It doesn’t matter the season, I always love a good salad and these Roasted Beet and Cara Cara Orange Salad Cups make them that much more delicious. Just 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 halfmoon pieces so they’re easier to eat and when you pair them with fresh citrus like Cara Cara oranges — oh, 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. I prefer them over most oranges because they add so much presence to any dish.
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:
- Roast beets in oven in foil with a drizzle of olive oil for 50 minutes, cool and skin. Slice into halfmoon pieces.
- Slice skin off orange and then crosswise. Cut into quarters, set aside.
- Place lettuce leaves on a serving platter, double up each leaf.
- Top each leaf with 3-4 roasted beets and orange pieces.
- Shake together vinaigrette ingredients. Drizzle one teaspoon of vinaigrette over each cup.
- Sprinkle with feta and toasted pecans. Enjoy!
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