This delicious Roasted Beet Salad with Pomegranate Arils is bursting with flavor and perfect for Rosh Hashanah. When you’re done, check out this Tangy Pomegranate Relish with Jalapeño. This post contains affiliate links.

Rosh Hashanah is such an exciting time of renewal and hope for the future. We love to celebrate the new year with family, community, and of course a lot of great food!

Did you know that there are specific foods that are said to be auspicious to eat on Rosh Hashanah? You can eat them plain or incorporate them into any type of creative, delicious dish.

Beets are among these customary foods. The Hebrew word for “beet,” selek, resembles the word meaning “to remove,” so we eat these as we pray for our adversaries to be removed.

This one gets an extra Rosh Hashanah twist with the addition of pomegranate arils. They add a burst of fresh flavor that your family will love! But of course, you can omit them if they don’t.

Plus, a dash of honey in this roasted beet salad makes it even more Rosh Hashanah-ready.

Beets are a great addition to your holiday table as they are so healthy and also beautifully colored. We even featured a great recipe for pickled beets before Passover (you might want to skip that one for Rosh Hashanah, as some people have the custom to avoid sour vinegar flavors.)

Roasting is another delicious way to serve beets. This colorful salad features roasted beets and combines a mix of sweet and bold, savory flavors that will delight your palate (and your guests!) This refreshing side dish is sure to become a holiday favorite.

Serve this roasted beet salad on its own, or on a bed of greens – my favorite is baby arugula!

The orange zest adds fruity flavor, but you can omit it or replace it with juice if you don’t do zest. It will alter the flavor but it’ll still be delicious!

Ingredients

2 beets – scrubbed, peeled and cut into wedges
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon orange zest
1 teaspoon honey
2 tbsp pomegranate arils
4-5 basil leaves, chopped
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with foil.

Toss the beets with half of the olive oil and a pinch of salt.

Spread it in a single layer on the foil-lined baking sheet and roast the beets until they are fork tender, checking and tossing every 15 minutes. They should take about 30-40 minutes to become tender.

In a bowl, combine the rest of the olive oil with the balsamic vinegar, grated garlic, thyme, salt, pepper and orange zest and toss well with the roasted beets before serving.

Place in a serving dish and garnish before serving with pomegranate arils, chopped basil leaves and orange zest. We like it cold, but it can also be eaten room temperature.