Name: Beet and Goat Cheese Salad
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 lb cooked beets, sliced; 4 oz goat cheese, crumbled; 0.5 cup toasted walnuts; 4 cups mixed greens; 0.25 cup olive oil; 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar; 1 tsp honey; 0.5 tsp kosher salt; 0.25 tsp black pepper

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Beet and Goat Cheese Salad

No-CookEasyPrep 10 minCook 0 minServes 4

Earthy beets, tangy goat cheese and crunchy walnuts — a restaurant salad with no cooking at all.

Ingredients

1 lb cooked beets, sliced
4 oz goat cheese, crumbled
½ cup toasted walnuts
4 cups mixed greens
¼ cup olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp honey
½ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp black pepper

Steps

Whisk the olive oil, balsamic, honey, salt and pepper.
Toss the greens with half the dressing.
Top with the beets, goat cheese and walnuts.
Drizzle with the remaining dressing and serve.

Serve with: crusty bread and a glass of white wine.

Use vacuum-packed cooked beets; they taste great and save an hour.

Find this recipe in the Salads section on the RecipeDelish home page, where you can scale it, print a clean PDF, download the shopping list and use cook mode.

Tips & mistakes

Toss the beets in a little dressing separately first, so they don't bleed color over the whole salad and turn everything pink.
Toast the walnuts in a dry pan for 2 minutes — it doubles their flavor and makes them noticeably crunchier.
Crumble the goat cheese cold, straight from the fridge; warm goat cheese smears instead of crumbling into distinct pieces.
Dress the greens lightly: too much dressing wilts them and hides the beets, which should be the star of the plate.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use canned beets? Yes, if they are plain cooked beets; drain and pat them dry first, and skip pickled beets. Pickled beets bring vinegar that clashes with the balsamic dressing and turns the salad sharp.

What can replace the walnuts? Pecans, pistachios or toasted hazelnuts; any crunchy nut works. Pistachios add a nice green color that looks good against the beets, while pecans are the mildest choice.

Can I make it ahead? Keep the dressing, greens and toppings separate and assemble at serving time; dressed greens wilt fast. The beets can be sliced and dressed a day ahead — they only get better.

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