This roasted beet salad is not only gorgeous to serve, it’s more delicious with each and every bite! It speaks of autumn with layers of texture and deep caramelized flavor.
It’s vegetarian, wholesome and nutritious. Bursting with all the good stuff, it’s a salad that’s easy enough for a weeknight but special enough for the holidays, too!
Loaded with incredibly tender roasted root veggies, it’s a restaurant level salad you’re going to absolutely crave. Let’s make it!
I’ve recreated one of my favorite restaurant salads to enjoy at home! One of our most delicious local eateries (Katie’s Pizza and Pasta) serves a gorgeous roasted beet salad that I crave on a weekly basis.
While we are take-out regulars, I knew that I wanted to capture those flavors with my own spin so that I could share the love right here with you!
If you would have told me as a child that I would one day be a grown-up who actually craves a good salad, I would have never believed it. In fact, I’ve shared a great variety of salads in my salad recipe collection – don’t miss my spring mix salad, Endive salad and insalata mista.
Luckily for all of us, these delicious restaurant flavors are easily replicated and I am so thrilled to share this pretty salad with you today!
Why You’ll Love this Roasted Beet Salad
Roasting root vegetables is so much more than an easy cooking technique. It also increases the flavor through caramelization, and produces incredibly tender veggies that are absolutely craveable.
While the flavor is beyond your wildest dreams, this salad also just looks so good. It’s so beautiful to serve and really upgrades any event or family dinner.
It’s colorful, bursting with nutrients and healthy flavors, with the ultimate combination of sweetened root veggies, figs and salty cheese.
Don’t Skip These: It’s one of the best side dishes for fish, Salmon Side Dishes, and don’t miss this round up of Side Dishes for Steak, too.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Golden Beets – golden beets are slightly sweeter than red beets. You can of course use either, but this salad is beautiful and perfectly sweet with the roasted golden beets.
- Arugula – the perfect peppery green to balance the sweetness in this salad.
- Dried Figs – you can buy these in the dried fruit section or often the produce section of most grocery stores.
- Jicama – this crunchy root vegetable is a perfectly textural addition to this salad.
- Walnuts – I like to buy the bags of halves or pieces.
- Goat Cheese – this soft, mellow cheese is perfectly creamy when crumbled into this beet salad! Sub with any other crumbly cheese – feta or blue cheese will work well, too.
- Balsamic – you’ll make your own simple balsamic dressing.
- Olive Oil – I like to use extra virgin olive oil, but feel free to use whatever you have on hand.
- Salt and Pepper
How to Roast Beets
- Preheat to 400°F with the oven rack in the center.
- Begin by trimming the tops off of your beets, leaving just a little of the stem. Wash and dry your beets.
- Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil. Add sliced beets . Wrap the beets tightly in the foil and place on a sheet tray.
- Roast the beets until tender, 40-60 minutes. You’ll know they are done because of the fork test – when your fork slides in easily they are done.
- Allow beets to cool enough to handle, then peel and cut into small pieces for your salad. Set aside.
How to Make Beet Salad
- Roast Beets – Preheat oven. Clean, trim and slice beets, drizzle with olive oil and wrap in foil. Place on baking sheet and bake 45 minutes or until tender.
- Make Balsamic Vinaigrette – I like to use this container for salad dressings, both for storing and serving!
- Toss – And serve!
Tips
- If you’re traveling with this salad, always pack it dry to prevent wilting. Wash the leaves but then use a spinner to get rid of as much moisture as you can.
- My balsamic vinaigrette is perfect for this dish, but feel free to experiment! Try it with my Apple Cider Vinegar Salad Dressing, White Wine Vinaigrette or Easy Herb Vinaigrette Dressing Recipe.
- To peel the beets: I like to peel beets by holding the exterior with a dry paper towel. If they are roasted thoroughly, the paper towel will help remove the skin of the beet simply by rubbing – it makes it so easy! (*You don’t need to peel them, but you can if you’d like.)
- This salad is perfect to make ahead of time. You can make the salad in the bowl and cover in with plastic wrap one or two days before you need it. The champagne vinaigrette (and most vinaigrettes) will keep in the fridge in a sealed container for up to two weeks.
Scaling up, down or substituting? You’ll love this printable Measurement Conversion Chart!
If you love the balsamic vinaigrette in this recipe, you’ll probably enjoy this incredible Balsamic Glaze, too!
Frequently Asked Questions
There is no reason to peel beets prior to roasting them – or after, for that matter. The skin is edible and virtually melts off during the roasting process, anyway.
Roasting vegetables will caramelize them, bringing all the natural sugars to the surface and sweetening them. However, if you bake them for too long, the sugars will burn and eventually taste bitter. Make sure you’re not overcooking your beets!
How To Serve Beet Salad
This salad serves beautifully in any kind of salad bowl. I love the looks of this one because it’s the perfect size (and style) for mixing, transporting serving!
If you’re traveling, use a bowl with a sealed lid or tightly wrapped plastic wrap. Place the dressing in a separate container on top of the salad for easy transportation.
This salad serves beautifully with fall and winter flavors – try this sweet potato gnocchi recipe to round out an incredible vegetarian meal!
Dietary Considerations
- Gluten Free
- Vegetarian
- To make it Dairy free, eliminate the goat cheese
- To make it Vegan, eliminate the goat cheese
How to Store
- At Room Temperature – Keep at room temperature while serving, but transfer to the refrigerator after two hours.
- Refrigerate – Store in the refrigerator in a covered container for up to three days. However, the salad will become soggy over storage time. The dressing can be made several days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator as well!
- Freeze – Salads generally shouldn’t be frozen, and this one is no exception.
More Veggies
Roasted Beet Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
Ingredients
Roasted Beets
- 4 golden beets
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Balsamic Vinaigrette
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
Salad
- 4 cups arugula about 2 bunches
- ½ cup dried figs
- 1 jicama julienned slices
- ½ cup walnuts
- 4 ounces goat cheese crumbled
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Roast Beets
- Preheat oven to 425℉. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice beets.
- Toss your sliced beets in olive oil. Arrange on sheet pan so they are not touching.
- Roast 45 minutes, until tender when you insert a fork or toothpick.
Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Combine olive oil and balsamic vinegar in a jar or whisk in a bowl until well combined.
Salad
- Slice beets. If you'd like, you can peel them, but you don't need to.
- Toss arugula with beets, figs, jicama sticks, walnuts, and balsamic vinaigrette. Top with goat cheese.
- Season with fresh cracked salt and pepper to taste.
Julie’s Tips
How to Roast Beets
- Preheat to 400°F with the oven rack in the center.
- Begin by trimming the tops off of your beets, leaving just a little of the stem. Wash and dry your beets.
- Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil. Add sliced beets . Wrap the beets tightly in the foil and place on a sheet tray.
- Roast the beets until tender, 40-60 minutes. You’ll know they are done because of the fork test – when your fork slides in easily they are done.
- Allow beets to cool enough to handle, then peel and cut into small pieces for your salad. Set aside.
Tips
- If you’re traveling with this salad, always pack it dry to prevent wilting. Wash the leaves but then use a spinner to get rid of as much moisture as you can.
- My balsamic vinaigrette is perfect for this dish, but feel free to experiment! Try it with my Apple Cider Vinegar Salad Dressing, White Wine Vinaigrette or Easy Herb Vinaigrette Dressing Recipe.
- This salad is perfect to make ahead of time. You can make the salad in the bowl and cover in with plastic wrap one or two days before you need it. The champagne vinaigrette (and most vinaigrettes) will keep in the fridge in a sealed container for up to two weeks.
Estimated nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is not guaranteed.
