This easy and healthy Beet Salad with Goat Cheese, Apricots, and Pistachios is perfect for Easter brunch or dinner and as a salad course or as a vegetarian side dish. Leftovers are wonderful for lunch too!
I love beets. I love them any way I can get them. Raw, cooked, roasted, grilled, fried, poached, steamed, marinated, pickled, savory, sweet, as patties, as soup, with meat, without meat…literally any way possible, but my favorite is in a delicious salad. I have friends who greatly dislike beets and refuse to eat them. I’m pretty sure they’ve never had a great beet salad, such as this Beet Salad with Goat Cheese, Apricots, and Pistachios. I’ll make quite the bold statement by saying that this salad can convert even the most hardcore beet hater. You know what they say, once you have you’ve had a great beet salad you never go back 
Since summer is right around the corner, it’s been time to get my behind into shape, so I joined a local Pilates and Barre studio. I’ve gone 3 times a week for the past 2 weeks and have actually gained 2 pounds instead of losing. What the funk? These are not easy classes. They are all one hour fusion cardio combo classes where I huff and puff and get all sweaty. I mean, if I’m going to exert all that much energy, then I need to see some results and fast! I realize it’s only been 2 weeks, but come on…obviously I’m not a patient person.
I’ve heard that weight loss is 75 percent diet and 25 percent exercise so I’m also trying to eat healthier. That is not an easy task for someone who loves all kinds of food and finds it so damn difficult to say “no” to yummy eats. And then I do things like make this Blueberry Granola Soda Bread or this Spanish Pan Pizza, neither of which are diet food. Then there’s lunchtime. I’m terrible at picking healthy food for lunch because all I want to do is eat potato chips. I always start off well and with good intentions by opening a can of tuna or eating leftover chicken breast, but then my mind wanders to the tasty Salt & Vinegar bag of chips in the pantry. Before I know it, the bag’s open and I’ve chowed down on half of it
Calling beets to the rescue. This salad is perfectly hearty enough for lunch and is chock-full of yummy dried apricots, roasted pistachios, and topped with a herb goat cheese. Leftovers keep well in the refrig for several days and love the convenience of having it available for a quick lunch…and it keeps my tater chips cravings at bay. Originally, I was thinking a honey balsamic vinaigrette would pair nicely with these flavors, but my beets were really sweet on their own, so I left it simple. Feel free to add honey or even Dijon mustard to the dressing to give it some sass, if it’s needed.
Embrace healthy eating with this Beet Salad with Goat Cheese, Apricots, and Pistachios for lunch or dinner as a side or main entrée.
- 4 medium organic golden and/or red beets
- 3-4 ounces herb goat cheese, crumbled
- ⅓ cup dried apricots, chopped
- ⅓ cup roasted pistachio pieces (I used Trader Joe's dry roasted & unsalted)
- 3 Tb good quality extra virgin olive oil
- 3 Tb balsamic vinegar
- Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
- Scrub beets well, dry, and coat with a little olive oil. Place beets in an ovenproof pan, cover with foil, and roast at 350 for 40-45 minutes, or until knife tender.
- When beets are cool enough to handle, remove the skin, and cut into slices. Place beets on a serving platter, sprinkle with goat cheese, chopped apricots, and pistachios.
- In a small bowl, combine olive oil and balsamic vinegar and mix well. Drizzle over beets. Serve immediately.
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