Beetroot Salad with Goat Cheese Recipe
A tangy and salty yet sweet beetroot salad recipe that’s tasty and healthy. It’s a guilt-free side dish, lunch or dinner option!
Beets are such a versatile veggie, storing for months at a time and being just as delicious in the middle of winter as they are in summer.
I, Rebecca of Good Things Baking love the bright vivid pop of color that they add to any meal! This beetroot salad (the longer name for beets) is a simple, delicious, and wholesome way to eat them. Better yet, you can assemble the salad in about 15 minutes.
Lemon juice adds a lovely bright tang, and the goat or feta cheese is a lovely savory flavor to contrast with the earthy sweetness of the beets.
Ingredients Needed
- Medium-sized beets
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Lemon juice — Freshly squeezed is best.
- Crumbly cheese — Feta or goat cheese are both good options.
- Salt and pepper — To taste
- Fresh parsley leaves — Torn into small pieces or roughly chopped
What is the Best Cheese for a Beet Salad?
Beets are naturally sweet so the tangy tartness of goat cheese or feta cheese balances out the beets. This is why goat (goat’s milk) or feta (sheep’s milk) are typically the most common and popular pairing with beets.
If you are on a vegan diet or have a dairy allergy, omit the goat or feta cheese. Truthfuly, I love this salad recipe with or without toppings… because it’s that good! However, we love how crumbly cheese also adds a wonderful texture to any dish, as it does with a Winter Panzanella Salad and Watermelon Feta Flatbread.
How to a Make Beetroot Salad
1 — Begin by trimming off any leafy greens attached to your beets. You can leave the root attached or cut it off if you prefer. Wash the beets thoroughly.
2 — Boil enough water in a large pot to cover your beets.
3 — Once it’s at a full boil, carefully place the beets in the water with the lid on and allow them to boil for 45-60 minutes on medium heat. They are done cooking when a large fork easily pierces to the center.
4 — Remove the beets from the water and place them in a small bowl and then in the refrigerator to cool.
5 — While the beets are cooling, make the dressing by stirring together 3 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and 3 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice. You can also whisk in 2 teaspoon of honey if you’d like, but beets are fairly sweet and may not need it.
6 — Once the beets are cool, the skins should slip off easily. You can rub the skin off with your thumb and then peel it off in strips with your fingers, or use a knife to remove the skins.
7 — Chop the cooked beets into cubes that are about 1”.
8 — Place the cubes in a mixing bowl and pour the olive oil and lemon juice dressing over it.
9 — Toss the beets in the dressing, then sprinkle them with salt, add the parsley and toss again. Taste the salad to see if it needs more salt at this point.
10 — Once the beet salad is seasoned to your liking, sprinkle the top with feta or goat cheese, a bit of extra parsley, and some freshly cracked pepper.
Enjoy this refreshing beetroot salad recipe with another sweet and tangy dish like Hawaiian Huli Huli Chicken!
Can I Roast Beets for Beetroot Salad?
Roasting beets is another great way to prepare them for a salad! To roast beets, preheat your oven to 400°.
Remove the green, leafy tops and scrub the beets thoroughly before individually wrapping them loosely in foil.
Place them in a roasting or baking dish and cook them for 45-60 minutes, checking them every 20 minutes or so to make sure they aren’t scorching. If the skins are starting to look dry or burnt, spoon about a teaspoon of water over them.
Remove the beets from the oven when they are soft enough to be pierced by a fork.
Allow them to cool completely before peeling and assembling your roast beet salad.
Can I Use Pickled Beets for This Salad?
If you like pickled beets, you can definitely use those!
However, since they are pickled in salt and vinegar (which are sodium and acid), when dressing the salad add the lemon juice and salt to taste (which are also a sodium and acid).
Recipe Tips and Notes
- The longer your beet salad chills before serving, the more the flavors will blend and develop.
- Use any crumbly cheese for the salad topping. Feta and goat cheese are both great option!
- Beetroot salad is a great and healthy side salad for any meal! However, if you’d like to make it into a more substantial meal, you could serve it over a bed of mixed greens and sprinkle quinoa over the top. The longer it sits, the more the flavors in the beet salad will combine and develop.
- Beets are very juicy, and the dark pink juice can easily stain fabric, surfaces, and hands. So be careful to not splash juice around when working with beets.
- Serve the salad immediately. Or let it chill in the refrigerator in a large serving bowl for a few hours before eating it. Omit the cheese until later, as the beet juice may stain the cheese.
More Easy Salad Recipes to Try
If you’re looking for more healthy salad recipes, look no further. Because we have a huge archive or fun salad recipes (just like our beet salad with goat cheese) to reset your diet below —
- Whole30 Chicken Salad Wrap — It’s Whole30, paleo and keto approved!
- Berry Panzanella Salad — A “dessert” salad that highlights berries.
- Easy Apple Yogurt Salad — Something perfect for breakfast.
- Cranberry Orange Salad With Citrus Vinaigrette — Another sweet and tangy salad recipe.
- Wintery Panzanella Salad — Hearty croutons, roasted squash, sprouts, jeweled cranberries and creamy feta… yum!
- Winter Fruit & Citrus Salad — If you love oranges, this salad is for you since it calls for oranges, blood oranges, mandarins and clementines.
- Peach Caprese Salad — A delicious peach twist on the regular caprese salad.
- Asparagus & Poached Egg Salad — Something simple and easy yet hearty for brunch.
Beetroot Salad Recipe
Equipment
- Large pot
- Mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 3 medium-sized beets
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp lemon juice freshly squeezed is best
- 1/4 cup crumbly cheese feta or goat cheese are both good options
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Fresh parsley leaves torn into small pieces or roughly chopped
- 2 tsp honey optional for dressing
Nutrition
Notes
- Yield: 3-4 servings
- Time: 15 minutes active, 1 hour to cook the beets
- Serve the salad immediately. Or let it chill in the refrigerator for a few hours before eating it. Add on the crumble cheese topping right before serving, as the beet juice may stain the cheese.
- For a more substantial meal, serve the salad over a bed of mixed greens and sprinkle quinoa over the top.
Instructions
- Trim off any leafy greens attached to your beets. Depending on your preference, leave the root attached or cut it off. Wash the beets thoroughly.
- Boil a large pot of water. Making sure there's enough water to cover your beets. Once it reaches a full boil, carefully place the beets in the water with the lid on and allow them to boil for 45-60 minutes. You will know if the beets are done cooking if you can easily pierce through the center of the beets with large fork.
- Remove the beets from the water. Place them in a bowl, and then in the refrigerator to cool.
- While the beets are cooling, make the dressing by stirring together 3 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and 3 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice. Optional: Whisk in 2 teaspoon of honey if you prefer a sweet dressing. Keep in mind that beets are already fairly sweet so the honey may not be neccesary.
- Once the beets are cool, the skins should slip off easily. Rub the skin off with your thumb, and then peel it off in strips with your fingers. Or use a knife to remove the skins.
- Chop the cooked beets into about 1" cubes. Place the beet cubes in a mixing bowl.
- Pour the olive oil and lemon juice dressing over the beets. And toss the beets in the dressing.
- Sprinkle the mixutre with salt and pepper, add the parsley and toss again. Taste the salad to see if it needs more salt at this point.
Don’t forget to share your beetroot salad with us on Instagram using the hashtag #sugarandclothloves. We always love seeing all of your creations! Looking for more quick and delicious recipes? Find them all right here!
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