Chayote Salad with Golden Beets and Orange

This Chayote Salad with Golden Beets and Orange is refreshing, light, and easy to make, with a simple homemade dressing. The chayote and beets can be used either raw or cooked, depending on the texture you prefer, and the whole salad comes together in about 30–40 minutes.

If you’re not familiar with chayote, also known as choko, christophine, vegetable pear, or mango squash, it’s a type of squash used in many cuisines around the world, particularly in South America, Asia, and parts of Europe.

In Mauritian cuisine, chayote squash is often sautéed and served as a simple side dish. We love this mildly sweet, versatile vegetable in curries — like this Braised Tofu and Vegetable Curry — and in our much-loved Niouk Yen, delicate chayote dumplings. Chayote is also delicious pickled when used raw.

These days, chayotes are relatively easy to find in many grocery stores, although availability can vary depending on the region.

Chayote can be eaten raw but in today’s salad recipe, I like to cook them first, along with the yellow beets. You can leave them both raw if you prefer; they’ll be crunchy, refreshing and the recipe can be done more quickly.

This chayote salad can be served on its own or as part of a meal. I especially enjoy making lettuce wraps by spooning the salad into small romaine leaves, then topping with veggie sausages and homemade vegan mayonnaise. Light, satisfying, and relatively low in carbs.

Yield: 4 - 5 servings

Chayote Salad with Golden Beets and Orange

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Chayote with Yellow Beetroot and Orange Salad is refreshing, delicious, summery, and easy to make with a simple homemade salad dressing. Serve on its own or as an accompaniment to any dish.

Ingredients

Salad:

• 2 chayotes
• 2 yellow beetroots or yellow squash
• 2 tomatillos, or tomatoes, diced
• 1 orange, with membrane peeled, cut into segments
• 200 g (1 cup) cooked black beans
• Small bunch fresh coriander/cilantro, chopped

Dressing:

• 2 teaspoons lime juice, or apple cider vinegar
• 1 - 2 tablespoons vegan mayonnaise, optional
• 1 - 2 tablespoons olive oil, omit if using mayonnaise
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Peel and cut the chayote squash in half lengthwise then scoop out the seed with a spoon.
2. Peel and cut the beetroot in quarters. 
3. In a medium pot, cook the chayote and beetroot in boiling salted water until just tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and let cool.
4. Using a sharp knife, peel the oranges, removing all of the bitter white pith. Working over a bowl, cut in between the membranes to separate and remove the sections. Squeeze the juice from the membranes into the bowl and discard. 
5. Add the rest of the ingredients (chayote, beetroot, tomatillos, black bean and cilantro) to the bowl. Then, add in all the dressing ingredients (lime juice, mayonnaise/olive oil, salt and pepper).
6. Toss and mix well, then serve.

Notes

For variation: add chopped red onions, avocados, sweet corn kernels, boiled cubed potatoes or cucumber

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