Roast beef salad with orange & radishes
Orange, radish, and Belgian endive in one bowl sounds like a clash. It isn't. The sweetness from the orange segments softens the radish's peppery snap, and the endive adds a clean bitterness that sharpens everything around it.
Four slices of roast beef push this five-minute assembly to 17 grams of protein on just 191 calories. The dressing — nonfat yogurt whisked with a little mustard and honey — pulls the whole plate together without adding a single gram of unnecessary fat.
Ingredients
- orange 1
- radishes 5
- Belgian endive 1
- mixed salad 1 handful
- roast beef 4 slices
- yogurt, nonfat 2 tablespoons
- yellow mustard 0.5 teaspoon
- honey 1 teaspoon
Method
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Peel the orange and separate it into segments.
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Wash and thinly slice the radishes. Halve the endive, remove the core, and slice into thin strips.
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Place the lettuce in a bowl and top with the endive, radishes, and orange segments. Arrange the roast beef on top.
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In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt, mustard, and honey. Drizzle over the salad and toss gently to combine. Season with salt and pepper.
Slice the radishes as thin as you can manage — translucent discs catch the dressing and weave into every bite instead of sitting on top as crunchy coins. A scattering of finely chopped fresh chives adds a mild onion note that bridges the sweet orange and peppery radish.
Behind this recipe
Can I use mandarin or grapefruit instead of orange?
Mandarin works well — it's sweeter and the smaller segments sit neatly between the radish slices. Grapefruit adds more tartness, which pairs nicely with the honey in the dressing but shifts the flavor balance toward bitter-sour. Both give you a similar vitamin C contribution to the plate.
Is 17 grams of protein enough for a lunch?
It depends on your daily target and how you spread it. Research on protein distribution suggests that spreading protein evenly across meals — rather than loading it all at dinner — supports muscle protein synthesis more effectively. At 17 grams, this salad carries more protein than most light lunches. If your daily target is higher, pairing it with a protein-rich snack later fills the gap without turning lunch into a heavy plate.
Read the full evidence reviewWhy Belgian endive instead of regular lettuce?
Endive holds its shape in a dressed salad — it doesn't wilt and go limp after five minutes the way butter lettuce does. The mild bitterness also creates a deliberate contrast with the orange sweetness and the honey in the dressing. Regular lettuce would make a blander, soggier bowl.
How does this salad have only 4 grams of fat?
No oil in the dressing. Most salad dressings are built on olive oil or mayo, which can add 10-15 grams of fat to a single serving. This one uses nonfat yogurt as the base, with mustard and honey for flavor. The roast beef is lean deli meat, and the vegetables contribute almost no fat. A drizzle of olive oil or a few walnut halves would add healthy fats if you want them.
