Beets are an amazing vegetable! Not only is their color vibrant, but they also are packed with nutrition. When they are so abundant and fresh in the summer, I love to make a Roasted Beet Salad with goat cheese and pine nuts. It's a simple salad, but so satisfying.
How to prepare the beets for Roasted Beet Salad
I don't usually peel the beets before roasting them because the peel comes off very easily after they are cooked.
So I just cut the greens off and wrap them in parchment paper first, then in foil. You can bake them on the oven rack in that foil packet, but I usually put them in a baking dish just in case any of the juices decide to leak out.
Don't throw out those beet greens out! You can add them to smoothies, saute them, braise them, add them to a salad ... they are valuable! Beets and their greens have lots of fiber, folate, manganese, potassium, iron, and vitamin C.
How long it takes to roast the beets totally depends on how large they are. As you can see in the photo above, there are quite a few small red beets. But the golden beets in the photo below are larger. It took about an hour to roast the larger ones, but you should plan to check them after about 30 minutes.
Beets stain! How do I get rid of the stains on my hands?
Well, you can wear gloves and avoid the staining all together! But if gloves are not an option, rest assured that the stain will fade rather quickly. You can speed up that process by rubbing lemon juice and salt on the stain, too.
How to serve Roasted Beet Salad
Many beet salads are made with spinach, but I prefer baby lettuces. I toss the lettuces with the red onion slices, then layer them on a platter. I put the beets around the sides and the goat cheese right down the middle. A good (Madonna Bella) olive oil and (Lively Olive Denissimo) balsamic vinegar drizzle is all it needs for dressing. And finally, a sprinkle of pine nuts. Doesn't that sound amazing? And simple!
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Recipe
Roasted Beet Salad
Ingredients
- 4 golden beets washed and trimmed of the greens
- 4 red beets washed and trimmed of the greens
- 10-12 ounces mixed lettuce leaves
- ¼ cup red onion cut into slices from root to stem, then separated
- 4 ounces fresh goat cheese
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- olive oil
- balsamic vinegar See notes
Instructions
- To prepare the beets, wash them, cut the greens off, then put them in a parchment-lined aluminum foil packet. Place the packet in a baking dish and bake at 450°F for about an hour. The time it takes to cook will vary widely based on the size of the beets. Start checking after 30-45 minutes. Use a toothpick, cake tester, or tip of a knife. You should be able to insert it easily.
- Allow the beets to cool completely, then take the peel off. If they are well cooked, the skin will often just slide right off. Slice into ¼-inch slices.
- Toss the onion pieces with the lettuces and arrange them on a platter. Put the beet slices around the edges and the goat cheese down the middle. Drizzle with good-quality olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle with pine nuts and season with salt.
- Serve immediately.
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