Roasted beet salad with goat cheese topped with a sweet and tangy pomegranate dressing. Walnuts add a nice crunch to each healthy bite! This post is sponsored by Nature’s Intent Organic Apple Cider Vinegar. All opinions are my own.
A great way to combine flavorful seasonal ingredients while taking advantage of their nutritional benefits is making a fresh dish like this colorful beet salad. A simple roasting technique transforms hard root vegetables into tender, sweet and earthy flavored stars of the recipe. Adding them to your meal provides a good source of fiber, plus potassium, manganese, magnesium, folate, iron, and vitamin C.
Fresh arugula lettuce has a slight peppery flavor, which complements the mild taste of the beets and the creamy goat cheese. An easy to make pomegranate dressing gets generously drizzled over this salad, adding vibrant flavors and polyphenol antioxidants from the fruit to each forkful.
How to Roast Beets
Beets are a unique vegetable because nearly the entire plant from the bulb, to the stem, and the hearty greens are edible with each providing a different nutrient profile and taste. There are many different colors of beets that can buy at the market. I selected dark red and golden beets for this salad to give an attractive pop of color. Try to find beets of similar size, about 2-to-3 inches in diameter so that they cook evenly and in a shorter amount of time.
There are many ways to prepare and cook beets. They can be eaten raw, steamed, baked, boiled or roasted. For this recipe, I roasted them similar to my beet hummus recipe because the high heat enhances the natural sweetness. This cooking method makes it easy to prepare and probably the least messy.
Preparation involves cutting off the long stems and tossing the bulbs with oil, salt, pepper and tightly enclosing them in foil packets. This effortlessly cooks the flesh in under an hour. It’s easy to remove the thick outer skin after roasting by using your fingers to peel off the outside layer. They are now ready to be cut and added to the salad.
Pomegranates are ripe and abundant at the market, especially during the Fall season. I like to take full advantage of this superfruit using the juice and arils in my smoothie and breakfast recipes. Not to mention it’s super fun removing the seeds! The juice has an intensely sweet, mouth puckering and cranberry-like taste. It makes the perfect base for a dressing.
This dressing is made in under a minute in a blender, creating a smooth and thickened texture. It’s just six wholesome ingredients; pomegranate juice, shallots, dijon mustard, maple syrup, olive oil, and apple cider vinegar. The apple cider vinegar has a natural acidity that instantly boosts the fruit flavors in the dressing to yield a lovely vinaigrette.
Right before serving, I add soft goat cheese crumbles, although sometimes I’m in the mood for a slightly fried goat cheese. The texture of the cheese compliments the crunchy walnuts, and whole pomegranate seeds that are sprinkled on top. This gorgeous beet salad will shine on your dinner table or at any special gathering!
Don’t throw away those beet stems and leaves!
Those edible parts can be washed, cut and eaten. Saute the stems and green tops in a little bit of oil and seasoning for a tasty vegetable side dish that tastes similar to kale. You can also cut the greens into smaller shreds and add them right to the salad. However, they do have a slightly bitter taste which can be offset with the sweetness of the beet bulbs and dressing. By saving and eating the greens, you’ll receive a rich fiber source and various vitamins and minerals!
Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound beets, about 2 ½ to 3-inches in size
- ¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for roasting
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for roasting
- black pepper, for roasting and seasoning
- ½ cup pomegranate juice
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons minced shallot
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
- 5 ounces baby arugula
- ¼ cup goat cheese
- ¼ cup pomegranate arils
- ¼ cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Set the oven rack in the center position. Preheat to 400°F (204ºC).
- Trim the tops off the beets, leaving ½-inch of the stem. Wash and scrub and dry thoroughly.
- Place beets on a piece of foil large enough to make a pouch. Drizzle with olive oil to coat the beets, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Wrap the beets tightly in the foil and place on a sheet tray.
- Roast the beets until fork-tender, about 40 to 60 minutes. The time will vary depending on the size of the beets. Check every 20 minutes for doneness.
- Allow beets to cool then peel and cut into ½-inch wedges. Set aside.
- Add pomegranate juice, apple cider vinegar, shallots, mustard, and maple syrup to a blender. Blend on medium speed until smooth, about 15 seconds.
- Slowly add in ¾ cups of olive oil to the running blender until the dressing thickens and is emulsified. Season with ⅛ teaspoon salt and pepper to taste.
- To serve top the arugula with sliced beets, goat cheese, pomegranate arils and chopped walnuts. Serve with pomegranate dressing.
Equipment
Nutrition Facts
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000-calorie diet. All nutritional information is based on estimated third-party calculations. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods, and portion sizes per household.
Christine Potthast says
I made this recipe yesterday, on Mother’s Day and it turned out delicious. My family loved it. They said we could not have eaten any better in a restaurant and made sure, I understand that they would like to eat this again. 🙂
Jessica Gavin says
Wow, great job with the beet salad Christine! Now your family has a gourmet chef!
Christine Potthast says
An addition to my previous comment… I had to substitute the maple syrup with clover honey but that was fine. – As another reader mentioned, I also first thought the amount of olive oil would be a bit much but my 5 oz package of fresh baby arugula was actually quite voluminous. – I added the oil slowly and tried to get away with using less olive oil but used 3/4 cups in the end. The dressing needed the recommended juice – oil ratio and my family was glad to have some leftover dressing for today. The combination of red and golden beet with with goat cheese and Pomegranate is incredible.
Jessica Gavin says
Thank you for sharing your substitution in the salad, I’m sure others will find it helpful!
Leah says
Made a version of this with added roasted bell pepper and onion. It was sooooo good! The vinaigrette was tasty and added the perfect acidity to cut through the roundness and ‘heaviness’ of the roasted beets. Made it over sauteed kale and garlic. SO yummy!!! Wil be making again. The goat cheese is a must!
Jessica Gavin says
Love that you added roasted bell pepper and onions to the salad. Sounds delicious!
Hazel Kelly says
Thank you Jessica for teaching me about beet and how to cook them.
I’ll be purchasing your book!
HK
Jessica Gavin says
You’re welcome! Thank you so much for your support!