Roasted carrot, beet & arugula salad

This colorful roasted carrot, beet & arugula salad is topped with goat cheese, walnuts & radishes, then drizzled with a lemon Dijon maple dressing.  It's a beautiful vegetarian side dish that's perfect for spring!

I love a colorful salad that's full of texture and flavor.

Cue this roasted carrot and beet salad with arugula, goat cheese, walnuts and radishes.

My goodness is this a beautiful salad.

And because looks aren't everything, it's pretty darn delicious too ;).

Rainbow carrots and beets are roasted with olive oil, salt and pepper until tender, then topped on a bed of crisp arugula, goat cheese crumbles, thin sliced radishes and toasted walnuts.

This beet carrot arugula salad gets drizzled with a mouthwatering lemon maple Dijon dressing.

It's the perfect show stopping Easter side dish that's quick and easy to make!

I've never been a fan of beets.

Which made me SO mad because their fuchsia color is gorgeous but I just couldn't get past their dirt-like taste.

I had this idea for a roasted carrot salad recipe and I really wanted beets to be involved, again, because of their beautiful pop of color.

Once I roasted them alongside the carrots and added that maple Dijon dressing with some tangy creamy goat cheese...HOLY COW, I love beets and I love them in this salad recipe :).

Roasted Carrot Salad Ingredients:

• carrots- I used rainbow carrots in this recipe but regular carrots are fine too
• beets
• olive oil
• salt & pepper
• arugula-I like arugula for it's slightly peppery flavor but if you don't like it you could use baby spinach or kale
• radishes
• toasted walnuts-you could use any nut you prefer like pecans, pistachios or almonds
• honey goat cheese-the honey makes the goat cheese less tangy but if you only have regular goat cheese that's fine too

Lemon Dijon Maple Dressing Ingredients:

• olive oil
• garlic
• ginger
• Dijon mustard
• lemon juice
• maple syrup
• salt & pepper

As I've probably mentioned before, a salad isn't a salad without the dressing!  

The lemon and maple go beautifully with the roasted carrots, beets and goat cheese. 

The radishes and walnuts add that crunchy texture for the perfect salad combination :).

How to make roasted beet salad with goat cheese:

1. Preheat oven to 425 F.  Spread carrots and beets evenly onto a baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bake for about 30 minutes, (stirring halfway through) or until carrots and beets are tender.  Remove and set aside to cool. 
2. For the dressing: combine all ingredients in small bowl or mason jar.  Whisk (or shake) until well combined.
3. In a large serving bowl add arugula.  Top with roasted carrots and beets, radishes, walnuts and goat cheese.  Serve with lemon maple Dijon dressing.
4. Store any leftovers in airtight container for up to 3 days.

Tips for making roasted carrot salad:

• The beets will bleed their color onto the carrots when you toss them together.  If you want to keep them separate to preserve the carrot's color, bake the beets on a different baking sheet and then top onto the salad with the carrots once cooled.
• You can roast the carrots and beets up to 2 days ahead of time.  The salad dressing can also be made ahead and stored in an airtight container or mason jar in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
• If eating right away, you can toss the whole salad with the dressing and serve.  I prefer serving the dressing on the side so people can add as much or little as they want ;).

For more easy salad recipes:

• warm farro and kale salad
• summer melon salad with prosciutto and basil pesto
• shredded brussels sprout salad with cranberries
• smashed chickpea avocado salad
• summer panzanella salad with peaches