Roasted Beet and Cara Cara Orange Salad Cups Recipe

Brighten up your table with Roasted Beet and Cara Cara Orange Salad Cups—a vibrant, citrusy appetizer or side dish perfect for any season.

I always love a good salad and these Roasted Beet and Cara Cara Orange Salad Cups make salad night that much more delicious.  As we all enjoy a good lettuce wrap, salad cups are versatile and fun to serve for parties or for small gatherings.

Roasting beets is such a good thing because it makes them naturally sweeter and the skin almost falls right off after cooking.  I like to slice my beets in half-moon pieces so they’re easier to eat and when you pair them with fresh citrus like Cara Cara oranges — oh, they’re most wonderful.  If you haven’t tried a Cara Cara orange – it tastes like a cross between a naval orange and a grapefruit and the color is vibrant and gorgeous.

Baby gem red leaf is what I used in this recipe, but you can use any smaller leaf lettuce, just double them up to handle the weight of the other ingredients.  I finished each cup off with a sprinkle of feta cheese and some roasted pecans for a salty crunch and a quick vinaigrette — they’re divine in every bite.  I think these would be great game-night food or for a wedding or baby shower as well.

Ingredients

• 2 large beets
• 1 large Cara Cara orange
• 16 baby lettuce leaves, washed and dried
• 2 ounces feta cheese
• 1/3 cup toasted pecans, roughly chopped

Vinaigrette

• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• pinch of salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup good olive oil

(Serves 4)

To Prepare:

1. Roast beets in oven in foil with a drizzle of olive oil for 50 minutes, cool and skin.  Slice into halfmoon pieces.
2. Slice skin off orange and then crosswise.  Cut into quarters, set aside.
3. Place lettuce leaves on a serving platter, double up each leaf.
4. Top each leaf with 3-4 roasted beets and orange pieces.
5. Shake together vinaigrette ingredients.  Drizzle one teaspoon of vinaigrette over each cup.
6. Sprinkle with feta and toasted pecans.  Enjoy!

Roasted Beet and Cara Cara Orange Salad Cups are a quick and easy recipe that make dining so much more fun!