roasted beet orange salad on sheet pan

I’ve always been a big fan of the sheet pan. It gives me cookies, after all — and sheet cakes and breads and sometimes easy dinner meals. But I’ve never really put it to realllll good use, that is, until I opened up the pages of Molly Gilbert‘s new cookbook, Sheet Pan Suppers.

Gah, you guys, this cookbook! Did you know you can make things like baked brie and strawberries, Caesar salad garlic bread, baked apricot French toast, smoked salmon egg boats and orange cardamom pound cake all on a sheet pan? Well, you can. You can also make salad, as demonstrated by this ah-mazing roasted beet and orange number with pistachios and feta.

I can’t even explain fully in words the goodness that is this dish. Let’s just put it this way: It’s a salad, and while I love salads, I’m more of a casserole/pasta/soup/stew/anything with carbs and/or cheese kinda gal in the wintertime, and yet I downed this salad for meal after meal the past few days. It’s hearty and flavorful and unique and all the yumyumyums, really. Plus, it’s pretty. And I am admittedly more interested in salads when they look pretty (that’s normal, yes? Do not answer).

beets and carrots on sheet pan

This is actually the second meal I’ve made from “Sheet Pan Suppers” — the first was a dish called Chicken Jerome, which includes chicken (duh), artichokes, mushrooms and herbs all in a creamy white wine sauce. We made that for our mini-family Christmas Eve dinner celebration and it did not disappoint. It was easy to prep, easy to bake and easy to clean up. Also, we ate it all in one sitting.

oranges in bowl

I knew I’d love this cookbook right from the start because I had one of those “cookbook crazy” moments when I flipped through the pages. You know what I mean, when you see recipe after recipe and you go, “Ooo! I want to make that!” and you bookmark it and then you see the next recipe and you go, “Ooo! But I really want to make THAT!” and so you bookmark that recipe, too, and then eventually you realize you’ve bookmarked approximately 95% of the cookbook? YOU KNOW. This one did that to me.

But how could it not? The whole premise of Molly’s book is to deliver easy, yet unique and delicious meals a là the sheet pan. For family weeknight dinners, it’s the perfect setup. For easy date night dinners, it’s the perfect setup. For simple and stress-free dinner party meals, it’s the perfect setup. For lazy cooks who hate doing dishes (oh hai, me), it’s the perfect setup. So no matter the occasion, I see myself going to this cookbook again and again (especially because I haven’t made any desserts from it yet, and that is something to be addressed).

roasted beet orange salad on sheet pan

I will say if you are not a beet lover — and I know you guys are out there because I’ve met you and it makes me a little sad you don’t share my love of the beet but whatever — this salad just may change your mind. Roasting the beets in orange juice gives them a caramelized sweetness that really tones down that “dirt” flavor that can be a turnoff. Plus, there are also sliced oranges, crunchy pistachios, salty feta cheese crumbles and tangy chopped chives in the mix that transform the dish into a real flavor party unlike anything I’ve ever tasted. There is a bit of prep work, yes — so. much. chopping. — but I’m telling you, it’s all worth it in the end.

Feel free to use red or golden beets (or a mix! as I did), and either blood, navel or Cara Cara oranges (I used blood oranges). In the days of devouring this salad I’ve been eating it warm, room temperature or cold, on its own or with mix-ins like avocado, kale and/or spelt (though other cooked grains like rice and quinoa also will do). I can also envision it pairing well with roasted chicken, if you want some extra heartiness/meatiness. And swapping the feta cheese for goat cheese, too. Or mixing in both. ALL THE CHEESE. This is how I do salad.

roasted beet orange salad on plate

Now who wants to make that pound cake and invite me over? Hmm?

P.S. BIG HUGE thank you to everyone who took the time to take my reader survey last week! It was the most helpful thing ever and I so appreciate all of you. I’ll be sharing the results later this week!

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roasted beet orange salad on plate

Roasted Beet and Orange Salad with Pistachios and Feta

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Ingredients

Scale
  • 3 lbs beets, trimmed, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
  • 1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • 1/4 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice (from about 1 small orange)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 medium shallot, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced
  • 4 oranges, peel and pith removed, sliced into supremes or thick half-moons
  • 1/4 cup shelled, salted pistachios
  • 1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
  • Ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 425 degrees F with a rack in center of oven.
  2. In a large bowl, toss cubed beets with olive oil, orange juice and salt; transfer to a rimmed sheet pan and spread in an even layer.
  3. Roast 30 minutes, shaking and rotating pan halfway through baking, until beets are softened and are starting to caramelize.
  4. Sprinkle shallots over beets and return to oven. Roast 15 minutes until shallots are golden brown and beets are fork-tender.
  5. Transfer beet-shallot mixture to a large bowl; while still warm, toss with oranges, pistachios, feta cheese and chives to combine. Drizzle with extra olive oil and sprinkle with ground black pepper.
  6. Serve warm, room temperature or chilled. Salad keeps stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Disclosure: I received a copy of “Sheet Pan Suppers” for review purposes only. All opinions are my own. This post contains an affiliate link.