Roasted Beet Goat Cheese Pistachios (Print Version)
Sweet roasted beets paired with creamy goat cheese and crunchy pistachios on fresh greens.
# What You’ll Need:
→ Beets
01 - 4 medium beets, trimmed and scrubbed
02 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
03 - 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
04 - 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
→ Salad
05 - 3 cups mixed salad greens (arugula, baby spinach, or spring mix)
06 - 3.5 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
07 - 1/3 cup shelled pistachios, roughly chopped
08 - 1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced
→ Dressing
09 - 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
10 - 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
11 - 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
12 - 1 teaspoon honey
13 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
# Steps:
01 - Set oven temperature to 400°F (200°C).
02 - Toss beets with 1 tablespoon olive oil, kosher salt, and black pepper. Wrap each beet individually in aluminum foil and place on a baking sheet.
03 - Bake beets for 40 to 50 minutes until fork-tender. Allow to cool slightly, then peel and slice into wedges.
04 - In a small bowl, whisk together extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, salt, and pepper until emulsified.
05 - Combine salad greens and sliced red onion in a large bowl. Add half of the dressing and toss gently to coat evenly.
06 - Arrange dressed greens on a serving platter or individual plates. Top with roasted beet slices, crumbled goat cheese, and chopped pistachios.
07 - Drizzle remaining dressing over the assembled salad just before serving.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The beets get sweet and jammy while the goat cheese cuts through with cool tanginess—no heavy dressing needed.
- Most of the work happens while you're not watching; the oven does the real labor.
- It looks restaurant-plated stunning but comes together in less time than a movie scene.
02 -
- If your beets are much larger than your fist, cut them in half before wrapping—large ones take forever and might dry out at the edges while the center stays raw.
- Never skip the foil; it's what makes them steam themselves tender instead of shriveling into beet chips.
- Cold roasted beets taste bland; let them cool to room temperature before serving, and their sweetness comes back to life.
03 -
- Toast your pistachios in a dry pan for two minutes before chopping—it brings out an almost buttery depth you won't get from raw nuts.
- Make the dressing in a jar with a tight lid; shake it vigorously right before serving, and it emulsifies better than whisking.