This roasted beet salad with greens is exactly what I’m craving right now. It’s hearty, fresh and spring-y, which is perfect as the weather turns from downright arctic to patio-worthy. Cookie and I couldn’t be more excited about the warmer temperatures and sunnier days! I bet you can relate.
This salad was inspired by the beet salads at my favorite local French restaurants, Westport Café and French Market. Over the past year, I’ve really missed sipping wine in their establishments and soaking up their vibes. You should know that I’m constantly daydreaming of a French vacation.
Both restaurants offer beet salads with pistachios and goat cheese, yet they each have their own unique spin on the combination. I always order the beet salad and French fries, naturally!
This recipe incorporates my go-to method for roasting beets, which yields amazing flavor. I used arugula as the base, which contrasts nicely with the earthy flavor of the beets.
Then I added goat cheese and pistachios, plus some radish and green onion for extra freshness and some crunch. The zippy, Dijon-forward vinaigrette brings it all together. Serve this salad as a side dish or enjoy a large portion for a satisfying but light dinner.
Roasted Beet Salad Preparation Tips
A few quick tips before you get started:
- You can roast the beets and prepare the dressing in advance, if desired. Both will keep well in the refrigerator for a few days before using.
- Assembly is simple. Just chop a few ingredients, crumble the goat cheese, and arrange the ingredients in a large serving bowl or platter.
- If you plan on having leftovers, dress individual servings as needed. If you pour in all of the dressing at once, the arugula will wilt and won’t keep as well.
- You may have some extra dressing. Use it on any improvised green salad or toss it with leftover roasted vegetables.
Salad Substitution Options
These flavors might not be for everyone. Some suggestions:
- If you don’t love arugula, substitute more mild spring greens.
- If you can’t find shelled pistachios, pepitas (green pumpkin seeds) are a suitable and affordable option. I recommend toasting them before using to bring out their best flavor. You’ll find toasting instructions in the recipe notes.
- If you have any hesitation about the radish or green onion, I dare you to try it as written! They’re really nice, though technically you can omit either of them.
More Hearty Green Salads to Try
- Arugula and Wild Rice Salad with Zippy Lemon Dressing
- Farro and Kale Salad with Goat Cheese
- Favorite Green Salad with Apples, Cranberries and Pepitas
- Hearty Sweet Potato, Arugula & Wild Rice Salad with Ginger Dressing
- Lemony Roasted Broccoli, Arugula & Lentil Salad
Please let me know how your salad turns out in the comments! I love hearing from you.
Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese & Pistachios
- Author:
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Various
- Cuisine: French
- Diet: Vegetarian
This classic roasted beet salad recipe is like my favorite French restaurants’ beet salads! This salad features goat cheese, pistachios and arugula with a zippy Dijon dressing. Recipe yields 4 to 6 side servings.
Ingredients
Salad
- 1 ½ pounds beets (about 3 large or 5 small-to-medium)
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt, to taste
- 5 ounces (5 heaping cups) arugula
- 4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
- ⅓ cup shelled toasted and salted pistachios, chopped, or ½ cup pepitas (green pumpkin seeds), toasted*
- 4 medium radishes, thinly sliced and roughly chopped (about ½ cup)
- ⅓ cup chopped green onion
Dressing
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- To roast the beets: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean-up. Scrub the beets well with a vegetable brush under running water (no need to peel them at any point).
- Using a sharp chef’s knife, slice off the base of each beet to create a flat surface, and slice off the skinny pointy ends as well. Place each beet with its flat side against the cutting board and slice the beets in half, then slice the beets into wedges of even thickness, about ½ to ¾-inch thick on the widest edge.
- Place the beet wedges on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle the beets with the olive oil and sprinkle with the salt. Toss until the beets are evenly coated, then arrange them in a single layer across the pan.
- Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, tossing halfway, until you’re able to pierce through the beets with a fork with light pressure.
- Meanwhile, prep the remaining ingredients and whisk together the dressing: In a liquid measuring cup or bowl, combine the olive oil, vinegar, honey, mustard and salt. Season generously with black pepper and whisk until fully blended. Taste, and add more pepper to make it nicely peppery. Set aside.
- To assemble the salad, place the arugula in a large serving bowl or platter. Scatter the roasted beets on top, followed by the crumbled goat cheese, chopped pistachios, radishes and green onion.
- When you’re ready to serve, drizzle the dressing over the salad (you might not need all of it) and gently toss to coat. If you’re planning for leftovers, dress individual servings as needed instead, and store the salad and dressing separately in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Notes
Make it dairy free/vegan: Omit the goat cheese. Diced ripe avocado might be nice instead. To make the dressing vegan, substitute maple syrup for the honey.
*Make it nut free: Substitute pepitas (green pumpkin seeds) for the pistachios. For best flavor, toast them first—warm them in a medium skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until they are starting to make popping noises and turning golden at the edges.
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
Pamela Maxson
Hi! I love your recipes! I have a quick question. Is there a good substitute for oil in the dressing?
Kate
Hi Pamela! I’m sorry, I’m unaware of a good substitute. You could experiment with water in place of the oil.
Pamela Maxson
Thank you. I love olive oil, but I am trying to get away from using oils. I will experiment and get back with you. I can’t wait to make this salad!
Ingrid
This is one of my all-time favorite salads, and I’m sure your recipe will delicious! Can’t wait to make it this week. :)
★★★★
Kate
Thanks, Ingrid! Hope you love it. Please report back. :)
Julie Stroeve
I’d make this salad with pickled beets. Can’t get enough of them! Love, love, love the Honey Dijon recipe.
★★★
Linds
Okay I flagged the roasted beet recipe the other day and the now I’m totally making this tomorrow CAN’T WAIT!!!
Kate
Yesss! Please let me know how you like it!
Linds
Delicious!!! So glad I made it!!Thanks again
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Linds! :)
Amber
Made this tonight! The combination of flavors was delicious! We’ll definitely make this again.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Amber! Happy to hear it and really appreciate you taking the time to report back!
Ivory
Yum! This salad looks amazingly delicious. I will be this. Thanks for sharing
★★★★★
Margaret W.
I made your salad tonight and my husband and I really enjoyed it.
Just delicious! Thank you for sharing it with us!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m so glad! Thank you, Margaret.
"Miss BB"
Just found your blog. So happy that I did.
You, your ‘Cookie,’ and your recipes are delightful.
Thank you for being here…
Kate
Thank you so much, Miss BB! Glad you found our blog.
Inanna
I just made this…overcoming the skepticism of hubby…we both loved it!
I added grated carrot…used pepita…and Boursin cheese…maple syrup instead of honey…reallly good…and I really don’t even like arugula that much! Thank you! Inanna
★★★★★
Kate
Your variation sounds delicious! Thank you for reporting back!
Beth
I was so happy with your roasted beet prep. It was so easy and licious leaving the skins on. Before, I boiled them, like my mother and then cooled and pealed them. Red and burnt fingers, trying to cut them while wet, then on the floor! We also took the leftovers and incorporated them into a roasted vegetables with polenta, thank you Kate.
★★★★★
Kate
Beth, I’m so glad to hear it! If I drop veggies on the floor, Cookie steals them before I can reach them. Ha. Your polenta sounds great!
twyla lawrence
Hi Kate,
I have tried several of your recipes and love them all. My question is have you ever roasted frozen beets and used them in your salad?
Twyla
Kate
Hi Twyla, thank you! I have not tried that. I think the frozen beets would need to be defrosted first, then sliced as directed. I imagine that would work.
Madeline
I find roasting beets is messy and time consuming. I make this salad the easy way. I slice canned beets, heat them in the microwave and add a balsamic salad dressing to the warm beets. Top the arugula with the beets, nuts and a shaved white cheese (rarely have goat cheese). Toss and add more balsamic dressing if necessary. Yummy and very quick.
★★★★
Kate
Thanks, Madeline! Love a quick, fresh salad.
Dana
Absolutely love this recipe! Kate, what is a serving size for this? 3 cups?
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Dana! I calculated the nutrition info based on four servings, so one-fourth of the salad, which is probably around 3 cups.
Irene
Just made with pepitas. My husband and I loved it! It’s a repeater for sure. Thanks.
★★★★★
Kate
Hooray! Thank you, Irene!
Heather
This salad is delicious! Made it tonight and it was just as good as a beet salad that I would typically order at a local restaurant. Will definitely make it again!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you so much, Heather! Happy to hear it!
Reb
This was SO delicious. I had no arugula so I used mixed greens. I can imagine that it would be even more delicious with arugula. Toasted walnuts were a good sub for pistachios.
Most importantly, thank you for solving my roasted beet problem. It was nice to have them tender instead of like shoe leather.
Kate
Haha, tender instead of shoe leather! So glad you enjoyed the salad, Reb.
Karen
I made this for dinner last night and it was fantastic. I had red and yellow Beets! Made it as written! My husband likes the Feta Cheese and I used Blue cheese crumbles, it was delicious and one that I will make again! Thank for a great recipe.
Lou
I’m excited to try this tomorrow. Your broccoli salad has gone down as our favorite and all my friends have asked for the recipe. I’m hoping this will be another winner.
I love your recipes and really appreciate the nutritional info at the end. Thank you.
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome! I hope you enjoyed it, Lou. Thank you for your review!
Janet
this sounds delicious. I’m not a radish fan- but I will make the recipe as written as you say it’s yummy. on my shopping list for this weekend!
★★★★★
Kate
I hope you love it, Janet!
Mel
This is the best salad ever! extra savoury, creamy, comforting… thank you for that, Kate!
★★★★★
Kate
Hooray! Thank you, Mel.
Laurie Douglass-Wilson
This looks amazing! My hubby loves beets, so we’ll try it. Hope Cookie is still doing okay. Thinking of her…:o)
Kate
Thank you so much, Laurie. She’s still going through treatment but most days, you’d never guess it. xo
Darlene
So, I don’t like beets, never have. But, I know they’re really good for you, so when I saw this recipe, I decided to give it a try, because it really did look yummy. I substituted feta for the goat cheese. My overall hopes were not high, as I’ve tried beets several times in the past—but never roasted. My husband ate his salad first, and we usually rate new recipes on a scale of 1 to 10 (there are hardly any 10’s)…….I wasn’t going to ask him until after I ate mine so he wouldn’t “influence” me, lol. But he couldn’t resist telling me that it was a 10!! I honestly couldn’t really believe it, I mean, it’s beets. When I ate mine later, I couldn’t believe how good it was! I agree, it’s a 10! I’d like a bit more protein next time though (it’s a little light on it’s own) so I’m thinking about adding avocado or lentils next time. I’ve been following your page and making lots of your recipes for a couple years now. I think this is the first comment I’ve made. I really appreciate your recipes, they’ve made a big impact in my life. They strike that perfect balance between healthy, delicious and easy to make. Thank you!!
Kate
Hooray! This salad won you over, I love it. Thank you for sharing, Darlene! If you wouldn’t mind leaving a star review as well, I would appreciate it. :)
Margaret Schoppel
I look forward to my weekly recipes from Cookie & Kate but when I saw the beet salad last week, I thought oh oh! I’m not a huge fan of beets but I hoped the oven roasting might make a difference (and it did) I made the recipe almost exactly as printed but had to add just a tad of crushed garlic to the dressing (hubby’s request)
Salad was fantastic! I served it with a fresh warm buttered biscuit. This recipe is going with my fav salads recipes and we’ll be having it in any season, not just spring! Thanks for unusual & delicious recipe C&K !
★★★★★
Kate
Hooray! I’m glad you enjoyed it, Margaret. Thanks for taking the time to review.
Janet
was delicious! my friend asked for the recipe. It did not bother me with the radishes — they added a yummy crunch. thank you!
★★★★★
Susan
The salad was great! I love roasted beets and was thrilled when you came up with a new recipe including these. Will definitely make it again.
★★★★★
Julie
Made this tonight and we were so happy! Just came in the kitchen to find my husband eating the leftovers out of the bowl – ha ha ha! Easy and delicious, I did not know you could eat the skins of the beets. This may be my favorite after the raw and roasted carrot salad. As usual, thanks so much for the great food!
★★★★★
Kate
I love that! Thank you for sharing, Julie. I appreciate your review.
PANLASANG PINOY RECIPES
I like the recipes of your salad! well done.,
i definitely try this one when i get home.
★★★★
Bori
Such a fantastic recipe! Absolutely loved it, just like any other recipe I’ve tried from here before! Will definitely be making this again. Thanks for sharing and can’t wait to try more of your recipes
★★★★★
Kate
That’s great to hear! Thank you for your review, Bori.
Brigid
This is delicious. For some reason I thought there was quinoa in the recipe – I realised I was wrong when I started to make it, but decided to use quinoa anyway to increase the protein content (I used 1/2 a cup in one serving). It was very good and I think the quinoa worked well with the other ingredients.
★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you liked the addition! Thank you for your review, Brigid.
Kathy
Our family loved this! We subbed spinach and feta for personal taste reasons, but the salad was a stellar combination and the dressing was perfect. Thanks!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Kathy! I’m happy you loved it.
Lori Evert
Made this last night and entire family agreed it was amazing. I doubled the dressing recipe, added grilled chicken and broccoli. We will make this again and again!
★★★★★
Susanne Strimling
The Honey Dijon recipe is wonderful and I’ve used on other salads- thanks. Look forward to making this again!
Anita from Vancouver, BC
I don’t eat beets often, simply because I am not sure what to do with them, so I and am excited to have this recipe! I think next time, I will add even more. I’ve often ordered salads in restaurants and think to myself they can’t be that hard to make, why don’t’ I make them more often at home? I don’t have any excuse now that I have been following your blog and it’s spring!
Used pepitas as I already had some, next time I will try pistachios.
★★★★★
Kate
Pepitas would be nice here too! I’m glad you made it, Anita.
Sharon
This has to be my all time favorite salad! Such an easy recipe to follow that I make it every week.
★★★★★
Kate
I love that! Thank you for sharing, Sharon.