Beef Salad (Salata de Boeuf)
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This Beef Salad, known as “Salata de Boeuf” in Romania, is a popular dish typically served as an appetizer or a side dish at holiday celebrations, such as Easter or Christmas. The salad typically consists of boiled beef, diced carrots, potatoes, and pickles, all mixed together with mayonnaise and sometimes other seasonings or herbs. It’s a delicious and classic Romanian dish that is sure to impress your family and friends.
Traditional Romanian Beef Salad (Salata De Beouf)
Sometimes I like to give you guys a glimpse into Romanian cuisine, since I get asked about it often. It’s not as known as other cuisines like Italian or Chinese, but we do have some interesting recipes such as this salad.
This Beef Salad known as “Salata De Beouf” is a classic Romanian salad that brings to mind the rich history and culture of Eastern Europe. It is a dish that is steeped in tradition, with each family adding their own unique twist to the recipe.
This salad is a perfect example of how simple ingredients can come together to create something truly extraordinary. Boiled beef, diced vegetables, and mayonnaise are mixed together to create a decadent and flavorful salad that is both comforting and satisfying.
The texture is smooth and creamy, with a subtle crunch from the diced vegetables. The flavors are rich and savory, with just the right amount of tanginess from the mayonnaise and mustard. It is a salad that can be served as a side dish, an appetizer or as a main course, depending on the occasion. It is a dish that is both timeless and modern, and one that is sure to delight anyone who tastes it.
Why You’ll Love This Beef Salad
- Easy Recipe! It’s a simple salad recipe that requires less than 10 ingredients and no fancy cooking skills. In fact, all you have to do is boil the beef and veggies in water.
- Authentic Romanian Dish! This tasty well-known Romanian favorite is like souped-up potato salad with lots of mayo, tender chunks of beef, and peas blended into the mix.
- Holiday Favorite! Traditionally this dish is served at Easter, Christmas, and New Year’s, but it can be served all year long as a side or a complete meal of its own.
- Meat – While stewing beef is the original meat used to make this salad, hence the name, many have changed it to use chicken or turkey instead.
- Veggies – Potatoes, carrots and frozen peas. I usually use Yokon Gold potatoes or Russets. Canned peas will work as well, just drain them and place them in a bowl lined with paper towels to dry them up as much as possible.
- Pickles – Lots of pickles, this salad wouldn’t work without pickles.
- Mayonnaise and Mustard – Lots of mayo and lots of mustard. You can’t skip the mustard, it will give it a nice tang that is a must in this salad.
- Salt and pepper – To taste.
This authentic Romanian salad is really easy! Once the beef and veggies are cooked and chopped the whole dish comes together in under 10 minutes!
To begin, you need to cook the beef. You can either boil the beef in water for 2 hours or you can cook it in an Instant Pot. For the IP method, just cook the meat on high pressure for an hour. Then when the beef is done, transfer it to a bowl and allow it to completely cool.
Next, add the potatoes and carrots to a large pot of salted water. Make sure all the veggies are covered in water. Next, bring the water to a boil over medium heat and cook the potatoes and carrots for about 15 minutes or until they are fork-tender. Then drain the veggies and let them cool off a bit.
Once the beef and vegetables are cool, chop them up into small pieces that are about ¼ inch by ¼ inch and put them into a large bowl. Next, slice the pickles into the same size pieces and then drain all the juice from them by placing them in a paper towel-lined bowl. Then add the chopped pickles to the bowl. Now, drain the excess liquid from the peas just like you did the pickles, and then add them to the bowl as well.
Now for the best part! To make the salad, add the mayo and mustard to the bowl with the beef and veggies along with a bit of salt and black pepper. Then toss everything together until it’s well combined.
This beef salad is often decorated in Romania to make it more visually appealing and festive, especially for holidays and special occasions. The decoration typically involves arranging colorful vegetables, herbs, and other garnishes on top of the salad in an attractive and creative way. For simplicity, I simply smoothed out the top and topped it more mayonnaise. Now, serve the salad immediately or put it in the fridge to stay cold. Do not warm up the salad.
Other Ingredients You Can Add
Although using the ingredients in this recipe is the only way I’ve ever made this salad, there are lots of other ingredients you can add. Here are some suggestions:
| Meat/Protein | Veggies | Garnish |
|---|---|---|
| Turkey | Celery | Roasted red peppers |
| Chicken | Onion | Olives |
| Pork loin | Parsnips | Hard Boiled Eggs |
| Hard Boiled Eggs | Mushrooms | |
| Salmon | Olives |
Is Salata De Beouf A Healthy Dish?
Salata de Beouf is a rich and flavorful salad that is high in calories and fat due to the mayonnaise used in the recipe. However, you can use low-fat or light mayonnaise to make it slightly healthier.
Is This Salad Gluten-Free?
Salata de Beouf is gluten-free as long as the ingredients used are gluten-free. However, it is important to check the labels of any processed ingredients, such as pickles or mayonnaise, to ensure they do not contain gluten.
How To Serve
Salata de Beouf can be served on its own, or it can be accompanied by other dishes, such as bread, cheese, or charcuterie. It is a rich and flavorful salad that is hearty enough to be served as a main course, or it can be served alongside other dishes as a side, such as a roast turkey.
Overall, Salata de Beouf is a versatile and delicious dish that is perfect for any occasion. Whether served as an appetizer or a side dish, it is sure to be a crowd-pleaser and a highlight of any meal.
Expert Tips
- Use good quality beef: The key to making a flavorful and tender Salata de Beouf is to use good quality beef. Look for a well-marbled cut of beef, such as chuck roast or brisket, and boil it until it is fork-tender.
- Dice the vegetables finely: For a uniform texture in your salad, it’s important to dice the vegetables finely.
- Season the salad well: Don’t be afraid to season the salad well with salt, pepper, and plenty of mayonnaise and mustard. This will enhance the flavor of the salad and make it more delicious.
- Place the peas and pickles in a bowl lined with paper towels to make sure you soak up all the extra liquid. If you don’t do this, as the salad sits, it will release liquid at the bottom of the bowl, which is not nice, but if it does just throw out the liquid or soak it up with paper towels.
Storage
This salad will last up to 5 days in the fridge in an airtight container. If stored in a bowl, make sure to cover it tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil.
This salad does not freeze well, so I wouldn’t recommend freezing leftovers.
Other Delicious Romanian Recipes To Try
- Cabbage Rolls
- Stuffed Peppers
- Walnut Roll
- Meatball Soup
- Chicken Potato Soup
- Roasted Red Peppers
- Eggplant Dip
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Beef Salad (Salata de boeuf)
Ingredients
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Add the beef to a pot of boiling water and cook it for about 2 hours. You can also use an Instant Pot to cook it faster. If using an Instant pot cook it on high pressure for 1 hour. Transfer the meat to a bowl and let it cool before chopping.
- Add the potatoes and carrots to a large pot and cover with water. Season with a teaspoon of salt. Bring the water to a boil and cook the potatoes and carrots until they are fork tender, should take about 15 minutes. Drain and cool slightly.
- Chop the meat, potatoes, carrots and pickles; they should all be small pieces about ¼ inch by ¼ inch. Drain all the liquid from the diced pickles and the peas. I usually place them in a paper towel lined bowl to soak up all the extra liquid.
- Add all the veggies and meat to a big bowl, then add the mayo and mustard, season with salt and pepper and mix everything together.
- The salad is often decorated to make it more visually appealing and festive. The decoration typically involves arranging colorful vegetables, herbs, and other garnishes on top of the salad in an attractive and creative way. For simplicity, I simply smoothed out the top and topped it more mayonnaise. Now, serve the salad immediately or put it in the fridge to stay cold.
Equipment
Video
Notes
- You can use chicken or turkey instead of beef for this recipe.
- You can use the broth from boiling the meat and veggies to make a soup.
- Roasting cuts like sirloin or chuck roast work best for this recipe.
- This salad will last up to 5 days in the fridge in an airtight container. If stored in a bowl, make sure to cover it tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. This salad does not freeze well, so I wouldn’t recommend freezing leftovers.
Nutrition Information
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
So I am thinking the leftover Easter Ham will work great with this.
Really enjoy the Romanian dishes and culture you share with us.
Oh yeah, you can definitely use that for this salad. I’m happy to hear you’re enjoying my Romanian recipes. 🙂
This turned out so good. Just the way mother would make it. Thank you so much for this authentic recipe!
My pleasure, so glad you liked it!
This is the most traditional Russian salad and we call it “Olivie”. The main difference is that we often use bologna-like sausage instead of beef (although beef is also very common) and canned sweet peas, not the frozen ones. We also add a little onion (I prefer the green onion myself). It’s delicious and I never get tired of it:)
What kind of pickles do you use please? I live with a Romanian and I have eaten this many times at many households. I make a Czech potato salad which has some similarities in the ingredients, but completely different taste. I would really like to see the look on his face if I made this. But I want to get it right. I do not make pickles, I buy them, so what would be the equivalent please? Dill pickles?
Yes! We use dill pickles! I usually have a big jar of vlasic pickles in my fridge at all times.
Hey there Andrea, when my romanian grandparents made this recipe they used self-marinated pickles (those tasted salty and sour-spicy) but it works with sweet-sour tasting pickles from the store just as much. You can use whatever you prefer, but they need to be sour in any case. Hope this helps
Hello, I’m Romanian.. I make this more often than on Christmas or Easter, I like it so much. About what you said about freezing, I think it will work only if you don’t add the mayo and the pickles.. I will actually try and let you know. Glad youare trying Romanian cuisine because it’s really good, and quite healthy if you prepare it at home. I’ve seen a variation of this salad in Polish cuisine but has too much vinegar and I don’t like that honestly.
Looking forward to making this, but have a question- if made with chicken, can I boil the chicken and veggies together? And how long should it boil for?
Thanks!
You can, if you have a big enough pot, and the leftover broth is perfect for a great chicken noodle soup. I usually boil them for 20 to 30 minutes until the potatoes are fork tender.
Jo, I really appreciate your love and interest in Romanian cuisine. I always boil the chicken breast and vegetables together (a whole onion studded with 4-5 cloves, carrots, parsnip, celery root, bay leaves, peppercorns- gives the meat and veggies a really nice taste) and use the broth to make a nice noodle soup.
However, I boil the potatoes separately , so the soup won’t be starchy. I make the mayonnaise from scratch and add a bit of lemon juice to the salad, if the pickles are not sour enough.
Thanks again!
Made a few times, excellent recepe. I usually add to the mix also a little mustard, about 1/4 as much mustard as mayonase. Dijon is good, but any mustard will do
Old memories from my mothers cooking (Jewish Romanian). Always loved it. Did not have it in maybe 40-50 years, but I came across your recepee a few mos back and made maybe 6-8 times since. Everyone loves it. Tastes just as recall from home! Cut back a little on carrots — too sweet. Never made but w chicken breast, will try beef next. Adorn it with sour roasted pepper strips, maybe olives. Preferably use a brown mustard — works better than Dijoun.
I am making this today. I have had it a few times but do not remember ever having meat in it (wondered about “boeuf” in name) but it did have hard cooked eggs. Hoping this is our new summer potato salad! Thank you.
I just made this recipe but I make it without meat. I’ve always wondered why they called it “salata de boeuf”. My father always made it with chunks of cooked ham.
David D.
Yeah, although the name means beef salad, we always make it with various meats too. My mom loves using turkey, so we make it a lot with turkey or chicken as well. Never tried ham though. 🙂
Of course the real recipe has parsley and celery root and no peas but I guess yours is good too.
It depends what part of the country you’re from, and everyone has their own recipe. This is my mother’s recipe.
Never heard of boeuf salad without peas and with celery.. As a Romanian myself, having eaten this salad all around Romania (because it s my favorite alongside Bean Ciorba (sour soup) with smoked pork), From Oltenia to Moldova. Maybe you got a “hybrid” and are used to it, and the traditional one seems weird… Then again.. an awesome dish is awesome and no matter how you make it as long as you enjoy it 🙂 Cheers!
My family loves this dish but I omit any meat, otherwise I make it exactly as written and decorated the same as in other comments.
Thanks
My lady boss said that her husband is not eating this kind of salad, but when he tasted it..he already liked it.
What kind of mustard do you use? Will french’s work? I want to surprise my Romanian boyfriend with this 🙂
French’s will be just fine, that’s what I usually use.
Hi Jo,
Your recipes are amazing, most especially this one…the old authentic “Salata de boeuf”.
I decided to buy your cooking book which I just received but I am kind of disappointed because most of the recipes which are here, are not on the book.
There is anyway I cant get these ones?
Thank you
The book has unique recipes, otherwise why would you have to pay for it, since the recipes here are available for free on the blog. 🙂