This Beet and Goat Cheese Salad is ready in just 15 minutes, and it's everything you're looking for in a salad! It's crunchy, salty, tangy, and a little sweet. The dressing is a simple honey mustard vinaigrette that ties everything together. Serve as a side or as a light meal!
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Why You'll Love This Beet and Goat Cheese Salad
Flavor and texture - This salad really has it all! Soft earthy beets, tart apple, sweet and tangy pomegranate, creamy goat cheese, and crunchy sunflower seeds. I find a simple honey mustard vinaigrette works here the best. I've tried balsamic, which is delicious too, but really nothing beats the whole grain mustard seeds here!
Easy and quick - This salad is really simple and can take as little as 15 minutes to make. It's a great side salad served with chicken, fish, steak, or other protein, but it can also be served as a light meal.
Ingredients
- Mixed greens - I like using mesclun greens and use the whole box for this salad. Buy pre-washed salad to save time.
- Steamed beets - You can either use raw beets and peel and steam them yourself, or you can buy them steamed in vacuum-sealed packages in most grocery stores in the refrigerated section. If you're doing it yourself, both red and golden beets work, but I prefer the flavor of red beets here.
- Green apple - I recommend using Granny Smith's apple here. It's tart and crunchy, which balances the earthy soft beets really well. You can use any apple you have, though.
- Pomegranate arils - You can buy these in plastic packages in many grocery stores in the refrigerated section, or you can buy a whole pomegranate and seed it yourself.
- Red onion - Red onion is ideal here, but shallots work as well. You can soak your sliced red onion in cold water to remove some of its bite if needed.
- Sunflower seeds - The recipe calls for plain raw sunflower seeds, but you can roast them as well if you prefer.
- Soft goat cheese - Look for soft unripened cheese, similar to cream cheese but thicker. It usually comes in small plastic packages in the shape of a log and can be found next to other cheeses and spreads.
- Honey mustard vinaigrette - For this, you'll need extra virgin olive oil, whole grain mustard, honey, fresh lemon juice, fine sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
Variations and Substitutions
- Nuts - If you don't have sunflower seeds, you can add chopped (raw or roasted) pistachios, walnuts, pecans, or almonds (try slivered almonds).
- Different cheese - You can also make this salad with crumbled feta or vegan feta if you prefer. I recommend goat or sheep cheese feta.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Start by making the vinaigrette. In a small bowl or a jar, whisk together whole grain mustard, honey, lemon juice, sea salt, and black pepper.
- Stream in olive oil and continue whisking until emulsified. Set aside.
- To a large bowl or a serving plate, add meslun, chopped steamed beets, sliced apple, pomegranate arils, crumbled soft goat cheese or goat feta, and sunflower seeds.
- Drizzle with the vinaigrette and serve immediately.
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Tips & Tricks!
- Add goat cheese at the end - If you're mixing this salad in a bowl, toss everything with the dressing and then add the goat cheese on top at the end. If you add it too early, it will mix with the salad dressing because it's so soft.
- Toss your sliced apples with lemon juice - This will prevent them from browning in the salad.
Storing and Make-Ahead Options
Storing: This salad tastes best the first day because the greens wilt fairly quickly once you add the dressing. If you do have leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1-2 days.
Different greens: If you know you'll need to store this salad, I recommend swapping the mixed greens for curly kale or baby kale. They hold up with dressing much longer than any softer greens.
Prep it ahead: You can easily make the vinaigrette ahead of time, as well as crumble the feta cheese, and steam your beets if they're raw. You can also remove the seeds from your pomegranate and store them in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use.
FAQs
Yes. Roasted beets will have a slightly dried texture, but either way of cooking them works here! I usually buy them cooked and vacuum-sealed to make this salad extra quick.
Other Beet Recipes
If you have more raw beets you need to use up, check out the four recipes below! The Greek beet salad is my favorite, but they're all delicious! To see all the latest ones, head over to Salads.
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Have you tried this Beet and Goat Cheese Salad? Please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!
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Print📖 Recipe
Beet and Goat Cheese Salad
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 2-3 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: American
Description
This Beet and Goat Cheese Salad is ready in just 15 minutes, and it's everything you're looking for in a salad! It's crunchy, salty, tangy, and a little sweet. The dressing is a simple honey mustard vinaigrette that ties everything together. Serve as a side or as a light meal!
Ingredients
- 2 tsp whole grain mustard
- 1 tsp honey (or maple syrup)
- 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 5-6 cups mesclun mix
- 2-3 steamed beets, cut into bite-sized pieces
- ½ Granny Smith apple, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup pomegranate arils
- ¼ cup soft goat cheese or crumbled goat feta cheese
- 2 tbsp sunflower seeds (raw or roasted)
Instructions
- Start by making the vinaigrette. In a small bowl or a jar, whisk together whole grain mustard, honey, lemon juice, sea salt, and black pepper. Stream in olive oil and continue whisking until emulsified. Set aside.
- To a large bowl or a serving plate, add meslun, chopped steamed beets, sliced apple, pomegranate arils, crumbled soft goat cheese or goat feta, and sunflower seeds.
- Drizzle with the vinaigrette and serve immediately.
Notes
If you want to toss everything together, leave out the goat cheese and add it last because if you toss it with the rest of the ingredients, it will melt into the dressing.
Storing: This salad is best enjoyed right away because the lettuce wilts quickly once you add the vinaigrette, but if needed, you can store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 days.
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Veronika Sykorova says
The tart apple and sunflower seeds add a nice crunch and the compliment the goat cheese really well. Hope you like this salad as much as I do!