Recipe: Beet Salad with Arugula and Goat Cheese

Farmers markets are back, local produce is growing and summer is on the horizon. I grabbed my tote bag and went to the market in Kitsilano to see what I could find for a summer picnic. The stalls were brimming with the first strawberries of the year, foraged mushrooms and peppers galore, but my eyes landed on the beets. Both the red and golden ones looked amazing, and I knew a salad with some local goat cheese and greens was what I was looking for. 
 
The only tricky part about red beets is that they’ll stain your hands (and the golden beets, AND the cheese). So, use gloves if you can and don’t mix everything together when you plate it to keep it nice and clean. 
 
One of the best parts about this beet salad recipe that you can make a variety of dressings for this. I went with citrus, but a Dijon mustard dressing or even just a balsamic glaze would be delicious. 
 
Bring this to your next beach picnic or backyard BBQ as a cold side salad, or enjoy it in the sunshine for a healthy lunch. 

Beet Salad Recipe Ingredients

• 1 large red beet
• 1 large golden beet (or even a Chioggia beet if you can find it)
• extra virgin olive oil (for roasting)
• ¼ cup crumbled goat cheese (adjust to taste)
• 1-2 tbsp crushed pistachios (or other nuts, like walnuts)
• 1 cup arugula (optional, for serving base)

For the dressing:

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil  
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar  
• 1 tbsp freshly squeezed juice of a lemon or an orange  
• ¼ tsp salt

This easy recipe makes approximately 4 small servings, or 1 large serving.

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Scrub the beets clean (do not peel yet) and remove any excess roots.

3. Place each beet on a sheet of tin foil, drizzle with olive oil, and rub to coat. Then wrap each beet completely in the foil.

4. When the oven is preheated, place the foil-wrapped beets on a baking sheet or directly on the oven rack, and cook for 45 minutes.

5. Stick a fork in the beet to see if it penetrates easily—the larger the beet, the longer it will take to cook through, possibly up to an hour or more. Continue to monitor them until the fork easily pierces the beet and then remove from oven and set aside to cool.

6. Once cool, the skin should easily fall off the beet, though you may need to peel some back with a peeler and cut off any root leftover. I do this step with the red beet using gloves to avoid staining my hands.

7. Once the beets are peeled, chop them into bite-sized pieces and keep them in separate bowls to avoid the red bleeding onto the golden. I like to chill them (covered) in the fridge for a while, as I prefer the salad chilled.

8. While they are chilling, whisk together the dressing ingredients in a small bowl or shake them in a jar with a lid. Set it aside.

9. When the beets are at the preferred temperature, pour some of the dressing over each bowl and stir with a spoon.

10. To plate, lay a bed of arugula on a serving tray. Using gloves or tongs, arrange the red and golden beets in alternating colours to avoid colour bleeding. Sprinkle the dish with goat cheese, and then the crushed pistachios. You can also add fresh herbs at this stage if you have them on hand—I added some basil from my garden.

11. Add some extra dressing over top of the salad and serve.

Any leftover salad should keep in the fridge in a sealed container for a few days, it just might need some extra dressing. You can also easily make this beet salad recipe vegan by swapping out goat cheese for a nut-based cheese, or another vegan alternative.