal with a lid and shake until everything marries together.

This is a dressing that I use for so many recipes! It's wonderful with grains because the grains soak up the flavor, but it's also great over a simple, green salad.

How to make a root vegetable wild rice salad:

This impressive root vegetable wild rice salad is really simple, but does take a bit of time to come together. First, you'll want to get your sweet potatoes and beets roasting. Toss them in some olive oil, season with S&P, spread on a baking sheet and pop in the oven.

While that's going, get your wild rice blend cooking. I recommend rinsing the rice until water runs clear to get the excess starch off. Then cook as instructed with some vegetable stock and water.

Make your vinaigrette, and toast the pecans (optional, but so worth it).

When everything is cooked, toss it all together with the exception of the beets. If you toss those too much, your whole salad will turn pink!

The best sweet potato and beet wild rice salad recipe - Rhubarbarians (4)

Can I prep this sweet potato and beet salad ahead of time?

Well... yes and no.

This wild rice salad is meant to be served warm as a side dish at a holiday table or a main dish wild rice veggie bowl. But, it is great eaten cold as leftovers the next day!

This really wouldn't be something impressive to serve reheated, especially once the color of the beets turn everything pink.

So, it can't be prepped ahead of time as a holiday side dish, but CAN be made ahead of time if you are planning to eat it cold and pink the next the day. Delicious, but not for guests. LOL!

The best sweet potato and beet wild rice salad recipe - Rhubarbarians (5)

How to serve a sweet potato wild rice salad

This recipe makes a LOT of salad. Enough to serve about 8 at your holiday table. So, it would be wonderful served as a side dish along with your holiday meal. Add some gorgeous, green tarragon leaves sprinkled on top to make it that much more beautiful. It's dairy free, vegan, vegetarian, and gluten free, so everyone at your table will love it! Even the meat eaters!

If you're making this a wild rice veggie bowl, you don't really need to serve it with anything! It's got everything you need for a full meal. Enjoy it for dinner and then again for lunch the next day. SUCH GOOD STUFF!

The best sweet potato and beet wild rice salad recipe - Rhubarbarians (6)

Recipe

The best sweet potato and beet wild rice salad recipe - Rhubarbarians (7)

Sweet potato and beet wild rice salad with tarragon vinaigrette

Gorgeous sweet potato and beet wild rice salad recipe! This healthy, vegan salad is loaded with roasted root vegetables, a nutty wild rice blend, tart cranberries, and sweet pecans.

5 from 15 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Servings 8 servings

Calories 360 kcal

Ingredients

  • 3 medium red beets, peeled and finely diced
  • 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and finely diced
  • 6 tablespoon olive oil, divided
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 cups rinsed Floating Leaf Prairie Blend. Sprouted crimson lentils, wild rice, and quinoa
  • 2 ½ cups vegetable stock
  • 2 ½ cups water
  • 1 ½ tablespoon finely minced shallot
  • 3 tablespoon finely minced fresh tarragon
  • 3 tablespoon sherry vinegar
  • 2 cups pecans (toasted, optional)
  • 1 cup dried cranberries

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (optional for easy clean up).

  • In a mixing bowl, toss the beets and sweet potatoes with 2 tablespoon of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread on the baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes. Stir the root vegetables and roast for an additional 20 minutes or until fork tender.

  • Meanwhile, combine the Prairie Blend with the water and stock in a medium sauce pan over high heat. Boil uncovered for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until blend is cooked to your liking. You may need to strain the excess water out. Fluff with a fork and let sit for 5 minutes.

  • Meanwhile, add the shallot, tarragon, vinegar, and remaining 4 tablespoon oil to a small container with tight fitting lid. Shake to emulsify and set aside.

  • In a very large serving bowl, toss together the Prairie Blend, the pecans, the cranberries, and the dressing. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the roasted root veggies and gently toss just a few times. If you toss it too much at this point, the beets will turn your salad pink.

  • This salad is best served warm, but could be served cold as well.

Nutrition

Calories: 360kcal

Keyword wild rice salad

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

The best sweet potato and beet wild rice salad recipe - Rhubarbarians (8)

A huge thank you to Floating Leaf for sponsoring this post!I hope you’ll give this root vegetable wild rice salad a try! Snap a pic and give me a shout on social media #Rhubarbarians!

Trish

P.S. Want to see what I’m cooking up this week? Check out myInstagram stories!And don’t forget to join myFaceBook community of vegetarian cooks!

LIKE WHAT YOU SEE? GET FREE WEEKLY RECIPES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX!SIGN UP HERE!

The best sweet potato and beet wild rice salad recipe - Rhubarbarians (2024)

FAQs

Is sugar beet the same as sweet potato? ›

Sweet potatoes and sugar beets are root vegetables with distinct differences. Sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas) have a naturally sweet and earthy flavor, are rich in fiber, vitamins, potassium, and manganese. Sugar beets (Beta vulgaris) are primarily used for sugar production and have a crisp texture.

How to make beet root salad? ›

Roast until the beets are just tender when pierced with the point of a knife, about 1 1/4 hours. Unwrap the beets and let them cool. Meanwhile, whisk oil, vinegar, mustard, honey, salt and pepper in a small bowl to make the dressing. When the beets are cool enough to handle, slip off the skins.

Why don't we eat sugar beet? ›

Sugar beets are not commonly consumed due to their sweet, bland flavor and are primarily used to produce sugar. Though rarely seen in fresh markets, some home gardeners do cultivate and eat the variety. Sugar beets can be consumed raw when young and are grated and sliced into green salads.

Is beet sugar healthier than cane sugar? ›

Both cane and beet sugars are 99.95 percent sucrose, even though they come from different plants. They have a minuscule fraction of impurities (approximately 0.02 percent) that are different. In regards to human nutrition and health, there is no difference between white cane and beet sugars.

Why do you put vinegar in beets? ›

Beets are a weekly ritual around here. Usually we boil them and toss them in a sweet sour vinaigrette and keep them in the refrigerator to eat all week. The vinegar in the dressing "pickles" the beets, helping them last longer in the fridge.

How do you keep beets from bleeding in salad? ›

Add lemon or vinegar for vibrant beets

A simple trick to prevent your beets from bleeding color, according to The Spruce Eats, is to add a tablespoon of lemon or vinegar to the boiling water.

Is it better to roast or boil beets for salad? ›

The softest texture will be the boiled beets, the roasted beets will be tender, but will still have a little “bite” to them. The steamed beets will be somewhere in the middle. If using the beets in a salad, or serving them as a side dish, I prefer the roasted or steamed beets.

What is another name for sugar beets? ›

What is another word for sugar beet?
sugarbeetBeta vulgaris
Beta vulgaris rapacea var. altissimaBeta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris

What is beet sugar also known as? ›

Sucrose is known as beet sugar.

Are sugar beets and sweet potatoes the same calories? ›

calories. Beet has 50% less calories than sweet potato - sweet potato has 86 calories per 100 grams and beet has 43 calories. For macronutrient ratios, beets is heavier in protein, lighter in carbs and similar to sweet potatoes for fat.

What is a good substitute for sugar beets? ›

Coconut Sugar; It offers a taste with a touch of caramel but it can be a great option, in various recipes that call for beet sugar. 2. Maple Sugar; It imparts a maple flavor. Serves as a good alternative in recipes where the maple taste complements the dish.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Wyatt Volkman LLD

Last Updated:

Views: 6140

Rating: 4.6 / 5 (66 voted)

Reviews: 81% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Wyatt Volkman LLD

Birthday: 1992-02-16

Address: Suite 851 78549 Lubowitz Well, Wardside, TX 98080-8615

Phone: +67618977178100

Job: Manufacturing Director

Hobby: Running, Mountaineering, Inline skating, Writing, Baton twirling, Computer programming, Stone skipping

Introduction: My name is Wyatt Volkman LLD, I am a handsome, rich, comfortable, lively, zealous, graceful, gifted person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.