Roasted Beet, Goat Cheese and Walnut Salad

 The combination of roasted beets, goat cheese and walnuts over greens is just amazing.  Roasted beets are a lot easier to make than you may think.  Buy them with the greens attached in the produce section.  No canned beets here.  I used red beets, but golden beets would be terrific, too.  

Roasted Beet, Goat Cheese and Walnut Salad—Yield 4 Servings 

Ingredients:

  • 2 bunches of medium beets (about 1-1/2 pounds), tops trimmed
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper 
  • 3/4 cup walnuts, chopped
  • 4 cups of salad greens of your choice (arugula, spring mix, etc. would be great)
  • 4 oz. of goat cheese, crumbled
  • 4 tablespoons Garlic Expressions Vinaigrette (1 tablespoon per salad)
Directions:

How to roast beets: The Kitchn
  1. Heat oven to 400°F.
  2. Cut the leafy tops off of the beets, close to the top of the beet, leaving enough room to grip.  Scrub the beets thoroughly, then wrap them loosely in aluminum foil.  No need to dry the beets before wrapping.  Small beets can be roasted together, but it is easiest to roast large beets individually,
  3. Place the wrapped beets on a rimmed baking sheet to keep drips in case the beet juices leak.  Roast for 50 to 60 minutes.  Check the beets every 20 minutes or so.  If they are starting to look dry or are scorching on the bottoms, dribble a tablespoon of water over the beets before re-wrapping.  Beets are done when a fork or skewer slides easily to the center of the beet. Small beets will cook more quickly than large beets.
  4. Set the beets aside until cool enough to handle.  Hold one of the beets in a paper towel and use the edges of the paper to rub the skin away. The skin should peel away easily; if it doesn’t, the beets likely need to cook for a little longer. Peel the remaining beets.
  5. Roasted beets can be refrigerated whole or sliced in airtight container for up to 1 week.
To make the salad:
  1. Place greens in a bowl.  
  2. Top with Garlic Expression’s dressing and toss.
  3. Arrange 1 cup of salad greens on each of 4 plates.
  4. Top evenly with sliced beets.
  5. Top each serving with goat cheese and walnuts.

Roasted Beets, Goat Cheese and Walnut Salad


As you can see, the salad is beautiful!  It is a perfect year-round salad.  Also, you can toast the walnuts on the stove top, if desired.  Just place the walnuts in a pan and toast for 3-5 minutes, stirring and watching carefully. They are toasted when you can smell their fragrance and their color is one shade darker than when you began. This salad was sister-made and approved! I hope you enjoy this flavorful salad!

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