Roasted Beetroot, Goat’s Cheese and Walnut Salad Recipe

As we’ve moved into summer here in Australia, and the festive season ramps up, it’s always good to have a couple of go-to salad recipes. This recipe is a great side dish to serve for a barbecue, because the colours and the flavours complement each other so well. 

Roasting the beetroot makes it extra sweet, which combines perfectly with the creamy goat’s cheese and the vinegar dressing! This recipe is also easily adapted, so if you don’t like walnuts, you can swap them for pecans or macadamias. 

If you can’t get enough beetroot, make sure you try our Beetroot Risotto or Roast Pumpkin With Yoghurt Sauce recipe. The beetroot wedges are delish!

Ingredients (makes 4 serves, as a side):

• 6 baby beetroot (3 red, 3 yellow)

• 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

• A few sprigs of thyme

• 2 tsp red wine vinegar

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste

• 60ml water

Salad

• 3 tbsp coconut sugar

• 3 tbsp water

• 50g walnuts

• sea salt, to taste

• 2 large handfuls of rocket leaves 

• 120g goat’s cheese

Dressing

• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar

• 3 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tsp Dijon mustard

• 1 garlic clove, crushed

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (355°F).

2. Place the beetroot, garlic and thyme in a baking dish. Drizzle over the red wine vinegar and olive oil and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Pour the water into the bottom of the baking dish. 

3. Cover the baking dish with aluminium foil, ensuring that the dish is sealed well and bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes or until tender. Test the beetroot with a skewer - they are cooked when a skewer pierces the flesh easily. Set aside to cool. When cool enough to handle, peel and cut in half.

4. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Place the sugar and water in a non-stick fry pan over medium-high heat. Bring to the boil and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer until the sugar has dissolved. 

5. Add the walnuts and cook until the liquid evaporates and the nuts become sticky, stirring constantly (sugar “webs” should form as you stir). Remove from the heat and spread out on the lined baking tray.  Sprinkle with salt, if desired and set aside to cool and harden. 

6. To make the dressing, whisk the red wine vinegar, olive oil, mustard and garlic together in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

7. To serve, place the rocket on a serving dish. Arrange the beetroot halves on top the rocket, crumble over the goat’s cheese and drizzle with the dressing. Scatter over the walnuts and serve.