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This fried goat cheese and roasted beet salad with homemade roasted beets, crispy fried goat cheese discs, over a bed of arugula, and topped with walnuts, thinly sliced shallots, and a honey balsamic vinaigrette. Roasted beets and crispy goat cheese are the perfect pair in this delicious salad.
Ingredients
- Roasted beets
- Fried goat cheese: log of goat cheese, egg wash, panko bread crumbs, flour
- Arugula
- Shallots
- Walnuts
- Honey balsamic vinaigrette: balsamic vinaigrette, honey, olive oil
Why eat beets?
Beets are loaded with nutrients and low calorie. They are high in fiber, vitamin A, potassium, antioxidants, and so many other vitamins. Beets can help lower blood pressure and anemia, and improves blood flow and circulation to your muscles.
There are many different colors of beets, the most popular being red and golden beets. I’ve used this beet salad recipe with both colors, the red being more grassy/earthy and the golden beets being more mild/sweeter in flavor.
How to roast beets
- Most grocery stores sell beets on the stalk and some will sell with the stalk cut off. You can actually utilize the beet greens in salads or sauté them, for added nutrients in dishes.
- Cut the beets off the stalk and if there is a long root on the end, remove that as well.
- Scrub the beets under cold water until clean.
- Wrap the beet tightly in foil and place on a baking dish. The beets will leak as they cook, so you can also place parchment paper under the beets, for easier clean up. Roast beets at 425F for 1 hour.
- After an hour has passed, remove the beets from the oven and carefully remove the foil (it will release a lot of hot steam).
- Next, cut any exposed stem at the top and peel the skin off the beet. I use gloves because the beets stain my hands. The skin will easily peel off the beet, discard.
- Slice the beets into 1 1/2 inch pieces and repeat with remaining beets.
- I like my beets chilled, so I place the bowl of sliced roasted beets in the refrigerator to chill. You can also just have them at room temperature.
How to bread goat cheese
I’ve made this roasted beet salad with just goat cheese, but the texture and flavor of the crispy fried goat cheese just takes it to another level.
- Fried goat cheese ingredients: goat cheese log, panko bread crumbs, flour, eggs
- Place goat cheese in the freezer for 10 minutes, this will help slicing it and keeping its form. Slice goat cheese log into 1/4 inch round slices. If you slice them too thin, they will fall apart.
- Take a goat cheese disc and coat in flour, tapping/brushing off any excess flour for an even coating.
- Next, use a fork to lower the flour coated goat cheese into the egg, coating both sides.
- Place the goat cheese into the panko breadcrumbs covering the entire slice.
- Repeat with remaining slices of goat cheese. Place breaded goat cheese in refrigerator until you’re ready to fry.
How to fry goat cheese
- In a cast iron skillet or fry safe pan, heat oil to 325F-350F. Since we are shallow frying, you only need enough oil to reach half the thickness of the goat cheese.
- Shallow fry goat cheese for 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden. Be sure not to crowd the goat cheese slices, you may have to fry in batches.
- Place on a paper towel lined plate to absorb excess oil.
- Repeat until all sliced goat cheese is fried.
How to assemble roasted beet and fried goat cheese salad
Lay down bed of arugula then top with roasted beets, thinly sliced shallot, fried goat cheese slices, chopped walnuts, and then drizzle with honey balsamic vinaigrette over the top.
How to store
- Beets: you can prepare the beets ahead of time and keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Fried goat cheese: you can store the fried goat cheese in the refrigerator, but it is best enjoyed freshly fried.
- Salad: if preparing the salad in advance, do not dress the salad until it’s ready to serve.
Looking for other salad recipes?
- Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette Salad
- Kale Caesar Chickpea Salad
- Grilled Peach Burrata Salad
- Mexican Garden Chicken
- Roasted Brussels Caesar Salad
- Asian Salad with Spicy Peanut Dressing
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Fried Goat Cheese and Roasted Beet Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound red or golden beets (3-4 medium size beets)
- 4 ounces goat cheese (log shaped)
- 1 cup Italian panko bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 2 eggs (whisked)
- Neutral oil for shallow frying (about 1 1/2 cups enough to shallow fry)
- 1 medium shallot (thinly sliced)
- 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
- 5 ounces arugula
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Equipment
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F.
- Place log of goat cheese in freezer for 10 minutes while you prep the beets.
- Cut the beets off the stalk and if there is a long root on the end, remove that as well. Scrub the beets under cold water until clean.
- Wrap each beet tightly in foil and place on a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Roast beets at 425F for 1 hour.
- Remove goat cheese from freezer. Slice goat cheese into 1/4 inch thick round discs. Set up a breading station with 3 bowls: one for panko breadcrumbs, one for whisked eggs, and one for flour.
- Take a goat cheese disc and coat in flour, tapping/brushing off any excess flour. Next, use a fork to lower into the egg, coating both sides. Finally place the goat cheese into the panko breadcrumbs covering the entire slice. Repeat with remaining slices of goat cheese. Place breaded goat cheese in refrigerator until you're ready to fry.
- In a cast iron skillet or fry safe pan, heat oil to 325F-350F. Since we are shallow frying, you only need enough oil to reach half the thickness of the goat cheese. Shallow fry goat cheese for 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden. Be sure not to crowd the goat cheese slices, you may have to fry in batches. Place on a paper towel lined plate to absorb excess oil.
- After an hour, remove the beets from the oven and carefully remove the foil (it will release a lot of hot steam). Next, cut any exposed stem at the top and peel the skin off the beet, discard skin (I use gloves because the beets stain my hands).
- Slice the beets into 1 1/2 inch pieces and repeat with remaining beets. I like my beets chilled, so I place the bowl of sliced roasted beets in the refrigerator to chill. You can also just have them at room temperature.
- Lay down bed of arugula then top with roasted beets, thinly sliced shallot, fried goat cheese slices, and chopped walnuts.
- In a small jar add olive oil, honey, and balsamic vinaigrette. Shake to combine, then drizzle over salad. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
How to store
- Beets: you can prepare the beets ahead of time and keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Fried goat cheese: you can store the fried goat cheese in the refrigerator, but it is best enjoyed freshly fried.
- Salad: if preparing the salad in advance, do not dress the salad until it's ready to serve.