Caroline's Cooking

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Winter beet salad with goat’s cheese dressing

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This winter beet salad is short on ingredients but full of flavor. From earthy beets to fragrant persimmon, all topped off with a delicious creamy goats cheese dressing. Great for lunch or as a side.

close up of salad in bowl with hazelnuts on top

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I don’t know about you, but I am starting to feel the effects of having made lots of cookies, panettone and other sweeter things recently (a side effect of blogging, baking Christmas cookies early!). I have done my best to give quite a few away, and the kids are all too happy to help out, but I’ll be honest I am all too tempted by them myself to resist.

True, the odd cookie is not a bad thing but it’s a daily habit at the moment which isn’t really me. I don’t know if I’m weird but I get sugar headaches. But it has some benefits as I then start plotting healthy foods to compensate, such as this great big beet salad that I had for lunch recently. And they, too, can be delicious discoveries.

winter beet salad with some on small plate, rest in bowl, both topped with goats cheese dressing

Beet salad: the perfect salad for colder weather

I know, salads can feel out of place at this time of year. But to me, it’s more a matter of picking the right seasonal ingredients and they can then still be just what you need. A beet salad, for instance, feels much more at home this time of year. 

Particularly when you add in things like persimmon and fennel, as I have here. Top it off with a delicious, creamy goat’s cheese dressing and you have a perfect winter salad.

bowl of winter beet salad with goats cheese dressing

How it’s made

This winter beet salad is incredibly easy to prepare with only 5 ingredients in the salad and the same in the dressing. I think roast beets (or the full name beetroot as I we’d say in the UK) are much better flavor-wise for this salad.

I appreciate that means a little more work than say buying ready-cooked beets, but you can still make it easy by roasting a day or two ahead of time and keep them refrigerated. Just add them in the oven when you are cooking something else. When you’re ready to eat, you just slice a few things, toast the hazelnuts and whisk together the dressing and that’s it.

winter beet salad with goats cheese dressing drizzled over top

If you can’t get hazelnuts then you could substitute them with walnuts or pecans. I do think hazelnuts are the better flavor match, though. They’re also better toasted, though this can be skipped too if you’re in a rush.

While I had this beet salad for lunch (and polished off a great big bowl of it), it would also make a great appetizer or side dish. It would be a great salad for entertaining as it’s so easy but has lots of color and flavor. It’s mild enough, though, to work with many other flavors.

winter beet salad with goats cheese dressing showing part of bowl

Whenever you choose to serve it, this winter beet salad is truly delicious. It’s got so many textures and flavors for so few ingredients – the crunch of the salad leaves and fennel, the soft sweet persimmon, the earthy roast beetroot and the creamy rich goat’s cheese dressing with a slight sweetness from honey.

It’s a wonderful bowl of tasty goodness that certainly helps balance out the cookies. In fact so much so, I’m craving more as I write.

some of salad served on small plate

Try these other winter salads:

This winter beet salad has only 5 ingredients but is full of great flavors from earthy beets to fragrant persimmon, topped with a delicious creamy goats cheese dressing.
Print Recipe
5 from 2 votes

Winter beet salad with goat's cheese dressing

This beet salad is a simple combination, full of delicious flavors and textures.
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time40 mins
Total Time50 mins
Course: Lunch
Cuisine: American
Keyword: vegetarian recipe, winter salad
Servings: 2 -6 (depending on how served)
Calories: 489kcal
Author: Caroline's Cooking

Ingredients

  • 2 beet medium
  • 4 handfuls mixed salad leaves approx, eg spring mix
  • 1 bulb fennel small
  • 1 persimmon fuyu - the smaller tomato-shaped ones that you can eat when still firm
  • 1/2 cup hazelnuts 70g

For dressing

  • 4 tbsp goats cheese 60g
  • 2 tbsp milk
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tsp honey
  • 2 tsp wine vinegar

Instructions

  • Peel the beets, cut into bite-sized chunks, toss with a little olive oil in a roasting dish and roast them for approx 40min at 375-400F/180-200C until tender to a knifepoint. This can be done a day or two ahead and the beets kept in the fridge until needed.
  • Put the salad leaves in a large bowl. Halve the fennel bulb, remove the firm core and thinly slice, cutting larger slices in half. Toss the fennel with the salad leaves.
  • Cut the persimmon into thin slices and arrange over the salad leaves. Arrange the beetroot pieces over the leaves as well.
  • Gently toast the hazelnuts in a dry skillet/frying pan or under the broiler/grill for a few minutes until you can start to smell them slightly but they are not browning (you can skip this if you don't have time, it just helps bring out the flavor) then add to the salad bowl.
  • Whisk together all of the dressing ingredients and pour over the salad. Note - You don't want to put the dressing over too far ahead of serving as it can separate and look a little like it has curdled although it's fine.

Nutrition

Calories: 489kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 235mg | Potassium: 974mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 475IU | Vitamin C: 20.4mg | Calcium: 161mg | Iron: 3.5mg

See some of my favorite cooking tools and ingredients in the Caroline’s Cooking Amazon store. 

Try these other festive salads:

Remember to pin for later!

This winter beet salad is short on ingredients but full of flavor. From earthy beets to fragrant persimmon, all topped off with a delicious creamy goats cheese dressing. Great for lunch or as a side.

 

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Comments

    • Caroline's Cooking says

      Thanks Denise -you really should try the dressing, it’s so good! And works so well with everything else here.

      Reply

    • Caroline's Cooking says

      Thanks Laura, I look forward to persimmon being in season each year! They work well here, and with everything else.

      Reply

  4. Stacy says

    I love the combination of sweet and savory, especially with that creamy goat’s cheese dressing. I’m going to have to make this one next time my husband is traveling. He’s not a fan of beetroot but it’s one of my favorites!

    Reply

    • Caroline's Cooking says

      Thanks Stacy, I agree the sweet-savory combination is so good. And yes, make an excuse to make it while he’s away and enjoy it all for yourself!

      Reply

  5. Christine | Mid-Life Croissant says

    Too many cookies and a bottle of Ready Whip just sitting around staring at me. I have not been very successful at resisting. This salad is so good. I love beet/goat cheese combination and those hazelnuts! Thanks for sharing this at #SaucySaturdays, Caroline.

    Reply

    • Caroline's Cooking says

      Me neither, but I can at least try to balance things out with things like this, which when it’s tasty is not so hard 🙂

      Reply

  6. Stef says

    Beetroot, goats cheese and hazelnut really is a perfect combination! I love this wintery salad, still nice and fresh. A good break from all the heaven things we tend to have 🙂 Yummy!

    Reply

    • Caroline's Cooking says

      Thanks, Stef, it’s a tasty combination and as you say a lovely break from the heavier food around too.

      Reply

    • Caroline's Cooking says

      Thanks Jhuls, the dressing is really tasty, do give it a try! It goes well with everything else here as well.

      Reply

    • Caroline's Cooking says

      Beets are definitely worth trying, Jade – I think roasted is my favorite way, it’s very easy, and great in this salad.

      Reply

  11. Liz says

    Oh, yeah, bring on the salad! Between blogger cookie exchanges and a real life cookie exchange, I’m on carb overload! I love the idea of a goat cheese dressing over beets, hazelnuts and more. What a divine dish!

    Reply

    • Caroline's Cooking says

      Of course, I remember you saying about the homemade goat’s cheese – this is definitely a great way to use some!

      Reply

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