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This golden beet salad is paired with quinoa, arugula, walnuts, cheese, and a red wine vinaigrette dressing. It’s easy to make and packed with nutrition! Recipe can be enjoyed warm or cold. Post includes in-depth tips for how to roast golden beets in foil.

Golden beet salad with arugula, quinoa, walnuts, and parmesan on a white plate.

Have you tried golden beets before? Also known as yellow or orange beets, they’re so bright, sunny, and a little less earthy-flavoured compared to their red counterparts!

This golden beetroot salad pairs roasted golden beets with simple ingredients like arugula, quinoa, and parmesan. As always, I’ve included a number of ingredient swaps for you to make this recipe work with your dietary needs or what you have in your pantry. It’s a pretty customizable one!

As a dietitian, I’m happy to share that beets are jam-packed with nutrition benefits – from fiber, antioxidants, and multiple micronutrients. I go more into detail about the health benefits of beets below if you’re interested.

I’ve also included a step-by-step breakdown of how to steam-roast beets in foil. It’s super simple, and you’ll end up with soft, silky, and vibrant beets in just a few steps 🙂

Want more delicious, hearty salad recipe inspiration? Check out my roundup of fall and winter salad recipes for more ideas!

Recipe ingredients in small bowls.

Ingredients needed & possible substitutions

All you need to make this golden beet salad are 11 simple ingredients:

  1. golden beets – if you can’t find golden beets, you can use red beets OR even pre-packaged steamed baby beets (this would cut down on cooking time!)
  2. quinoa – can be swapped with different grains, like farro or couscous
  3. arugula – can be swapped with a different leafy green, like baby spinach, baby kale, or a spring mix
  4. walnuts – can be swapped with a different nut, like pecans, or seeds, like pumpkin seeds
  5. parmesan – can be swapped with goat cheese or feta, or use a vegan/dairy-free alternative of any of these cheeses!
  6. olive oil
  7. red wine vinegar
  8. honey – use maple syrup for a vegan alternative
  9. dijon mustard
  10. garlic powder – or use freshly minced garlic
  11. dried thyme – optional if you don’t have it on hand, but adds a nice touch!

Full ingredient measurements and detailed instructions are located in the recipe card at the bottom of this post!

Step-by-step: how to roast golden beets in foil

Curious to know how to get beets to be that nice, silky-soft texture? The trick is to wrap them in foil prior to placing them in the oven! The foil traps the steam from the beets and cooks them to perfection.

This method is also super easy to do. Using golden beets, instead of red, also makes for a much easier clean-up as the colour is easier to work with 🙂

To start, give each of your beets a good scrub under running water. Remove any stems, greens, or hard ends.

Golden beet ready to be wrapped in tin foil.

Then, tear a piece of foil that’s large enough to wrap around one beet. Place the cleaned beet in the center of the foil, and wrap the foil around the beet tightly.

Repeat with the remainder of the beets, then place them all on a baking sheet. The baking sheet will catch any drips or leaks.

3 beets wrapped in tin foil on a baking sheet.

Next, transfer the baking sheet to the oven and allow to cook for 40 minutes at 425F.

Remove the tray from the oven, and unwrap the beets to check on them (if they’re all the same size, you only need to unwrap one of them).

To see if the beets are cooked, try piercing them through the center with a knife, fork, or toothpick. It should slide through easily, with little resistance.

If they’re not quite ready, simply wrap the beets up again and return them to the oven for another 10 or so minutes, checking again until they’re ready!

Opened tinfoil to reveal roasted golden beets.

Once done, remove the beets from their foil packaging and allow to cool slightly. The next step is to remove the skin, and you’ll need to be able to touch the beets to do so.

With a paper towel, hold one side of the beet with your hand. Using your other hand, take the loose edge of the paper towel and gently wipe the skins away. They should slide off super easily!

Continue this method to remove the skin from the entire beet, and repeat with the remainder of the beets.

Peeled roasted golden beets on a cutting board.

Once the skins are removed, you can slice the beet into roughly 1-inch pieces (or smaller, as desired). Your beets are now ready to add to your salad!

Roasted golden beets sliced into small pieces on a cutting board.

What to serve this recipe with

This salad is already a great source veggies, complex carbs, and healthy fats! It also provides some protein in the form of quinoa, walnuts, and parmesan.

That said, if you’d like to make this salad a more filling meal, you can totally add an extra source of protein to it! Something like hard-boiled eggs, turkey, or chicken would work great.

This recipe also makes a great side salad to accompany any dinner spread 🙂

Make-ahead option

If you’d like to prep this salad ahead of time, here are my recommendations:

  1. Cook + cut up the beets as written, then store them in an airtight container in the fridge. Cooked beets will keep for 3-5 days in the fridge.
  2. Cook the quinoa and keep it in a separate airtight container in the fridge. Cooked quinoa will keep for 5 days.
  3. Make the dressing in a jar with a lid, and store that in the fridge as well.
  4. You can also pre-grate the parmesan if you’re using fresh parmigiano-reggiano.
  5. When you’re ready to serve the salad, simply mix all the ingredients above with fresh arugula and walnuts!

Need help cooking quinoa? It’s one of my go-to grains to prep and I’ve got an in-depth post on how to cook it perfectly HERE!

Storage notes

Although best enjoyed fresh or the next day, leftovers of this beet salad will keep for about 3 days in an airtight container in the fridge.

Golden beet salad with arugula, quinoa, walnuts, and parmesan on a white plate.

Golden beetroot nutrition benefits

From a nutrition standpoint, golden beets are very similar to red beets. Their different colouring is simply due to a different makeup of plant pigments.

Red beets get their colour from pigments called betacyanins, while yellow beets get their colour from betaxanthins. These pigments are known as phytochemicals, which are known to support our overall health (many of them have antioxidant properties).

Beyond these properties, one cup of beetroot provides about 15% of your daily fiber needs, along with micronutrients like:

  • vitamin C
  • iron
  • vitamin B6
  • magnesium
  • potassium
  • folate

Beetroots are also known for their dietary nitrate content, which your body converts into nitric oxide. 

Nitric oxide helps to dilate your blood vessels, increase blood flow, improve exercise endurance, and even to lower blood pressure.

Golden beet salad tossed together on a white plate.

More easy roasted beet recipes:

Did you give this Golden Beet Recipe a try? Let me know by leaving a comment and recipe rating below!

If you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram or Pinterest – seeing your creations always makes my day. You can also subscribe to my email list to never miss a new recipe or nutrition education post!

Get the Recipe: Golden Beet Salad

This golden beet salad is paired with quinoa, arugula, walnuts, and cheese. It's easy to make and packed with nutrition! Recipe can be enjoyed warm or cold.
Golden beet salad with arugula, quinoa, walnuts, and parmesan on a white plate.
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Ingredients

  • 3 medium-large golden beets
  • 2 cups cooked quinoa
  • 4 cups baby arugula (rocket)
  • 1/3 cup parmigiano-regianno, freshly grated (or goat cheese)
  • 1/2 cup walnuts
  • Salt + pepper, to taste

Red Wine Vinaigrette Dressing:

Instructions

  • Preheat oven: to 425F. Tear 3 squares of foil (large enough to wrap 1 beet in each)
  • Cook beets: scrub beets under running water and remove any stems, greens, or hard ends. Place one beet in the center of a square of foil. Wrap the foil around the beet tightly. Repeat with the other two beets, then place on a baking sheet. Transfer baking sheet to oven and cook for 40 minutes.
  • Cook quinoa: according to package directions, or see my in-depth post for tips HERE!
  • Make dressing: add all dressing ingredients in a jar with a lid. Shake vigorously to combine.
  • Check on beets: after 40 minutes are up, remove the beets from the oven. Unwrap one beet and check if it's ready by piercing through the thickest part with a knife, fork, or toothpick. It should slide through easily, with little resistance.
    If beets aren't ready, re-wrap the foil and return to the oven for another 10 minutes before checking again!
  • Peel beets: remove beets from oven and their foil packaging. Allow to cool until comfortable to touch.
    With a paper towel, hold one side of the beet with your hand. Using your other hand, take the loose edge of the paper towel and gently wipe the skins away. They should slide off super easily!
  • Cut beets: once the skins are removed, you can slice the beet into roughly 1-inch pieces (or smaller, as desired).
  • Mix salad: on a large serving plate or salad bowl, combine arugula, cooked quinoa, sliced beets, walnuts, and parmesan. Toss in dressing + serve!

Notes

*LEFTOVERS: Although best enjoyed fresh or the next day, leftovers of this beet salad will keep for about 3 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
*MAKE AHEAD OPTION:
  • Cook + cut up the beets as written, then store them in an airtight container in the fridge. Cooked beets will keep for 3-5 days in the fridge.
  • Cook the quinoa and keep it in a separate airtight container in the fridge. Cooked quinoa will keep for 5 days.
  • Make the dressing in a jar with a lid, and store that in the fridge as well.
  • You can also pre-grate the parmesan if you’re using fresh parmigiano-reggiano.
  • When you’re ready to serve the salad, simply mix all the ingredients above with fresh arugula and walnuts!
 
*INGREDIENT SWAPS:
  • If you can’t find golden beets, you can use red beets OR even pre-packaged steamed baby beets (this would cut down on cooking time!)
  • Quinoa can be swapped with different grains, like farro or couscous
  • Arugula can be swapped with a different leafy green, like baby spinach, baby kale, or a spring mix
  • Walnuts can be swapped with a different nut, like pecans, or seeds, like pumpkin seeds
  • Parmesan can be swapped with goat cheese or feta, or use a vegan/dairy-free alternative of any of these cheeses!

Nutrition

As a dietitian, I create recipes with whole food ingredients that provide the nutrients needed for optimal health. My nutrition philosophy does not focus on numbers; however, I understand that this information can be helpful.

Do note that the nutrition info provided is an estimate and I cannot guarantee correctness of the displayed values. These numbers will differ depending on brands used, recipe modifications, and amount eaten. If you require specific nutrition information due to medical reasons, please consult with your dietitian or physician.

Did you make this recipe?

Let me know by leaving a recipe rating below, or by tagging @walderwellness on Instagram. I love seeing your beautiful creations!

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