Vegetarian
Beet Salad Recipe
Description
This Beet Salad Recipe has tang, crunch, sweetness, and bite all in one. With roasted beets, peppery arugula, crunchy apple, creamy cheese, and a punchy balsamic dressing, this red beet salad truly has it all!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds medium beets tops and roots trimmed (about 6 beets)
- 5 ounces arugula
- 1 small apple diced (a sweet/crisp apple such as Honeycrisp, or tart such as Granny Smith)
- ½ cup roasted, salted shelled pistachios (I purchase them already roasted, salted, and shelled), divided
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries divided
- 4 ounces goat cheese, feta, or gorgonzola crumbled and divided
- FOR THE DRESSING:
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 clove garlic minced or grated (about 1 teaspoon)
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt plus additional to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper plus additional to taste
Directions
- Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the beets in a 9×13-inch baking dish or similar dish large enough to hold them comfortably in a single layer. Pour a thin layer of water into the bottom of the dish, cover with foil, and bake until the beets feel tender in the center when pierced with a small, sharp knife, 50 minutes to 1 hour 10 minutes or longer depending upon the size of your beets. Transfer the beets to a cutting board and let stand until cool enough to handle. If you are concerned about staining your cutting board, lay a sheet of parchment paper over it first.
- While the beets cook, prepare the balsamic dressing: in a medium mixing bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the dressing ingredients—olive oil, balsamic, mustard, honey, garlic, salt, and pepper.
- Once the beets are cool enough to handle but are still warm, with a paper towel, rub away the beet skins. If they are stubborn and stick, peel them with a small, sharp knife. Dice each beet into 3/4-inch pieces (or cut into wedges if you prefer), then place in a large serving bowl. Pour half of the dressing over the warm beets, then stir to coat (the beets absorb dressing better when they are warm).
- Add the arugula to the bowl with the beets. Toss to combine. Top with about two-thirds each of the apple, pistachios, cranberries, and goat cheese. Toss once more, adding more of the remaining dressing as desired. The arugula should be lightly moist but not drowning.
- Sprinkle the remaining pistachios, cranberries, and goat cheese over the top. Enjoy warm or at room temperature.
