This watercress and roast beef salad makes a lovely light dinner or an elegant lunch.
This recipe is also a perfect way to use leftover roast beef.
Lately I’ve been on a salad streak. I make salads because I need to eat healthily, and I keep inventing new combinations because eating the same salad day after day gets tedious.
One common mistake is sticking with the same base: the same lettuce, the same dressing, the same protein. That gets boring quickly.
There are so many salad greens now that each brings its own character to a dish. Watercress, for example, has a fresh, slightly peppery bite that works beautifully with beef.
What is so great about watercress?
Watercress may once have been eaten simply, but it’s a nutrient-dense green packed with iron, calcium, iodine, folic acid and vitamins A and C. Its peppery yet delicate flavor brightens salads and pairs exceptionally well with roast beef.
If you’re watching calories, lean roast beef is a great alternative to chicken breast. The combination of contrasting textures and flavors keeps the salad interesting: peppery greens, juicy cherry tomatoes, tenderstem broccoli, spring onions and slices of roast beef.
I enjoyed this salad so much it became my dinner. A creamy, zesty horseradish dressing pulls the ingredients together without overpowering them, and the dressing also keeps well if you make a jar to use for other salads.
Roast beef salad
This salad balances flavors and textures: peppery watercress, sweet cherry tomatoes, crunchy tenderstem broccoli, mild spring onions and thin strips of roast beef, all dressed with a creamy horseradish dressing. The dressing adds zip but stays in the background, complementing rather than dominating the salad.
I made extra dressing and loved having it on hand for other salads.
More Salad Recipes to Try
- Farro Salad
- Korean Carrot Salad
- Winter Salad with Red Cabbage, Kale and Pomegranate
- Festive Red Cabbage Slaw
Watercress and Roast Beef Salad with Creamy Horseradish Dressing
Ingredients
- 110g / 3 cups Watercress
- 90g / 1 cup broccoli florets, I used tenderstem broccoli / broccolini
- 150g / 1 cup cherry tomatoes, red and yellow, halved
- 3 spring onions, sliced
- 4 oz / 100g roast beef, cut in strips (leftover or deli roast beef)
- pumpkin seeds, optional
For the dressing
- 2 tbsp creamy horseradish
- 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 tbsp Greek yogurt
Instructions
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Toss watercress, broccoli florets, sliced spring onions and cherry tomatoes in a large bowl.
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In a medium bowl whisk together creamy horseradish, white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard and salt. Slowly stream in the olive oil while whisking until the dressing is emulsified. Stir in the Greek yogurt.
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Dress the salad with the horseradish dressing, divide between two bowls, top with sliced roast beef and sprinkle with pumpkin seeds if using.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximation.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!