Roasted Beets with Pecans and Goat Cheese

This warm beet salad is made with roasted beets, toasted pecans, and honey goat cheese in a lemon vinaigrette. It's super simple yet BIG on flavor.

Warm Beet Salad:

Rarely do I find a person whose lukewarm about beets. I've only met beet-lovers and beet-haters. I am unabashedly a beet lover!

And these roasted beets are perfection - earthy beets, creamy goat cheese, toasty pecans, and punchy lemon. It has all the things!

If you're unsure about which camp you belong in, this beet recipe might just convert you! And it's super easy to make! Yes, please.

Key Ingredients:

• Beets - Beets come in bunches of three. They vary in size and that's fine. Mine equaled roughly 2 heaping cups of chopped beets. Be sure to rinse the beets to remove all the dirt before you chop them.
• Pecans - I buy a big bag of whole pecans at Costco. They taste great with roasted veggies and in salads.
• Honey goat cheese - I typically buy regular goat cheese, but the sweetness of the honey goat cheese complements the lemon and pecans.
• Lemon - I always use fresh lemons! They're brighter and less acidic with no preservatives.

How to Make Roasted Beet Salad:

This recipe is super simple!

Before you start, preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

• Chop the beets: Beets are typically covered in dirt. Wash them first, then peel them. Cut them into small chunks, roughly ½ inch pieces.
• Roast the beets: Coat the beets in olive oil, then spread them on a sheet pan. Use a large sheet pan so it isn't crowded. Roast until they're mostly cooked.

• Add the pecans: Dump the chopped pecans onto the pan and spread them around. Roast for 5 more minutes to finish the beets and toast the nuts.
• Dress and serve: Transfer the warm beets and pecan mixture to a bowl. Toss it with the dressing, then stir in the goat cheese crumbles. Serve immediately!

How to Cut Beets:

• First, cut the stem and root end off of the beets. You can throw the beet greens away or you can sauté them and add them to pasta dishes!
• Wash the beets under cool running water. Beets are covered in dirt! You don't want to eat the dirt so wash it off before you put them on the cutting board.
• You can peel the beets with a handheld peeler. The beets may dye your fingers red temporarily.
• Use a sharp kitchen knife to dice the beets. I use my santoku knife which is great for chopping vegetables.

Storage Tips:

• Store leftover beets in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
• This beet salad can be enjoyed warm or cold!

Healthy Side Dishes:

• Roasted Green Beans & Sweet Potatoes
• Roasted Green Beans and Carrots
• Roasted Honey Gold Potatoes with Cilantro Vinaigrette