This roasted beet salad is a classic take on a winter salad. Warm roasted beets tossed with salad greens and surrounded by creamy goat cheese, crunchy walnuts, and juicy mandarins is both a healthy and comforting way to to continue enjoying salad in colder weather.
This beet salad combo is so basic but that is why it works!
- The roasted beets have a heavy hit of dried rosemary which makes them wonderfully herby.
- The mandarins (canned! gasp!) are well drained of that delicious syrup and offer up a succulent juiciness that replaces the need for a salad dressing.
- The goat cheese is so creamy and soft with just enough tang to keep things interesting!
- Walnuts, or really any nuts, are necessary because they add that delightful crunch that makes salads so tasty.
The best thing about basic recipes is that they work wonderfully with substitutions! Not a fan of rosemary? Use your favorite dried herb in its place! I’ve replaced goat cheese with mozzarella with great success, even the walnuts can be swapped for almonds or pistachios!
The only thing I don’t recommend swapping are the canned mandarins. They sweetness they absorb goes wonderfully with the beets and fresh mandarins just don’t compare. Also the time it takes to segment a fresh mandarin isn’t worth it. Trust me, I did it all and it was ‘meh’. Just save the fresh ones for snack time.
Also canned mandarins will really appeal to kids and teens. When I was a lunch lady the canned mandarin bin on the salad bar had to be refilled dang near every 10 minutes! Those kids loved that stuff! One kid was so shocked when I told him he could buy these in the store, literally his jaw dropped y’all. I hope he got some on the next grocery trip his family took because he LOVED them.
If you love the earthy flavor of beets then this salad is going to be your new best friend! Sometimes I roast a pan of beets just so I can nibble on them throughout the week! They really are like jewels of the vegetable world.
Also, this salad doesn’t require a dressing so it would be perfect to prep for the entire week! Just store the salad greens separately to keep them at maximum freshness. However, if you want a “dressing”, what I’ve done is just squeeze a fresh mandarin or half of a orange onto the dressing right before I eat it. My goodness! It makes it so citrusy and delicious!
SIDE NOTE: Everytime I spelled mandarin in this post I wrote it as “mandaring”. Now we both know the latter word doesn’t exist, BUT it does sound like a real word. Perhaps as a verb for someone who really loves mandarins? I think it could work. I’ll call Websters and let ’em know.
Simple Roasted Beet salad with mandarins, walnuts, and goat cheese
Easy roasted beet salad perfect for the winter months! Loaded with crunchy nuts, creamy goat cheese and juicy mandarin slices
Ingredients
- 3 cups chopped beets from 1 large beet, or 2 medium
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 tbs dried rosemary can sub with another dried herb
- generous amount salt and pepper
For salad
- 2-3 cups salad greens or chopped romaine lettuce
- 2 ounces goat cheese
- 1 ounce roasted walnuts, chopped
- 1/2 cup canned mandarins, well drained
- 1 fresh mandarin or half an orange optional, see note
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss beets, oil, and seasonings onto a parchment paper lined tray. Bake for 35-45 minutes, stirring halfway through.
-
Prep the rest of the salad between two large plates or bowls. Remove beets when they are done and let cool for 10 minutes. Add beets to salad and eat while beets are still warm. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
This salad does not have a dressing, the beets, olive oil and mandarins make this salad well dressed HOWEVER if you want a dressing I recommend squeezing a fresh orange over the salad right before serving. It creates a delicious and fresh dressing!
Substitutions:
Walnuts can be subbed with almonds, pistachios, or any other nut.
Goat cheese can be subbed with mozzarella cheese.
I do not recommend subbing the canned mandarins for fresh, the canned ones have so much more sweetness and juiciness that really work in this salad.
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1
Servings Per Container 2
Amount Per Serving
Calories 357
Calories from Fat 200.7
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 22.3g
34%
Saturated Fat 5.9g
30%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 13mg
4%
Sodium 268.8mg
11%
Total Carbohydrate 31.2g
10%
Dietary Fiber 7.2g
29%
Sugars 23.1g
Protein 10.7g
21%
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
|
Life of Pisica
Finals week has taken a toll on both myself and Pisica, she doesn’t like being left alone for too long and she is quite vocal about her feelings. Here she is wedging herself under the kitchen cart so that she can keep Cris and I company while we make breakfast. I have to say this is an upgrade from her normal habit which is walking around our ankles and basically being a furry, meow-y, trip hazard. Too bad the whole chillin’ under the cart thing didn’t last too long.
