Glorious beets are coming into season and what better way to celebrate their arrival than with this roasted beetroot salad. Roasted beets are one of life's simple pleasures. Soft and earthy with a little sweetness they are the shining star of this salad. With sweet, juicy oranges, fresh tomatoes, fiery red spring onions, smooth goat's cheese and crunchy walnuts this salad will go down a treat. Top it all off with a lovely orange and mint dressing and you've got a killer salad. This salad is really easy to make and would be great for a dinner party or special lunch. Think minimum fuss and maximum taste, your guests will be very impressed.
Beets come into season in June, they are now known to be really good for us, I've always just liked them for the taste, so the health benefits are a bonus. This roasted beetroot salad was inspired by a juice I used to make, a raw beet, orange and mint juice. I know, a bit weird but it was delicious. I gave away my juicer some time ago, I didn't have the room for it and if I'm honest, I lost the inclination to make vegetable juices. We like to eat our vegetables these days. Saying that that juice was one of my favourites.
I used lamb lettuce as the base for this salad, it's also known as corn salad or mâche. It's nice and soft with a nutty flavour, yet strong enough for the earthy beets. You could use salad greens if you prefer. The goat's cheese I used for this is a hard goat's cheese, so it's good and crumbly, a smooth goat's cheese is perfect against the roasted beets. The orange segments liven this salad up and give it some sweetness which brings out the sweetness in the beetroot. Some people don't like mixing citrus fruits with dairy, I don't have a problem with it, in fact, I really like it. The walnuts add crunch and the red spring onions add just a little heat, the juicy tomatoes add a little tartness and the hint of mint gives it all a lovely freshness.
The orange and mint dressing is subtle but complements the whole salad beautifully. So the quantities for the dressing will give you enough to serve 4 people, but if you do have any leftover then it will keep for up to 3 days once refrigerated. If you do have any leftovers then it goes very nicely with some lemon and rosemary grilled chicken salad.
This roasted beetroot salad is the perfect salad for those evenings when you don't want to do too much cooking, but still want something fresh and light with maximum flavour. Enjoy x
Fancy more beetroot? Try this Kale, Blood Orange, Beetroot & Quinoa Salad
Roasted Beetroot Salad with Orange and Goat's Cheese
Ingredients
- 310 g / 11 oz beetroots scrubbed and halved
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large orange peeled and cut into segments
- 100 g / 4 oz yellow cherry tomatoes cut in half
- 2 medium red spring onions the bulb and the light green part, thinly sliced
- 60 g / 2 oz of lamb's lettuce
- 40 g / 1.5 oz / ⅓ of a cup of walnuts roughly chopped
- 80 g / 3oz / ½ a cup of hard goat's cheese
- Mint leaves to garnish
FOR THE DRESSING
- 60 ml / 2 fl oz / ¼ cup of freshly squeezed orange juice
- 50 ml / ⅕ cup of extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoon finelt chopped mint leaves
- ½ teaspoon runny honey
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 180 degrees C / 356 F, I use a fan assisted electric oven, please adjust according to your own oven.
- Toss the beets in the olive oil, sea salt and black pepper, place on a baking tray and bake on the middle shelf for 20 to 30 minutes, depending on how large the beets are. They are done when you pierce them with a sharp knife and they feel soft.
- Make the dressing, whisk the oil and orange juice together, stir in the mustard, honey, mint, salt and pepper, keep in the fridge until you are ready to use.
- On a large serving plate arrange the lamb's lettuce, orange segments, tomatoes and spring onions. Top with the roasted beets, then crumble over the goat's cheese and finally add the walnuts.
- Serve immediately with the orange mint dressing.
Nutrition
*Cup measurements are approximate, I use a metric scale and jug to measure and weigh ingredients.
sue | theviewfromgreatisland
This is a glorious summer salad, it looks like something I'd pay big bucks for in a fancy restaurant 😉 The colors just make me happy, and I love the way the sweetness of the orange plays against the earthiness of the beets ~ yum!!
Michelle Alston
Thank you so much Sue, I'm really glad you like it 🙂
Michelle @ Vitamin Sunshine
Your photos are gorgeous! I love beets, and this salad is right up my alley 🙂
Michelle Alston
Thank you so much Michelle x I'm really glad you like it 🙂
Sandhya Hariharan
I love the Dijon Mustard Salad Dressing.. Infact I did make them this week to pair them along with my Spinach Salad. The pictures are gorgeous..
Michelle Alston
Thank you Sandhya 🙂
Natalie
This salad looks absolutely divine. I love all the flavors and that dijon mustard salad dressing sounds so good. Beautiful photos too. This recipe is something I definitely plan to try.
Michelle Alston
Thank you so much Natalie 🙂 That dressing is really tasty, I hope you enjoy it if you try it x
Mary // Chattavore
This salad is absolutely gorgeous! Beets and goat cheese are both foods that I don't love but am trying to learn to love them. This looks like a good place to start!
Michelle Alston
Thank you so much Mary. I hope you enjoy it if you do give it a go 🙂