This is a perfectly simple, perfectly balanced roasted beet salad with goat cheese and watercress. We're going to let the roasted beets marinate with the shallots to really develop some great flavors, then smooth it all out with crumbled goat cheese. Our watercress is going to be heavenly with just a touch of classic dijon vinaigrette.
THIS ROASTED BEET SALAD WITH GOAT CHEESE RECIPE IS: GLUTEN FREE, LOW CARB AND VEGETARIAN.
VIBRANT ROASTED BEET SALAD WITH GOAT CHEESE CRUMBLES
If you love beets, you're going to flip out when you try this salad. The trick to punch up the flavor is to allow the beets to marinate with the shallots for a little while before serving. The amalgamation of flavors from the shallot include garlic and spring onion which pairs so well with the sweet earthiness of a roasted beet. The combination is truly wonderful.
ROASTING BEETS IN FOIL
Do you love beets but hate working with them? It is one of my true love / hate relationships. I absolutely love the flavor of a perfectly roasted beet, but hate when my fingers turn pink and the beet juice gets all over my kitchen. Well, I'm going to give you a kitchen tip to make all that easier.
The kitchen tip is roasting the beets in foil. It is just so easy and the skins will basically fall off the beet when it is done cooking. Here are the steps (and I have a How To Roast Beets in Foil post coming soon!):
- Heat your oven to 375 degrees. Wash the beets well. Remove any leaves and trim them up.
- Cut a square of heavy duty foil that will hold your beets. I don't recommend roasting more than 3 beets per foil pack. The foil just has a hard time closing and you want the steam to build in the foil.
- Plop your beets in the foil, give them a good coating of olive oil, a pinch of kosher salt and a couple cranks of pepper. Close up the foil and add to a rimmed baking sheet.
- Roast for 1 hour and 15 minutes. You'll know when the beets are done if you stick a paring knife through the beet. You will feel no resistance. Additionally, the skin will come off so easily with the tip of a knife.
- Wait for the beets to cool. Fold a paper towel in half to hold onto the beet. Remove the skins and discard. It's just that easy.
PICKING THE RIGHT GOAT CHEESE
I love cheese. Goat cheese is at the top of the heap for me, particularly when it comes to salads. Here's the thing about goat cheese: it comes in a ton of different shapes, sizes and consistencies. You can find hard goat cheese, which won't work for this recipe because it doesn't crumble. You'll also find semi-soft goat cheese like a Boucheron. Oh Boucheron. You're so good! You can crumble the center of Boucheron, but it is expensive.
Speaking of expensive, make sure not to buy "crumbled goat cheese." These are little tiny balls of goat cheese, typically in a 3oz container costing about $6. There is absolutely no need to buy pre-crumbled goat cheese!
My suggestion is to get a creamy goat cheese in a 4oz log. You can get an 8oz log but it will be overkill for this recipe. To get the log to crumble, simply pull back the top layer of the plastic about half way down the log. Using a fork, make gentle circles in the cheese, right over your roasted beet salad. You will get perfect fluffy and delicious goat cheese crumbles.
QUICK COOKING TIP: We are going to make a classic dijon vinaigrette to lightly coat the watercress. The recipe I am posting up today can be scaled easily to make a larger amount. This recipe needs such a small amount and I don't want you to have extra dressing laying around. If you do decide to make more, you can keep this dressing in a sealed jar on the counter for over a month. The ingredients are all shelf stable.
Ok- how about we get into this roasted beet salad with goat cheese and other goodies.
Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese
Enjoy this well balanced roasted beet salad with goat cheese any day of the week for a light lunch or starter salad for dinner. Hearty yet delicate and delicious.
Ingredients
For the Classic Dijon Vinaigrette
- 1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
- 2 tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar
- ¼ Cup plus 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Pinch Kosher Salt
- 1 Pinch Fresh Cracked Pepper
For the Beets
- 4 Beets, washed and trimmed
- Olive Oil
- Kosher Salt & Fresh Ground Pepper
For the Salad
- 2 teaspoon Shallot, minced
- 1 teaspoon Lemon Juice
- ¼ Cup Olive Oil
- 4 oz Goat Cheese Log, Crumbled with a fork
- 1 Bunch Watercress- good size bunch
Instructions
For the Classic Dijon Vinaigrette
- Mix the mustard and red wine vinegar together in a bowl. Slowly add in the olive oil while whisking the mustard to combine. Add in the salt and pepper, mix and taste.
For the Beets
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Wrap the beets in foil with some olive oil, salt and pepper. Close the foil packet, place on a rimmed baking sheet and roast for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
- Remove the beets and check for doneness by piercing with a paring knife. You should feel no resistance.
- Allow the beet to cool and peel. Once peeled, slice or dice however you would like.
Bringing together the Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese
- Add the cooled, cut beets to a bowl with 1 tablespoon olive oil, the shallots and lemon juice. Stir lightly to incorporate. Allow to sit for 30 minutes to an hour before serving.
- In another bowl, add in the watercress and 1 tablespoon classic dijon vinaigrette. Lightly toss to coat. Add more dressing sparingly if needed.
- Add the beets to a plate with the watercress. Using a fork, make some goat cheese crumbles (described above) over the whole dish.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition Information
Yield
4Amount Per Serving Calories 114
Final thoughts on the roasted beet salad with goat cheese:
This salad can be a starter or a whole meal. I sat down today after shooting all the photos and ate my whole setup! The beets are hearty enough to fill you up and keep you going for hours. Plus, this salad is just so chock full of vitamins and nutrients you're going to feel great after eating it.
Normally I have a bunch of images in here with directions on how to do stuff. For this post they are absent simply because I'm in the middle of another post now on making roasted beets in foil. Hopefully the recipe itself along with the description above on roasting beets in foil will work for this one!
This roasted beet salad with goat cheese pairs really well with a crisp white like a Sauvignon Blanc. Enjoy and happy eating.
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I never have loved beets, but my husband does. I made this salad for him and tried it for myself. Then I made a bowl for me because it tasted so good!
Hey Penny:
This sounds great! Happy you both loved it.
Have a gorgeous day in the kitchen!
Scott