Arugula Beet Salad
Yield: 6 servings
This Arugula Beet Salad is fresh and flavorful with goat cheese, avocado, and candied pecans. Served with a tangy balsamic vinaigrette, it's the perfect salad for any meal, casual or fancy!
Ingredients
- 8 cups fresh arugula
- 2-3 cooked (see Notes below) medium-size beets, sliced or cubed, or substitute some pickled beets, drained
- 1 large avocado, peeled, pitted, and sliced or cubed
- ½ cup candied pecans (the ones from Trader Joe's are also good)
- 4 ounces soft fresh goat cheese, coarsely crumbled
- freshly ground black pepper
- balsamic vinaigrette
Instructions
- Add the arugula to a large salad bowl that's low and wide.
- Top with cooked beets, avocado, candied pecans, and goat cheese. Add freshly cracked black pepper over the top, if desired.
- Drizzle with balsamic vinaigrette - or offer it on the side for individuals to add as much as they like.
Notes
To boil beets: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Trim and wash the beets, removing any greens. Add the beets to the boiling water and cook for 30 minutes, or until completely tender. A paring knife should slide in and out of the beets easily. Beets can vary greatly in size, and they are a very dense root vegetable, so size will definitely determine how long you need to cook them. Transfer the beets to a bowl of ice water and then peel away the skins with your fingers (very easy to do!) and cut or slice as desired.
To roast beets: Wash the beets and remove any greens. Drizzle with olive oil and wrap in foil. Bake on a baking sheet at 400° F for 45 minutes, or until completely tender. Again, the size of your beets will determine cook time, as I just mentioned above. A paring knife should slide in and out of the beets easily. Allow to sit for 10 minutes or so, then peel away the skin and cut or slice as desired.
To use packaged pre-cooked beets: I buy a box of whole peeled, cooked beets from Costco, which also works great. Just know that the texture of these beets is usually a bit softer than when you boil or roast fresh beets yourself.
During the holidays and winter months, I like to also sprinkle some pomegranate arils over the top of this salad.
Adapted from a recipe that my dear friend Annmarie likes to make, originally from Giada De Laurentiis.
Nutrition Information:
Serving: 1 Calories: 134kcal Carbohydrates: 7g Protein: 5g Fat: 10g Saturated Fat: 4g Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g Cholesterol: 9mg Sodium: 164mg Fiber: 3g Sugar: 3g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by Spoonacular. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee accuracy. If your health depends on nutrition information, please calculate again with your own favorite calculator.