Root vegetables, tangy cheese and a bed of peppery arugula. This Roasted Beet and Carrot Salad with Goat Cheese is a fall lunch favorite.
The Maine nights around here have gotten chilly in that comforting way that means you can pile blankets on the bed and cuddle beneath them. But the days are still warm and sunny, so we’re not quite in soup and stew weather yet. As a state known for its cold and snowy winters, this is a place to hang onto lighter foods of summer for as long as you can. So what is one to eat?
This Roasted Beet and Carrot Salad with Goat Cheese is an excellent autumn choice. It’s light and satisfying with its sweet, savory, creamy, tangy and peppery flavors. But it’s also filled with what’s in season now: root veggies like beets, carrots and onions and greens like arugula.
Seems like a perfect meal for this shoulder season.
If this salad intrigues you, I encourage you to make your roasted veggies in advance. Toss them together and roast them while you’re catching up on your favorite streaming series one evening. Or make them first thing in the morning. That way they are cooled and ready to go when you are ready to eat.
This is also a great salad to share. You could invite a few friends over to eat lunch on the deck and catch up. Maybe even serve it with some crusty bread and butter. I mean, is there ever a time when crusty bread isn’t a great addition to a meal?
(Of course there is. But there are so many more times when it is.)
This is also a fantastic meal for packing for grab and go lunches. As a busy working mother, I love having easy, satisfying meals like this ready to go everyday. And sometimes my kids even eat them too.
Roasted Beet and Carrot Salad with Goat Cheese
Root vegetables, tangy cheese and a bed of peppery arugula. This Roasted Beet and Carrot Salad with Goat Cheese is a fall lunch favorite.
Ingredients
- 2 cups diced beets (about 1 extra large or 2 medium) (1/2 inch dice)
- 2 cups diced carrots (about 3 large) (1/2 inch dice)
- 1 large onion, quartered and sliced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 cups baby arugula
- 1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
To Dress
- 4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
- 4 teaspoons balsamic glaze, divided
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Toss together the beets, carrots and onions with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread onto a baking sheet and slide into the oven. Roast for 25 minutes, stir and then roast for an additional 10-12 minutes, until the veggies are soft and lightly browned in places. Remove from the oven and cool. (This step can be completed in advance.)
- Once the veggies are cool, make the salads. Divide the arugula between four plates (or containers, if meal prepping). Top each with 1/4 of the veggies and 1/4 of the goat cheese.
- If serving right away, dress each salad with 1 teaspoon of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of balsamic glaze and a pinch of salt and pepper. For meal prep salads, place the olive oil, balsamic glaze, salt and pepper into small sealed containers to tuck into the salad containers.