Roasted Beetroot, Chickpea & Feta Salad

Serves: 4
Prep: 15 minutes
Roasting: 35–45 minutes
Total: about 1 hour

Ingredients

For the salad

4 medium beetroots — about 600–700 g / 1.3–1.5 lb
1½ cups cooked chickpeas — about 250 g / 9 oz, drained
150 g / 5 oz feta cheese, preferably in chunks
½ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
2 tbsp fresh dill or mint, chopped
¼ small red onion, finely sliced — optional
1 tbsp sesame seeds — optional
Salt, to taste
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Lemon-herb dressing

4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tbsp red-wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 small garlic clove, finely grated
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp dried oregano
1 tsp honey or maple syrup — optional
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper

Method

Roast the beets
Heat oven to 200°C / 400°F. Wash and trim the beetroots, then cut them into roughly 2–3 cm cubes. Toss with 1 tbsp olive oil and a pinch of salt.
Roast
Spread the beet cubes on a baking sheet in one layer. Roast for 35–45 minutes, turning once halfway through. They should be tender inside with slightly caramelized edges.
Prepare the chickpeas
Drain and rinse the chickpeas very well. Pat them dry. For a warmer, slightly crispy salad, toss them with 1 tsp olive oil, cumin, salt and pepper and roast alongside the beets for the final 15–20 minutes.
Make the dressing
Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, zest, vinegar, Dijon, garlic, cumin, oregano, honey/maple syrup, salt and pepper.
Combine
Allow the roasted beets to cool for about 5–10 minutes. Put them in a large bowl with the chickpeas, parsley, dill/mint and red onion.
Dress the salad
Pour over the dressing and gently toss so the beetroot doesn’t completely crush.
Add feta
Fold in the feta last, keeping some larger chunks visible like in the photograph.
Finish
Sprinkle with additional parsley, herbs, black pepper and optional sesame seeds. Add a little lemon juice just before serving.

Nut information & allergies

Naturally nut-free:
The basic recipe contains no peanuts, almonds, walnuts, cashews, pistachios, pecans, hazelnuts or other tree nuts.

Chickpeas are NOT nuts. They are legumes, like lentils and beans.

Potential allergy considerations

Feta: contains milk/dairy.
Dijon mustard: may be an allergen depending on the brand and local labeling.
Tahini: not included in this recipe, but if you add it, it contains sesame, which is a major allergen.
Sesame seeds: optional and should be omitted for a sesame-free version.
If preparing this for someone with a severe nut allergy, check the labels on the feta, mustard, vinegar and packaged chickpeas for cross-contamination warnings.

Nut-free dressing option

For a completely nut-free dressing, use the lemon-olive-oil dressing above and do not substitute nut oils such as walnut or almond oil.

Approximate nutrition

Per serving, assuming 4 servings and using 150 g feta:

Nutrient	Approx. per serving
Calories	430–470 kcal
Protein	13–15 g
Carbohydrates	45–50 g
Fiber	10–12 g
Fat	23–27 g
Saturated fat	6–7 g
Sugar	12–15 g
Sodium	600–750 mg

The exact values will vary substantially with the amount of feta, olive oil and salt used.

To make it higher-protein

Add one of these:

100–150 g grilled chicken
2 boiled eggs
150 g extra chickpeas
100–150 g cooked lentils

To make it vegan

Replace the feta with vegan feta or seasoned tofu and replace honey with maple syrup.

To make it lower-calorie

Use 100 g feta and reduce the olive oil to 2 tbsp for the whole recipe.

Best served: slightly warm or at room temperature, with extra lemon squeezed over the top. The combination of sweet earthy beetroot, creamy salty feta, chickpeas and lemon-herb dressing is what gives the dish in your photo its flavor profile.

Author
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Sara Mitchell

Sara Mitchell is an expert restaurant content creator who writes easy-to-read guides about CAVA and other Mediterranean fast-casual chains in the United States. She covers locations, menus, prices, and hours, making it simple for visitors to find nearby restaurants and what to order quickly.

With years of experience in restaurant research and local SEO, Sara creates accurate, user-friendly guides that work for both people and search engines. Her goal is to help users go from search results to their nearest restaurant or menu choice with as few clicks as possible.