Roasted Beet Salad: Sweet Roasted Beets, Creamy Goat Cheese, Toasted Pine Nuts, and a Beet Basil Pesto Vinaigrette + Meal Plan Monday #2
You know how much I love recreating recipes I’ve tried in restaurants. This recipe comes at the request of my hubby. It’s a recreation of a dish from an incredible local restaurant called Root Down that’s in both the Denver Airport and downtown. There are so many fantastic things on the menu, but he loves to order this salad every time. And you know it’s a good salad when your husband chooses to order it over hibachi steak or a juicy burger.
It wasn’t until recently that I realized how much I like beets. I’d tried the pickled kind at salad bars a few times growing up, but those really don’t taste anything like roasted beets. It’s kind of like saying you don’t like cucumbers because you don’t like pickles. They’re totally different flavors. (And I actually love pickles and don’t like cucumbers at all.)
Beets are also incredibly beautiful! I mean, just look at the colors in this salad! Beets have a marbled inside that is much like the patterns in the wood grain table in the bottom of this shot. They also have a very sweet taste to them that is enhanced by the roasting and the turmeric. (If you haven’t tried turmeric before, it has an earthy taste that reminds me of a mix of ginger, mustard, and horseradish.) I really, really enjoyed eating this salad and so did our dinner guests.
Here’s a closeup of the golden beets. They seemed a bit sweeter than the red ones in this go round, but I’m not sure if that’s always the case. You can get a better view of the pattern inside the beet in this shot. Notice that a few of them are tinted pink- that’s from roasting with the red ones. Those things will dye anything they touch (including your insides, *ahem* – consider yourself warned), so do be very careful with their prep around any porous surfaces and your hands. I usually wear gloves when cutting them so I don’t become pink for days. On the plus side, you can substitute them for lipstick or food coloring if you need to. 🙂 Enjoy!
Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese and Beet Basil Pesto Vinaigrette
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 40
- Total Time: 50
Description
Sweet Roasted Beets, Creamy Goat Cheese, Toasted Pine Nuts, and a Beet Basil Pesto Vinaigrette
Ingredients
Ingredients
For Roasted Beets
- 2 lbs Red Beets (that’s about 4 orange-sized beets), peeled and cut in 1 inch cubes
- 2 lbs Golden Beets (that’s about 4 orange-sized beets), peeled and cut in 1 inch cubes
- 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
For Dressing
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup roasted golden and red beets (from above ingredients), cooled
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 2 teaspoons water
- 1/3 cup basil pesto (jarred or homemade)
For Salad
- 1 11oz package baby arugula
- 1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted over medium heat in a dry pan for 5–10 minutes
- 4 oz crumbled goat cheese
Instructions
Directions
For Roasted Beets
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Cover a large baking sheet with aluminum foil (to protect your pan from being dyed purple by the beets) and drizzle with 3 Tablespoons olive oil.
- Spread cubed beets out over the baking sheet and roll in oil to coat.
- Sprinkle with salt and turmeric.
- Roast for 40 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a fork, turning halfway through.
For Dressing
- Combine all ingredients in a small blender cup or food processor and process until smooth and well combined.
For Salad
- Add arugula to a large bowl.
- Top with toasted pine nuts, crumbled goat cheese, and roasted beets.
- Serve with beet dressing on the side.
Notes
- **You may wish to wear gloves and protect any porous surfaces when cutting the red beets as the pink color may stain.
- Gluten-free: This is gluten-free (double check the pesto)
- Vegetarian: This is vegetarian.
- Vegan: Swap the goat cheese for a vegan cashew or tofu “goat cheese” and use a vegan basil pesto.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
Meal Plan Monday 1/12-1/18:
Click Here for the Weekly Shopping List Printable!
This meal plan is designed to feed approximately 4 adults at each meal or two adults with lunches left over. Feel free to double or add to it as needed.
Monday:
My Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese and Beet Basil Pesto Vinaigrette (see recipe above)
(Gluten-Free, Vegetarian, Vegan Option)
Tuesday:
My Falafel Waffles with Roasted Eggplant
(Vegetarian, Vegan, GF Option)
Wednesday:
Crock-Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken from My Big Fat Happy Life
(Gluten-Free if using GF flour.)
Thursday:
These Mini Shepherd’s Pot Pies from Tablespoon
(Gluten-Free if using GF pie crust.)
Friday:
Friday night is pizza night in our house!
This week I’m making my Eggplant and Olive Tapenade Pizza.
Saturday:
Date Night: Eat Out!
Sunday:
Y.O.Y.O – (You’re on your own. Leftovers, etc.)
Linked up with:
I’ve never been a huge fan of beets, but this salad looks really good! I never knew golden beets existed! :O
I didn’t know that golden beets existed either until I had this salad in a restaurant! I thought it was mango or parsnip when I saw it and had to ask the waiter what I was eating. Haha. I was also kind of surprised that I liked beets. They’re worth trying again if it’s been a while.
This looks so yummy, definitely going to try it!
Thanks Gemma! I hope you enjoy it!
Goat cheese is my FAVORITE! It’s so good in salads, too. This is one I need to try. It sounds so good!
I’m a tiny bit obsessed with goat cheese. I totally agree that it’s perfect in salads. I hope you enjoy it!
Oh my gosh, girl, you’ve done it again!! This looks to die for, and your meal plan also looks so scrumptious! Thank you so much for posting these amazing recipes. 🙂
Thank you Gennie! We’ve had gluten-free house guests for the week while they wait for a lease to start, and today they told me “We don’t want to leave on Thursday. It’s been like eating in a restaurant every night!” It’s so fun to have great food that you cook yourself.
My memory of beets from childhood were the pickled kind, so until recently I thought I hated them. Surprise! They actually are delicious. Thanks for the recipe. Pinning.
I did that with Brussels sprouts recently. I’d only ever had them boiled until they lost their taste and was shocked when I actually loved them! There should be more beet recipes because I agree, they are delicious. Thanks for the pin!
I did the same thing with Brussels sprouts!
This looks delicious! I need to pick up some beets so I can try this out. 😀
Thank you Kara! I hope you love it. And your acorn squash recipe looks like one I need to put on my “to make” list.
Mmmmmmm I LOVE beets. 🙂 This recipe looks absolutely delicious. And sharing meal plans is such a great idea!
Thank you Daisy!! I’m enjoying planning my meals ahead of time and cooking with my hubby each night. So much better than the frantic What’s for Dinners? we used to have.
This looks so good. I like beets but never really know what to do with them. I love your meal plan. I wish I was organized enough to make one…
Thanks Sarah! I decided that there needed to be more beet recipes because I never see any. And you can always just use one of my meal plans. 🙂 That’s what they’re here for!
Thanks for linking up to Tuesday Talk! This looks delicious! I’m not crazy about goat cheese, but I’m betting you could substitute that out for feta maybe?
Thanks Mandy! I think you could easily swap it for feta, maybe some cubed cream cheese (the smooth tangyness is what goes really well in this salad) or some Mexican queso fresco.
like everyone else I had no idea beets came in other colors! I have tried pickled beets – not a fan! – and tried roasted – which are yummy! This sounds like a totally delish recipe I would be happy to dive into and nom!
Yeah, the pickled ones are pretty gross. (and I usually avoid saying that any food is gross.) I’m glad the roasted ones taste so wonderful because beets sure are pretty to look at!