This Kale Salad with Beets and Halloumi is a hearty, healthy, and delicious salad. It can be prepped ahead of time so it works well for dinner parties.
Many of my salad recipes (and some of my non-salad recipes) were born out of a desire to use up ingredients that I happen to have an excess of. In the case of this Kale Salad with Beets and Halloumi, I had two excess ingredients that I wanted to use up - kale and basil.
Kale was one of the vegetables that my daughter chose to grow in her elevated garden bed this year, and it did very well. We have had two large harvests from the single plant so far, with potentially more to come.
I also had a lot of basil from a tabletop basil plant that struggled at the beginning of the season but is thriving now. I decided to come up with a salad recipe that used both of these ingredients.
I also wanted to use beets, because they're great for fall, and halloumi because I love it. I always like to use nuts in my salads, and I chose walnuts because that's what I happened to have on hand. A delicious salad that's perfect for fall was born.
How to make Kale Salad with Beets and Halloumi
Admittedly, this salad takes a bit more time and work than many other salads to make because 3 of the ingredients need cooking, and they all have to be cooked separately. However, almost all of the prep can be done ahead of time, so you can do it earlier in the day and still have a fresh and delicious salad to serve at dinner time.
Start with the beets because they take the longest. Cut the beets into quarters (eighths if they're very large, or halves if they're small). You don't have to worry about peeling them. Drizzle them with a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Fold the beets into a foil packet and roast for 35-40 minutes (I do this in my toaster oven).
When they're done, let them cool in their packet, then rub them lightly with a clean paper towel to remove the skin. Cut the beets into bite-sized pieces and set aside.
While you're waiting for the beets to cook, you can prepare some of the other ingredients. If the walnuts you have are raw, toast them in a skillet over medium heat until they're fragrant and beginning to brown. Make sure to shake or stir them while they cook.
Remove the tough stems from the kale and cut the leaves into thin ribbons. Put the ribbons into your salad spinner and rinse at least twice with cold water. Spin to dry completely. If you don't have a salad spinner, wash the whole leaves of kale and pat dry with a clean dish towel.
Make the salad dressing: put the coarsely chopped basil, balsamic vinegar, honey, garlic, dijon mustard, salt, and pepper into a measuring cup (or another vessel that fits your immersion blender). Blend until there are no longer any large pieces of basil. With the blender running, slowly drizzle in the oil and continue to blend until the dressing is thick and emulsified.
Just before you're ready to serve the salad, pan-fry the halloumi. Cut the cheese into bite-sized pieces, and heat a little olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cheese, and cook until browned on all sides.
Toss the kale and the roasted beets with the salad dressing (reserve a little dressing if you want to drizzle some over the salad at the end). Divide the kale mixture between your salad bowls, and top each with equal portions of halloumi and walnuts. Drizzle with reserved dressing if desired, and garnish with extra sprigs of basil.
Kale Salad with Beets and Halloumi Ingredients
- Beets - I used regular red beets, but golden beets would work just fine too.
- Olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Large bunch kale or two small bunches - you are looking for approximately ½ to ¾ pound. I prefer lacinato kale (aka dinosaur kale) for salads, but regular curly kale will work too.
- Halloumi cheese - halloumi cheese doesn't melt when cooked, it instead just browns on the edges, and becomes softer and squeaky inside. You can use juustoleipa (bread cheese) instead.
- Toasted walnut halves or pieces - if your walnuts aren't already toasted, simply toast them in a dry skillet over medium heat, shaking occasionally until they're fragrant and starting to brown.
- Basil leaves
- Balsamic vinegar
- Honey
- Garlic
- Dijon mustard - your dressing won't be overly mustard-y with this amount of dijon, but it will help the dressing to emulsify.
- Kosher salt or MSG-salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Canola oil or other neutral oil like grapeseed or avocado oil.
Want more kale recipes?
Kale Salad with Beets and Halloumi Nutrition Notes
The nutrition information in the recipe below is for a smaller side or appetizer-sized portion. If you are serving this salad as an entree, use the recipe to make 2 larger salads, and double all of the numbers in the nutrition information.
This salad is gluten-free and vegetarian as written.
Kale Salad with Beets and Halloumi
Equipment
- Salad Spinner optional
- Immersion blender or mini food processor or small blender
Ingredients
- 2 medium beets or 4 small beets
- 2 teaspoons olive oil divided
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large bunch kale or two small bunches - approximately ½ to ¾ pound, preferably lacinato, but regular curly kale will work too
- 7 ounces halloumi cheese
- ½ cup toasted walnut halves or pieces
Basil Balsamic Vinaigrette
- ½ cup lightly packed basil leaves coarsely chopped
- 3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 small clove garlic
- ½ teaspoon dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt or MSG-salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup canola oil or other neutral oil like grapeseed or avocado
Instructions
Salad Prep
- Heat the oven or toaster oven to 425°F. Without peeling, cut the beets into quarters (if medium) or halves (if small). Place the beets on a large sheet of aluminum foil and drizzle with 1 teaspoon of the olive oil, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Fold the foil into a packet around the beets, making sure to seal the edges well. Roast the beets for 35-40 minutes, then let them cool in their foil packet for at least 15 minutes. Use a clean paper towel to rub the skins off. Cut the beets into ½ to ¾" pieces.
- Remove any tough stems from the kale and slice it into thin ribbons. Place the sliced kale into your salad spinner and rinse with water twice. Spin dry. (See note if you don't have a salad spinner).
- Cut the halloumi into ½ to ¾" pieces. Heat the remaining 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a medium non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the halloumi pieces and saute, stirring often until the halloumi is golden brown. Remove from heat.
Basil Balsamic Dressing
- Add the coarsely chopped basil, 3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 1 teaspoon honey, 1 small clove garlic, ½ teaspoon dijon mustard, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper to a 2-cup measuring cup (or any vessel that will fit your immersion blender). Blend until smooth. With the immersion blender running, slowly drizzle in ¼ cup canola oil and continue blending until emulsified.
Salad Assembly
- Toss the sliced and dried kale and cubed beets with the salad dressing (if you want to save a little dressing to drizzle over the tops of the salads before serving, make sure to do that). Divide the kale and beets evenly between your bowls.
- Divide the seared halloumi and toasted walnuts evenly and sprinkle them over the salads. Drizzle with additional dressing, if desired and garnish with sprigs of basil.
Notes
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