Beets are not only a terrific source of nutrients, they’re also delicious! Learn how to make this easy roasted beet salad with an orange vinaigrette, walnuts, and as much goat cheese as you can handle.

ROASTED BEET SALAD FOR ALL OCCASIONS

Whether you need a side for dinner, a dish for a potluck, or you just have a craving for beets (I’m not alone, am I?), this roasted beet salad is ready to rise up to the occasion.

Dressed with a simple orange vinaigrette and studded with walnuts, goat cheese crumbles and fresh dill, it’s guaranteed that each forkful will offer a bite of goodness.

I also love that it’s easy to make, especially if you roast the beets ahead of time!

Best of all, you can play with this recipe, in fact, I encourage you to do so!

If the aforementioned flavours don’t excite you, fret not, I’m including a few other flavour combinations below that you can experiment with.

ROASTED BEET SALAD VIDEO

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DID YOU KNOW?

Did you know that beets are full of nutrients? When you nosh on beets, you’re inviting folate (vitamin B9), potassium, manganese, iron, and vitamin C into your diet.

They’re low in calories, high in fibre, and heart-healthy. If you want to read up more on the virtues of beets, you can peruse this Healthline article at your leisure.

ROASTING THE BEETS IN ADVANCE

Roasting the beets in advance takes away the majority of the prep work, making it easier to assemble when the time comes.

If you’ve never roasted beets before, there’s not much to it, really. After giving the beets a good scrubbing with a dedicated veggie scrub brush, cut the tops and bottoms off and then wrap the beets up in a foil packet with a wee bit of water.

Place the foil packet on a baking sheet and roast in a 375º oven for 45 minutes, or until you can easily pierce them through with a knife. Once the beets are roasted, peeling them is a cinch.

WHAT IF I GET BEET HANDS?

It happens. Since we no longer live in an era where women wear gloves when they’re out and about, it’s harder to hide beet-red hands. However, it’s not that hard to clean up beet-stained hands after peeling and slicing beets, so don’t let that deter you.

If you’re concerned about staining your hands, wear gloves when handling the beets. If you’re scrappy like me, however, here are a couple of methods to help you on your way:

• Cut a potato in half, dip one of the halves in kosher salt, and scrub your hand with it under warm water for a minute or two. Remember to wash your hands with soap after and put on some moisturizer!
• Apply lemon juice after rinsing off your hand. If you have a particularly stubborn stain, try a lemon juice soak, but remember to use a good moisturizer after the fact.
• If worse comes to worse, just run yourself a good hot shower or sink into a bubble bath with a glass of wine to relax and forget about the beet stains. As a bonus, the soap and hot water will likely help your hands come clean.

A WORD ON THE ORANGE VINAIGRETTE

The orange vinaigrette in this roasted beet salad recipe doesn’t follow the formula I typically use when making salad dressing. The thing is, orange juice isn’t as acidic as lemon or vinegar, which is why apple cider vinegar takes the scene.

If you want to play with the ingredients, the standard rule of thumb is three parts oil to one part acid.

Note: You will have dressing to spare after making this roasted beet salad. I love having salad dressing in the fridge that’s ready to go, so I hope you do, too!

LETTING THE BEET SALAD FLAVOURS MELD

If there’s one tidbit of advice I can offer for those of you looking to make beet salad, it’s this: make it ahead.

Time is the secret ingredient.

Beet salad is kind of like a soup or stew, I find. It’s good when you dig in right away, but when the flavours have time to mingle, it’s that much better.

I like making roasted beet salad the day before I plan on serving it to give it plenty of time for the flavours to meld.

FLAVOUR COMBINATIONS FOR ROASTED BEET SALAD

At the end of the day, not everyone likes orange or dill. Heck, some people don’t care for goat cheese, which baffles me. Really, I don’t understand it. For me, putting goat cheese on something takes it to the next level. For instance, if I see bruschetta on a menu, I’ll barely consider it because it’s so easy for me to make at home, but if I see bruschetta topped with goat cheese, that’s a whole other story. It’s still something I can make at home, but if I can have goat cheese right now, why would I pass up on that opportunity?

Well, now that you know one of my weaknesses, let’s take a look at how else you can dress a roasted beet salad:

• Apples + fennel + orange segments + frisée + an orange vinaigrette
• Avocado + cilantro + hard boiled eggs + red onion + chile lime vinaigrette
• Gorgonzola + hazelnuts + lemon thyme + a basic vinaigrette
• Pears + Roquefort + tarragon + walnuts + a lemon vinaigrette

PLAY AND HAVE FUN

The first rule of cooking is taste.

The second rule is to keep your workstation clean, and the third is to play.

While those aren’t a real set of rules, I do emphasize having fun and playing with flavours.

Try out different herbs. Beets are friends with herbs and pair well with a fair number, including basil, cilantro, chervil, and lemon thyme.

Salty cheeses like cheddar, parmesan, blue and goat cheese help to cut the sweetness a bit and make the beets shine.

One of my favourite kitchen books of all time is The Flavor Bible, which guides its readers through hundreds of ingredients and their ideal pairings. I cannot recommend it enough.

SHOP THIS POST

The Flavor Bible by Karen Page & Andrew Domenburg

Vegetable scrub brush

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ROASTED BEET SALAD INGREDIENTS

Makes 6 portions

12 small beets

1 shallot, finely chopped

1/4 cup walnuts

2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped

goat cheese to your heart’s content

FOR THE ORANGE VINAIGRETTE

1/4 cup fresh orange juice (juice of 1 orange)

1/4 cup + 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp mustard

1 tsp honey

1 tsp orange zest

salt & pepper to taste

ROASTED BEET SALAD INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF and scrub the beets clean.
2. Slice the tops and bottoms off the beets and bundle them up in a tinfoil packet with a wee bit of water.
3. Roast the beets for 45 minutes, or until you can pierce through them with a knife. Let them cool.
4. Prepare the vinaigrette by adding all of the ingredients into a jar and shaking until homogenous. You may also use a blender.
5. Peel the beets and slice them (half moons).
6. Add half of the dressing and toss it with the beets, shallots and dill.
7. Finish with the walnuts and as much goat cheese as you can handle.

PRINTABLE ROASTED BEET SALAD RECIPE CARD

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Love and gratitude,