Roasted Beet Salad with Orange Vinaigrette
A beautiful roasted beet salad with greens, goat cheese, almonds, and a bright orange balsamic vinaigrette. A must for dinner parties, this beet salad is simple to make and packed with flavor!
How gorgeous is this roasted beet salad? It’s become one of my favorite recipes of late and, it’s fairly simple to put together.
Roast the beets, make the dressing, marinate the beets, then toss them together with greens, goat cheese, and almonds. That’s it!
A beautiful, simple side that’s perfect for entertaining.
Everything You Need to Make This Roasted Beet Salad
Ingredient and Substitution Notes
The star of this roasted beet salad is, obviously, the beets! I like my salad to be very beet-heavy, so I call for 8 beets. You can always adjust and use fewer beets, but if you are a beet lover like I am– then I think 8 is perfect. (If you have leftover beets, make sure to make my Beet Reuben Sandwich!)
That said, use your judgment. You may need to adjust if your beets are very large or small.
I like the contrast of creamy goat cheese and roasted beets, so I added it to this salad. For a dairy-free version, you can substitute with a vegan cheese, like Violife, or a diced avocado.
The marcona almonds add a nice crunch and salty taste to the finished salad, but you can substitute them with slivered almonds, walnuts, or pine nuts. Or, skip for a nut allergy.
I love the combo of beet and orange together (like in my beet and blood orange salad recipe), and I recommend using a fresh orange for the dressing so you can use both the juice and the zest.
Why You Should Roast Your Beets
Roasting brings out the natural sugars in beets, making them taste sweeter and less earthy. If you haven’t had roasted beets before, I urge you to try them– they taste different from boiled, steamed, or pickled beets.
Roasting intensifies the flavor of beets, giving them a richer, more complex taste. The oven’s high heat caramelizes the sugars in the beets, creating slightly sweet notes.
For ease, add your scrubbed beets to a piece of foil, drizzle liberally with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and then cover and place in the oven to roast. Wrapping them in foil prevents the beets from drying out.
If you have any leftover beets, save them for my beet hummus! A vibrant, beautiful pink dip.
How to Make this Roasted Beet Salad
Roast Beets
Place your beets on a large piece of foil, then drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Wrap tightly to steam and prevent the beets from drying out as they cook. Roast until just tender a sharp knife should easily pierce the beet.
Make the Dressing
While the beets are roasting, make the dressing. Whisk together all ingredients except for the olive oil (orange zest, orange juice, honey, dijon mustard, salt, balsamic) and then slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Add salt/pepper to taste. Set aside.
Marinate the Beets
This step is optional, but I do it when I have the time, as I think the beets taste even better this way. Remove the beets from the oven and, when cool enough to handle, peel the skin. Dice and place in a bowl and toss with a few tablespoons of the dressing.
Assemble!
Toss the greens with some of the dressing, just enough to moisten. Place the dressed greens on your serving platter, then top with the marinated beets, goat cheese, and almonds. Drizzle on the rest of the dressing and serve immediately.
Tips for Success
Look for firm, smooth beets with vibrant color. Smaller beets tend to be sweeter and more tender, but any size beet will work. I used about 8 medium size beets for this salad.
Wash the beets thoroughly and trim the greens, leaving about an inch of stem. You can leave the skins on during roasting, as they’ll be easier to remove afterward.
You can wrap each beet individually in foil or together, ensuring the beets are wrapped tightly. Let the beets cool slightly before handling. The skins should slip off easily with your fingers or a paring knife. You can wear gloves to avoid staining your hands.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it better to roast or boil beets for salad?
Roasted. While both methods are nutritious, roasting beets can help retain more vitamins and minerals, as fewer nutrients are lost to the cooking water than boiling. Roasting brings out the natural sweetness of beets and intensifies their earthy flavor because the dry heat caramelizes the sugars in the beets, creating a richer, more complex taste.
Does roasting beets make them sweeter?
When beets are roasted, the dry heat causes their natural sugars to caramelize. This process creates new flavor compounds that are sweeter and more complex than the original sugars.
More Salad Recipes
- Beet and Berry Salad
- Italian Chopped Salad Recipe
- Vegan Pasta Salad
- Southwestern Quinoa Salad
- Mediterranean Farro Salad
If you make this roasted beet salad, make sure to come back to leave a rating and a comment. Your feedback helps other readers, and seeing you make my recipes makes my day!
Roasted Beet Salad with Orange Vinaigrette
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 medium-size beets, tops removed and scrubbed
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling on the beets
- 8 cups mix of arugula and baby greens, (or just one)
- 1/3 cup roasted, salted Marcona almonds, toasted
- 4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Wrap the beets in foil and drizzle with a little olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and wrap until covered. Roast for 50-60 minutes, depending on their size. They are done when a small knife inserted in the center goes in easily.
- Remove the beets from the oven and let them cool for at least 15-20 minutes or until they are easy to handle. Peel the beets with a small paring knife, then cube.
- While the beets are roasting, whisk together the orange zest, juice, honey, dijon mustard, salt, and balsamic together until very smooth. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil until a creamy dressing forms. Taste, seasoning with salt and more vinegar/juice as desired.
- Place the beets in a medium bowl and toss with a few tablespoons of the dressing to marinate. You can let the beets sit for as long as you like– sometimes, I prep the beets in the morning, let them soak in the dressing, and then serve them over the salad for dinner.Â
- When ready to serve, toss the arugula and greens with a few tablespoons of the dressing until the greens are just moistened. Place on a platter and top with the beets in the dressing, top with the almonds, goat cheese, and the rest of the dressing. Serve immediately once dressed!