Roasted beet salad 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 is by making a fresh beet salad. A simple roasting technique transforms the hard root vegetables into tender, earthy-flavored stars of the recipe. 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.
Beet Selection
Beets are a unique vegetable because nearly the entire plant, from the bulb to the stem, and the hearty greens are edible. There are many different colors of beets that can be bought 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.
Roasting Method
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 is probably the least messy.
Preparation involves cutting off the long stems, tossing the bulbs with oil, salt, and pepper, and tightly enclosing them in foil packets. This effortlessly cooks the flesh in under an hour. After roasting, it’s easy to remove the thick outer skin by using your fingers to peel off the outer layer. The bulbs are now ready to be cut and added to the salad.
Pomegranate Dressing
Pomegranates are ripe and abundant at the market, especially during the Fall season. I like to take full advantage of this superfruit by using the juice and arils to make a pomegranate smoothie. Don’t worry, removing the seeds is easy! 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.
Goat Cheese
Right before serving, I add soft goat cheese crumbles, although sometimes I’m in the mood for slightly fried goat cheese. The texture of the cheese complements the crunchy walnuts and whole pomegranate seeds sprinkled on top. This gorgeous beet salad will shine on your dinner table or at any special gathering!
Recipe Science
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 side dish. 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.
Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound beets, about 2 ½ to 3" in size
- ¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for roasting
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for roasting
- black pepper, for 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
- Heat the Oven – Set the oven rack in the center position. Preheat to 400°F (204ºC).
- Prepare the Beets – Trim the tops off the beets, leaving ½-inch of the stem. Wash, scrub, and dry thoroughly.
- Season the Beets – 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 them on a sheet tray.
- Roast – Roast the beets until fork-tender, about 40 to 60 minutes. The time will vary depending on the size of the beets. Check for doneness every 20 minutes.
- Cool and Cut – Allow beets to cool, then peel and cut into ½-inch wedges. Set aside.
- Make the Dressing – To a blender, add pomegranate juice, apple cider vinegar, shallots, mustard, and maple syrup. Blend on medium speed until smooth, about 15 seconds.Slowly add 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.Alternatively, whisk the dressing in a bowl. The consistency will not be as smooth.
- To Serve – Top the arugula with sliced beets, goat cheese, pomegranate arils, and chopped walnuts. Serve with pomegranate dressing.
Equipment
Notes
- Storing: Refrigerate the dressing for up to 2 days, and undressed salad for up to 1 day. The beets can be prepared 3 days in advance.
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.
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!
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!
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!
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!
Kate says
Amazing! Simple recipe but full of flavour. I didn’t have pomegranate juice so I just subbed in apple cider instead, so tasty! I will definitely make this again!
Jessica Gavin says
Thank you, Kate! I love that you improvised with the dressing. I have some apple cider and need to give that a try.
Marianne Schroeder says
I used raspberries and it tasted great as well. I also used agave for Maple syrup , all in all it was a great success ! First time my son liked beets and That in itself made it all worth while !!
Leah Lombardi says
This recipe is my absolute favorite salad of all time. I’ve never had a better salad dressing and it couldn’t be easier to make. Thank you for this!!
Jessica Gavin says
You made my day Leah! So happy to hear that you found the technique for making beets and the dressing easy!
Allison says
Hi,
The recipe looks great. I’m in the process of roasting the beets and wanted to try the dressing. There is a reference to a teaspoon of dijon but didn’t see where it needed to be added. I’m sure its with the vinegar, shallots and maple syrup. Did I miss it somewhere else?
Have a great day!
Jessica Gavin says
Hi Allison! I’ve updated the recipe, please add the mustard with the vinegar, shallots and maple syrup for the dressing. Thanks!
Amin Saroja says
I made the salad for friends. It was delicious! I used cranberry juice for the dressing as I did not have Pom juice and it was fine. It was colorful, healthy and attractive Thanks!
Diane Novak says
Didn’t have the Pom ingredients used unsweetened cranberry juice in the dressing and dried cranberries and toasted walnuts plus the goat cheese to garnish. Great subs.
Jessica Gavin says
Thank you for the tasty substitutions, Diane!
Carol Trefry says
I want to make this but I don’t like maple syrup. Will the salad still be good if I leave the syrup out of it?
Jessica Gavin says
Hi Carol- The maple syrup balances the flavors of the salad dressing. You could also use honey, agave, or sugar if you don’t have maple syrup.
Patricia Millert says
Your nutrition panel states 1 serving equals 45 g of fat. Can this be true?? Where is all the fat coming from? It looked so healthy to me. ….
Jessica Gavin says
The recipe includes all of the dressing, cheese, and nuts. If you used it all, it may hit that level of fat. You could cut back on the nuts and cheese. I hope that makes sense!
Dodi says
Or cut down the amount of olive oil. It seems a tad too much,
Dpeel says
3/4 cup of olive oil for 5 ounces of arugula doesn’t make sense.
Jessica Gavin says
The recipe does make a generous amount of dressing that you could use for another day, or add more arugula. It’s about 1 cup of arugula per serving for the recipe, but feel free to bump it up.
Heather S Russell says
just finished it, yummy! I added cooked shredded chicken.I have xtra dressing, going to keep it in anold jam jar
Susan Young says
They are all healthy fats that we need in our diets. A little high in carbs but a nice treat! I love golden beets and have a beautiful crop in my garden this year. This recipe is dinner party worthy! Thank you!
Michael says
Fantastic! Fed visiting family this prior to the main course. Even after having the main course, everyone, including two teens, fished out every last morsel
Jessica Gavin says
Amazing! Thank you for your feedback Michael 🙂
sarah says
Please, what are the orange things? Thank you.
Jenn says
Golden beets
Sam says
Great flavors! I turned this into a salad wrap and it worked really well I thought. I’m sure it would be great on it’s own too! Thanks for sharing!
Jessica Gavin says
Thank you Sam! I love the idea of turning it into a wrap, I will have to try it!
Jody Wegener says
Divine…. Thank you