Roasted Beet Salad is a nutritious and delicious meal! Roasted beets and fresh oranges are layered over a bed of arugula and topped with goat cheese, walnuts and a simple beet salad dressing.
Just beet it, beet it! Beets are one of my favorite vegetables from the garden because they are packed with nutrients and flavor. Beet salad is a great way to eat beets and this Roasted Beet and Orange Salad is perfect for any time of the year. Add it to your Thanksgiving dinner menu or eat it all season long with the freshest flavors. This salad combines roasted beets and fresh seasonal oranges with arugula, goat cheese, walnuts and a citrus vinaigrette. We love serving this roasted beet salad with these lemon pepper chicken drumsticks or simple baked salmon.
Vibrant, colorful and full of vitamins, beets are a versatile ingredient. Roasting beets yields a buttery sweet flavor. Even if you don’t like the earthy taste of raw beets, you MUST try roasted beets. Roasting brings out the sweet beet flavor.
How to make roasted beet salad
Roasted beet salad is one of my favorite seasonal meals.
- First, roast the beets with olive oil. Separate the red beets from the yellow beets if you don’t want the colors to bleed. We cook them in separate foil packets.
- Next, prepare the dressing by whisking together a few simple ingredients.
- Once the beets are done roasting, mix them together with half of the dressing. You can mix two separate bowls to prevent the colors from bleeding. Layer the arugula on a plate or bowl and then top with roasted beets, orange wedges, walnuts and goat cheese. Drizzle with remaining dressing and serve.
We like to prevent the two different beet colors from bleeding (to make a beautiful salad where the colors are contrasting), but if you don’t care about that you can roast all of the beets together.
Beet salad dressing
To make a simple orange vinaigrette for the beet salad, whisk together orange juice, olive oil, white balsamic vinegar and honey. That’s it!
Tips for cooking with beets:
- Select small to medium sized beets that are round and firm with fresh green foliage. The smaller beets are the most flavorful.
- Use gloves to protect your hands from stain when peeling and slicing. Trust me on this one. Don’t underestimate the ability of beets to stain your hands. I love this peeler.
- Roast beets to yield a sweeter flavor.
- Save the greens and cook them too.
The best seasonal flavors combine to create a healthy, colorful and flavorful salad!
How long does beet salad last?
The roasted beets will last for 3 to 5 days in the refrigerator. You can either prepare the salad in advance or assemble the salad just prior to serving.
Roasted Beet and Orange Salad
Ingredients
For the beets:
- 6 medium sized beets, red and yellow
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 heaping cups arugula
- 3 oranges, peeled and cut into wedges
- ½ cup walnuts
- ½ cup goat cheese crumbles
For the beet salad dressing:
- 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Peel the beets with a vegetable peeler and slice into two inch pieces. Line a baking pan with two pieces of aluminum foil. Place the red beets in the middle of one sheet of foil and the yellow beets on the other. Drizzle one tablespoon olive oil over each sheet of beets. Fold up edges and pinch to close and form two pouches. I don't want colors to bleed so I make two separate pouches. Place on baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until tender.
- While the beets are roasting, prepare the dressing by whisking together the orange juice, olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, and honey.
- Once beets are done roasting, mix them together with half of the salad dressing. You can mix two separate bowls to prevent the colors from bleeding. Layer arugula on plate or bowl then top with beets, orange wedges, walnuts and goat cheese. Drizzle with remaining dressing, as desired. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Enjoy!
Notes
- The roasted beets will last for 3 to 5 days in the refrigerator. You can either prepare the salad in advance or assemble the salad just prior to serving.
- This recipe makes 5 to 6 small servings or 3 large servings. Serving size may vary depending on the exact size of the beets.
Excellent. I skipped the honey and used some orange blossom water instead. Also subbed walnut oil for the olive oil. Also used belgian endive instead of arugula. So even if you don’t have all the ingredients, this is a good base recipe that lends itself to several variations.
I love a good beet salad, and this one looks incredible! I can’t wait to try this for lunch today!
I loved everything in here! This salad is delicious!
Just made this salad for lunch, and I absolutely loved it! Thanks!