Roasted Beet Salad Goat Cheese (Printable Version)

Sweet roasted beets paired with creamy goat cheese and toasted nuts on fresh greens.

# What You'll Need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 4 medium beets (about 1.1 lbs), trimmed and scrubbed
02 - 4 cups mixed salad greens (arugula, spinach, baby kale)

→ Cheese & Nuts

03 - 3.5 oz soft goat cheese, crumbled
04 - 1/3 cup walnuts or pecans, toasted and roughly chopped

→ Dressing

05 - 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
06 - 1 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
07 - 1 tsp Dijon mustard
08 - 1 tsp honey or maple syrup
09 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

→ Garnish (optional)

10 - 2 tbsp fresh chives or parsley, chopped

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Wrap each beet individually in aluminum foil and place on a baking sheet. Roast for 40 to 50 minutes until tender when pierced with a knife.
02 - Remove roasted beets from oven and allow to cool slightly. Peel off the skins and cut into wedges or 3/8-inch cubes.
03 - In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, salt, and pepper until fully emulsified.
04 - Arrange salad greens on a serving platter or individual plates. Top with roasted beet pieces, crumbled goat cheese, and toasted nuts.
05 - Drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad. Sprinkle with chopped fresh herbs if using. Serve immediately.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It tastes fancy enough for guests but comes together faster than you'd expect.
  • Roasted beets have this natural sweetness that makes everything around them taste better.
  • The contrast between cool, peppery greens and warm, earthy beets feels oddly comforting.
02 -
  • Don't skip wrapping the beets in foil—unwrapped beets dry out and lose their sweetness, becoming bitter instead.
  • The dressing must taste fairly bold before it hits the salad, because the greens will soften its intensity.
  • A warm beet on cool greens is intentional—the temperature contrast actually makes flavors taste sharper and fresher.
03 -
  • Toast your own nuts in a dry pan over medium heat for 5 minutes—it takes nothing, costs less, and tastes incomparably better than buying pre-toasted.
  • Taste your beets as they cool; if they taste at all sharp or bitter, they needed 5 more minutes—don't over-roast them next time, but do respect their timing.

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