Delicious Roasted Beet and Carrot Salad: A Festive Delight with Candied Walnuts & Cranberry Dressing

Prepare to impress with this show-stopping Roasted Beet and Carrot Salad, a vibrant and flavorful dish that’s absolutely perfect for the holidays or any special occasion. This festive salad features tender balsamic roasted beets and carrots, delightfully crunchy maple-candied walnuts, creamy goat cheese, and is brought together with a bright and tangy cranberry salad dressing. It’s a harmonious blend of sweet, savory, and tart flavors, complemented by a wonderful array of textures that will tantalize your taste buds.

This recipe was first shared in November 2017 and has since been thoughtfully updated to enhance its appeal, featuring new text, fresh photos, and slight tweaks to ensure an even more perfect outcome. Don’t forget to scroll to the very bottom to catch a glimpse of an original photo, showcasing its journey over the years!

Essential Ingredients for Your Vibrant Root Vegetable Salad

Crafting the perfect roasted beet and carrot salad begins with selecting high-quality ingredients. Each component plays a crucial role in creating the layered flavors and varied textures that make this dish so special.

Fresh Beets: While peeling and chopping beets can be a bit messy due to their vibrant color, this method ensures quicker and more even cooking compared to roasting them whole. For an easier cleanup or a slightly different aesthetic, consider using golden beets or candy cane beets. These varieties release less color, making them less staining but just as delicious. Their earthy sweetness deepens beautifully when roasted, providing a hearty base for the salad.

Carrots: The size of your whole carrots isn’t as critical as ensuring they are cut into uniform slices. This consistency is key for even roasting, allowing them to become perfectly tender with caramelized edges without some pieces burning while others remain undercooked. Roasting brings out their natural sugars, transforming them into wonderfully sweet and soft morsels.

Walnuts: These aren’t just any walnuts; they’re lovingly candied with maple syrup and a touch of extra virgin olive oil. This simple process creates a sweet, irresistibly crunchy topping that adds a delightful textural contrast to the soft roasted vegetables. Candied walnuts are surprisingly easy and quick to prepare right on your stovetop, elevating the salad with their rich, buttery, and sweet notes.

Greens: I recommend a refreshing mix of spinach and arugula. Their tender leaves provide a delicate counterpoint to the robustness of the roasted root vegetables. Arugula adds a peppery kick, while spinach offers a mild, slightly sweet earthiness. If you prefer greens with more bite and structure, heartier options like kale or Swiss chard can also work beautifully, just be sure to massage kale lightly with a little oil before adding.

Goat Cheese: The tangy, creamy flavor and velvety texture of crumbled goat cheese are a match made in heaven with the sweet and earthy beets. It adds a luxurious richness and a delightful sharp contrast that brightens the entire salad. For those who prefer a dairy-free option, this salad remains incredibly delicious without it, or you can explore plant-based feta alternatives for a similar tang.

Cranberry Salad Dressing: This is truly the star dressing for this particular salad. Its unique blend of tartness from cranberries, subtle savory notes, and a hint of sweetness perfectly complements the roasted vegetables and candied nuts. Requiring just five simple ingredients, it’s quick to whip up and ties all the diverse flavors of the salad together beautifully, making it an ideal choice for a holiday feast or a special weeknight meal.

Mastering the Art of Roasting Beets and Carrots

Roasting root vegetables is a simple yet transformative cooking method that brings out their natural sweetness and creates delightful caramelized edges. Follow these steps for perfectly roasted beets and carrots every time:

• Preheat Your Oven: Start by preheating your oven to 425°F (220°C). This higher temperature is ideal for root vegetables like beets and carrots, ensuring they get beautifully browned and tender quickly without burning. The intense heat helps to caramelize their natural sugars, enhancing their flavor significantly.
• Prepare Your Baking Sheet: Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. This simple step makes cleanup incredibly easy, preventing the vegetables from sticking and ensuring no messy residue is left behind.
• Prepare the Vegetables: Peel and chop your beets into 1/2-inch cubes. Similarly, peel and slice your carrots into 1/2-inch thick pieces. The key here is uniformity in size. Cutting them all roughly the same size is crucial for even cooking, ensuring every piece is tender at the same time.
• Seasoning Strategy: To ensure every piece is thoroughly coated with flavor, I prefer to season the beets and carrots in separate bowls before transferring them to the baking sheet. This also serves a practical purpose: it prevents the vibrant red beets from potentially discoloring the carrots, keeping their distinct hues intact for a more visually appealing salad.
• Arrange for Success: Spread the seasoned vegetables on the prepared baking sheet. Again, I typically keep the beets and carrots separate on the sheet, but this is optional if you don’t mind a slight color bleed.
• Avoid Crowding: Always use a large baking sheet and ensure the vegetables are spread out in a single layer without overcrowding the pan. If the beets and carrots are too close together, they will steam instead of roast, resulting in soft, rather than beautifully caramelized, vegetables. Give them space to breathe and brown!
• Roasting Time: At 425°F (220°C), your root vegetables should be perfectly cooked in approximately 30-35 minutes. Beets can sometimes be a little firmer and may require a few extra minutes of roasting. Feel free to remove the carrots once tender and continue roasting the beets until they reach your desired level of softness.
• Flip for Evenness: Don’t forget to flip the vegetables at least once during the roasting process. This ensures they cook evenly on all sides and achieve that desirable golden-brown caramelization without any part burning.

Creating Irresistibly Candied Walnuts

These maple-candied walnuts are a game-changer for this salad, offering a sweet crunch that perfectly complements the earthy beets and carrots. Here’s how to make them:

• Prepare the Walnuts: In a small bowl, combine the raw walnut halves with maple syrup and a hint of extra virgin olive oil. Stir everything together thoroughly, ensuring each walnut is beautifully coated in the sticky, sweet mixture.
• Cook on the Stovetop: Lightly grease a skillet and place it over medium-low heat. Add the coated walnuts to the skillet. This gentle heat is crucial for the sugar to melt and crystalize without burning the nuts.
• Stir Constantly: Cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring constantly. This continuous movement is essential to prevent the walnuts from burning and to help a sugary coating form evenly around each piece. You’ll notice the maple syrup thickening and eventually crystalizing, clinging to the walnuts.
• Cool and Separate: Once a lovely sugary coating has formed and the walnuts are fragrant, immediately transfer them to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Work quickly to separate the walnuts using a fork or spatula before they cool down and clump together.
• Storage: Once completely cooled, store your candied walnuts in an airtight container at room temperature. They’ll retain their delightful crunch and flavor for several days, ready to be added to your salad or enjoyed as a sweet snack.

Assembling Your Stunning Beet and Carrot Salad

Once all your components are prepared, assembling this salad is a joy. You have the flexibility to create a grand platter for sharing or individual servings for a more refined presentation.

• Choose Your Vessel: Decide whether you want to present this magnificent salad in one large, communal bowl, perfect for a family-style meal, or divide the ingredients artfully onto four individual plates for an elegant touch.
• Layering for Perfection: Begin with a generous bed of your mixed greens (spinach and arugula). Next, artfully layer on the beautifully roasted beets and carrots, followed by the cooked quinoa for added substance. Sprinkle generously with your irresistible candied walnuts, and finally, top with crumbled goat cheese (if you’re using it).
• Dressing Options: You can either gently mix the cranberry salad dressing directly into the salad for an even coating, drizzle it elegantly over the top just before serving, or offer it on the side, allowing each guest to add their desired amount. Each method has its charm, so choose what best suits your dining experience.

Frequently Asked Questions About This Salad

Here are some common questions to help you get the most out of your roasted beet and carrot salad:

How should you store the leftover salad? If you’ve already tossed the entire salad with the dressing, it’s best to enjoy it immediately. Leftovers won’t store well, as the dressing can make the greens soggy and the candied walnuts might lose their crunch. To ensure optimal freshness and texture for any anticipated leftovers, prepare all the ingredients, but assemble individual salads only as needed. Store the remaining prepared components separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator (except for the candied walnuts, which should be kept at room temperature to preserve their crispness).

Can I make this roasted beet salad in advance? Absolutely! This salad is an excellent candidate for meal prep or making ahead for entertaining. Simply prepare all the individual components—roast the beets and carrots, candy the walnuts, cook the quinoa, and make the dressing. Store them separately in the refrigerator for 2-3 days (walnuts at room temperature). When you’re ready to eat, just assemble the salad fresh, and it will taste as if it was just made!

How do you reheat leftover roasted balsamic beets and carrots? To restore their delicious warmth and texture, arrange the leftover roasted beets and carrots in a single layer on a baking sheet. Reheat them in a preheated oven at 425°F (220°C) for just 4-5 minutes, or until warmed through and slightly crisp at the edges. This method helps prevent them from becoming mushy, maintaining their lovely roasted qualities.

Additional Recipe Tips and Creative Substitutions

This roasted beet and carrot salad is wonderfully adaptable. Here are some extra tips and ideas to customize it to your liking:

• Beet Varieties: Don’t hesitate to experiment with different types of beets. Golden beets or candy cane beets can be used interchangeably with red beets, offering the same delightful flavor and texture when roasted, but with a different visual appeal. Their roasting times are identical, making substitutions seamless.
• Alternative Cooking Methods: If you own an air fryer, you can achieve wonderfully tender and slightly crispy beets and carrots using this method instead of oven roasting. The air fryer can often speed up the cooking process and enhance crispiness.
• Maintain Color Separation: To prevent your carrots from acquiring a pink hue from the red beets, it’s advisable to keep them separate throughout the seasoning and roasting process. This small step preserves their natural vibrant colors, making your salad even more appealing.
• Boost Heartiness: The cooked quinoa is a fantastic addition for making this salad more substantial and filling, turning it into a complete meal. However, if you prefer to omit it, or want to explore other grains, cooked rice (like wild rice or brown rice) or lentils would also work beautifully, adding different textures and nutritional benefits.
• Dairy-Free Option: While crumbled goat cheese adds a delightful tang and creaminess, this salad is equally delicious without it. Simply leave out the goat cheese to make the salad entirely dairy-free, catering to various dietary preferences without sacrificing flavor.

Explore More Delicious Roasted Beet Recipes

If you’ve fallen in love with the flavors of roasted beets, here are a few other recipes you might enjoy from Crumb Top Baking to further inspire your culinary adventures:

• Roasted Beet Hummus with creamy white beans, offering a colorful and flavorful dip.
• Roasted Root Vegetable Salad featuring warm, tender kale, a hearty and comforting dish.
• Beet Hummus Asparagus Tart with an almond crust, a sophisticated and visually stunning appetizer.

We truly hope you enjoy making and sharing this delightful Roasted Beet and Carrot Salad. If you do give it a try, we’d absolutely love to hear your thoughts and experiences in the comments section below!

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