We Got The Beet
Beets are a thing of beauty—from their incredibly vibrant deep pink color to their uniquely sweet flavor, we’re big fans. Loaded with fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, they’re healthy, too. Plus, even though they’re technically in season in the fall and winter, beets are available pretty much year round, because they’re easy to store. We never get tired of roasting them and tossing them with greens to make a simple salad, but this roasted beet salad recipe with carrots and green goddess dressing takes that concept to the next level—while we do toss the roasted beets and carrots with a few microgreens and spicy watercress, this hearty salad is mostly composed of the root veggies themselves. They’re the stars of the show. And speaking of stars, this salad—with the bright orange and purple of the carrots and beets, and the intensely herbal dressing—is quite the scene-stealer. Pair it with a simple main—maybe roasted salmon, or a roast chicken—and you’ve got yourself a gorgeous dinner, fit for company!
How to Prepare Beets for Salad
Learning how to roast beets is super simple, and once you’ve got it down, you’ll probably find yourself making them all the time. Not only are they delicious in this salad, their earthy sweetness, brilliant magenta color and lovely texture makes them a welcome addition to all kinds of things—salads of all kinds, toddler dinner plates, you can even try them sliced up on a sandwich. Here’s how to roast beets for salad:
- Wash your beets. Because they’re a root veggie, beets tend to be a little dirty. Give them a good wash, and maybe even a scrub.
- Trim the green tops off the beets. If you bought beets that have their whole tops, including the leafy greens, keep the greens! They’re extremely healthy and delicious sautéed with a little garlic—prep them just as you would spinach or collards.
- Wrap each individual beet in foil for roasting, and drizzle them with a little olive oil before sealing the foil packets.
- Roast! Roasting beets takes roughly an hour, depending on the size of the beets. Smaller ones might be ready after 40 minutes or so. You can check for doneness by sliding a knife into the beet. If it slides in easily, the beet is done.
The Very Best Beet Salad Dressing
Actually, this goat cheese-spiked green goddess dressing is maybe the best salad dressing for all things, not just for this roasted beet salad. But it’s especially good atop sweet roasty beets and carrots. Plus, it’s not too hard to make! Just dump all the dressing ingredients in a blender and blend. If it’s a little thick—different kinds of chèvre have different moisture levels, so the thickness can vary—just pour in a little more olive oil until you’ve got the consistency you want. Here’s what you’ll need to make this fresh, creamy dressing:
- Fresh goat cheese
- Olive oil
- Green onions
- Basil
- Parsley
- Garlic
- Fish sauce
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice
How to Make Beet Salad
This salad is mostly prep—one you’ve got your ingredients lined up, all you need to do is assemble. You can even prep a lot of it ahead of time—roast the beets a few days before you need to serve, and even the dressing can be made a few hours ahead. Here’s how to approach this yummy beet salad recipe:
- Roast the beets! Beets take a while to roast, and you’ll need to let them cool completely before peeling them, so get it going at least a few hours before you want to serve the salad.
- Roast the carrots! You’ll pop them in the oven with the beets, but towards the end of the beet roasting time—they only need 15-20 minutes.
- Make the goat cheese dressing!
- Peel the beets! After roasting in their little foil packets, the beet peel should come off easily—you can rub it off with a towel, or you can use a small knife or vegetable peeler to get it off.
- Assemble the salad! Arrange the beets, carrots and watercress on a platter in a way that looks pretty and makes you happy. Drizzle with dressing, and eat up!
Tools You’ll Need
- Baking sheet
- Foil
- Blender or food processor
- Platter for serving.
More Winter Salad Recipes To Try
Look At You And Your Fancy Beet Salad!
Try this roasted beet salad recipe, and let us know how you like it, OK? Share a photo and tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper so that we can see your stuff! Happy eating!
