Pickled Red Beet Salad
Cooked red beets are mixed with diced red peppers and red onions in this flavorful salad that's pickled to perfection! We walk you through how to prep and prepare the beets so that they taste their finest for this delicious side, which is perfect for holiday gatherings and cookouts.
Equipment
- disposable kitchen gloves
- vegetable brush
- vegetable peeler
- cutting board
- chef's knife or santoku knife
- measuring cups
- large pot with lid
- colander
- large mixing/serving bowl
- mixing spoon
- slotted spoon
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Ingredients
- 4 cups beets skinned and cut into 1-inch squares
- 2 red peppers diced
- 1 medium red onion diced
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup white wine vinegar
Instructions
- Prep the beets, onions, and peppers (refer to above post for tips and handling).
- Place the prepared, cut beets into a large cooking pot. Fill the pot with water until beets are just covered. Cover with lid, place on stovetop and bring to a rolling boil. Reduce heat and continue to cook beets over a gentle boil until tender, usually 20-25 minutes.
- Place a colander over a large mixing bowl. Drain beets in colander, allowing boiled beet water to drain into mixing bowl. Return 4 cups of the drained beet water to the cooking pot (discard leftover water).
- Place the diced peppers and onions in the cooking pot. Add the sugar and white wine vinegar. Return the pot to the stove and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and continue to cook until peppers and onions are slightly tender, about 5 minutes.
- Transfer beets from colander to large, empty mixing bowl. Then add the entire contents of the cooking pot (water included) to the large bowl.
- Stir the mixture and allow to cool.
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for 2 hours before serving (this duration helps to chill the salad and blend the flavors further).
- Once cooled, keep refrigerated. Enjoy within 1 week.
- You may also choose to jar and seal Pickled Red Beet Salad (if choosing this option, let the salad cool completely after it is made, do not refrigerate and then transfer to jars). It will keep on a stable shelf for 6 months.
Notes
This salad tastes best when it marinates for a minimum of 12 hours in the fridge.
When cooking the beets, make sure they're fork tender. They shouldn't be mushy, but not too hard either. They won't really soften in the salad, so you want to make sure they are cooked well enough before you remove them from the pot.
You may choose to slice the beets in round circles, provided that they're not too big. I tend to buy beets on the large side, so I always cut mine into bite sized pieces for easier eating.
Beets do get a little messy when you're peeling and cutting them. Be prepared for that glorious, deep red beet juice! Wear an apron! You may also wish to wear kitchen/latex gloves so your fingernails won't get stained!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!