After we picked those fresh beets straight from Larriland farm, I prepped those beautiful tubers for my easy beet salad with basil and goat cheese.  My husband introduced me to beets during our early dating years. Except they were canned beets! Yuck! Once, I discovered how to easily roast my own fresh beets, this vegetable became part of our food repertoire.

What a beet looks like after you roast it. It’s not pretty but it’s good eats.

Roasting beets isn’t difficult at all. Scrub all the dirt from your beets, then completely wrap each beet in foil. Place all the beets in a baking dish or on a cookie sheet and bake at 350F for about 45 minutes or until soft. You can even multitask and throw them in the oven while you’re baking a lasagna or baking chicken for dinner.

Once cool enough to touch, unwrap the beets. Warning: beet juice can stain your hands. I usually wear disposable gloves when dealing with beets. Because you roasted them the skin should rub right off. Try it. It’s pretty cool. Once you’ve skinned the beets, you can cut them up any way you want.

This beet salad with basil and goat cheese is my favorite way to eat these tubers. The tangy balsamic vinegar balances the sweet beets while the blue cheese adds the saltiness. The basil keeps the flavors fresh. If you want to prepare the salad ahead, wait to add the goat cheese and basil until right before serving.

I hope this recipe will turn you into a beets convert!

Easy Beet Salad with Basil & Goat Cheese

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

This beet salad is super easy to make but tastes gourmet!

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Ingredients

• 3 medium sized beets, without stems/greens
• 1 bunch of basil
• Chevre or feta cheese
• Dressing:
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp honey

Instructions

To roast beets: Preheat oven to 350F. Wash beets and wrap each in foil, careful to cover any holes. Place on cookie sheet and roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until beets feel soft to touch. Once cool enough to handle, unwrap and peel by rubbing off the skin. It should come right off. If you don't want pink hands, wear gloves before you peel them.

Cut beets into 1 inch cubes. Set aside while you make the dressing.

To make the dressing: In a bowl whisk together balsamic vinegar, olive oil and honey until well mixed. Add salt and pepper to taste. Dressing should be a little on the tart side.

Pour dressing over diced beets and stir to coat. For better flavor, allow beets to saok the dressing for at least 1 hour. Usually I just place it in a plastic lidded container in the fridge and shake it whenever I open the fridge.

Right before serving: Spoon beets into serving bowl or dish. Crumble chevre or feta cheese on top. Chiffonade or tear fresh basil and sprinkle on top.