Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese & Pistachios
This classic roasted beet salad recipe is like my favorite French restaurant's beet salad! It features goat cheese, pistachios and arugula.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on July 10, 2024
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:
- Roast the beets and prepare the dressing in advance, if desired. Both will keep well in the refrigerator for a few days.
- 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.
Watch How to Make Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese & Pistachios
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
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.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Lovely salad but I’ve taken to roasting beets whole, unpeeled, without foil (you can use unbleached parchment instead). I love them this way.
Just a note for vegans. You don’t have to miss out on the unique flavor of goat cheese. There are several cruelty free brands available that are excellent. My personal favorite is from VioLife which works well with this. An avocado won’t give you that ‘zing’.
When did you peel the beets?
This salad is perfection!!! My mother and I LOVED it. I brought more to work and several friends begged for the recipe as it looked and smelled so good. I love your method for roasting the beets. So easy and delicious. I used pumpkin seeds and pecans because that’s what I had on hand. Toasting them was key. I used feta instead of goat and skipped the radish, as I had none. The vinaigrette was the magic that made the whole creation sing. Thank you so much! This one is now in my forever foodie life! Officially obsessed
Wonderful, easy, tasty salad. Healthy beets with crunching radishes and pistachios, yes! I will be making it again and will be sharing the recipe. For my tastes, the dressing was a little sweet so I am going to reduce the amount of honey. Other than that modification, I will be making the beet salad year round.
Absolutely delicious! I made this as written and wouldn’t change a thing. I really enjoyed the concentrated flavor of the beets when roasted like this.
I made the Roasted Beet Salad with goat cheese& pistachios and loved it so much I made it several times now with toppings added of salmon, chicken and often steamed veggies. Every time was a winner, thank you!