Roasted Beet and Burrata Salad
This colorful salad features herb-roasted beets, a shallot-infused champagne vinaigrette, vibrant greens, buttery burrata cheese, and crunchy walnuts. Each component plays a role, bringing flavorful, textural enjoyment to every bite. And while the recipe description sounds sophisticated (bordering on elegant), all ingredients are readily available and the procedure is simple.
This recipe was written for the Arizona Republic.
Recipe inspiration
The inspiration behind this dish comes from a recent restaurant experience. While in Boston for my son’s college graduation, I ordered the roasted beet and burrata salad at a hip restaurant downtown. It was one of the most delicious salads I’ve ever tasted, so I vowed (to myself) that I would recreate it at home. Note: Three other family members ordered the same salad, and we couldn’t stop raving about the dish as we noshed. The restaurant’s version delivered crisp arugula topped with roasted red and golden beets, a small ball of creamy burrata cheese, and crunchy walnuts. The dressing was described as a honey-thyme vinaigrette, and it paired beautifully with the sweet beets. I’m happy to report that I’ve succeeded, this salad is an exact replica of the restaurant’s version.
Roasting beets brings out the best in them
One of the reasons this salad shines is the beets – they’re roasted in champagne vinegar with sprigs of fresh thyme. As the beets slowly soften, they absorb the sweet and tangy elements of the vinegar and floral quality of the time. In addition, we roast the beets with the skin on, which makes peeling easier and much less messy.
Ingredients for Roasted Beet and Burrata Salad
- Beets. Fresh beets are essential for this recipe. You may use regular or baby beets; the only difference will be the roasting time. I used two bunches of small to medium beets. If the beets you find are quite large, one bunch should suffice. That said, if you’re an avid beet fan, you may use as many bunches as you want as there will be plenty of liquid in the baking pan to cook them properly.
- Champagne vinegar. Champagne vinegar adds a crisp, slightly fruity flavor and hints of sparkling wine, so it enhances this salad without overpowering it. If desired, you may use white wine vinegar. I do not recommend apple cider vinegar because it will overpower the other ingredients.
- Water. A few tablespoons of water are added to the baking pan to cook the beets. This ensures that they don’t dry out during roasting. Pro tip: If you add more than two bunches of beets to the pan, add another tablespoon or two of water.
- Fresh thyme. Fresh thyme infuses the beets with a warm, earthy flavor as they roast. If desired, you may add additional fresh thyme to the vinaigrette.
- Olive oil. Olive oil is used as the base of the vinaigrette. Use good quality olive oil for the best flavor.
- Shallot. Finely diced shallot adds both texture and a sweet onion flavor to the vinaigrette.
- Dijon mustard. A small amount of Dijon mustard helps emulsify the ingredients of the vinaigrette while adding a gentle-yet-sharp bite.
- Honey. While optional, a touch of honey in the vinaigrette helps balance the tartness of the champagne vinegar. I added it since the restaurant used it, but it’s not entirely necessary.
- Arugula. For the base of this salad, I used a mixture of baby arugula and baby spinach. If desired, you may use all baby arugula or your favorite mixed greens, including mixed spring greens.
- Burrata. Fresh burrata adds rich, sweet cream nuances to this salad. The outside of burrata is firm and the inside is buttery soft, so it adds wonderful textural gradations to the dish. If desired, you may swap in sliced fresh mozzarella or balls of fresh mozzarella (called bocconcini and ciliegine).
- Walnuts. Walnuts are the only crunchy element in this salad, and they deliver delicious nutty notes. If desired, you may substitute almonds or toasted pine nuts.
Tips for this roasted beet and burrata salad
- Check the beets after 45 minutes of cooking. The cooking time for the beets will depend on their size. Smaller beets will be perfectly tender in 45 minutes, while larger beets may take up to 1 hour.
- Use a paper towel to remove the skin from the beets. Once the beets are tender, use a dry paper towel to easily remove the skin. The paper towel clings to the skin, making removal much easier. Plus, the paper towel helps prevent the beets from staining your hands. Pro tip: Peel the skins from the beets while they’re still warm (the skin comes off easier when the beets are warm).
- Keep the burrata cheese cold. This may go against what you’ve read about burrata in the past since the cheese is often brought closer to room temperature before serving. Why? When the cheese is room temperature, the inside softens and becomes gooey, so when you break through the firm outer skin, the cream oozes out. For this salad, I prefer to keep the cheese more whole and less liquid in the middle. This isn’t a mandatory step, especially if you want the flavorful, milky burrata filling to drip all over your salad.
Can you prep this salad in advance? Absolutely! In fact, since the beets take the longest to prepare, you can roast, peel, and cut them up to 3 days in advance. You can also prepare the vinaigrette up to 3 days in advance. Store both the beets and vinaigrette in airtight containers in the refrigerator. Dress the greens and assemble the salad just prior to serving.
How to store leftovers. To prevent the greens from wilting, it’s best to store the individual components of this salad separately. Store each component in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. There’s no need to refrigerate the walnuts.
Roasted Beet and Burrata Salad
Ingredients
For the Roasted Beets
- 1-2 bunches fresh beets, 1 bunch larger beets, or 2 bunches smaller beets, skin on, greens trimmed, leaving about 1 inch of the stem
- 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar, or white wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons water
- 4-5 sprigs fresh thyme
- ½ teaspoon salt, preferably kosher or sea salt
For the Vinaigrette
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon champagne vinegar, or white wine vinegar
- 1 shallot, minced
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey, optional
- Salt and black pepper
For Serving
- 5 ounces baby arugula, or mixture of baby arugula and baby spinach, or greens of choice
- 8 ounces burrata cheese
- ½ cup walnut halves and pieces
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Scrub the beet root bulbs under cold running water to remove dirt and debris.
- Place the beets in a shallow baking dish and add the 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar, water, thyme sprigs, and salt.
- Toss to coat the beets with the liquid.
- Cover the pan with aluminum foil and roast for 45 to 60 minutes, until the beets are tender when pierced with a knife. Timing will depend on the size of your beets.
- Transfer the pan to a wire rack and allow the beets to cool slightly (reserve the liquid in the pan).
- When cool enough to handle, use a paper towel to remove the skin from the beets.
- Cut the peeled beets into 1-inch pieces, return them to the remaining liquid in the baking pan, and toss to coat.
- To make the vinaigrette, in a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, 1 tablespoon of champagne vinegar, shallot, Dijon mustard, and honey (if using).
- Season the vinaigrette with salt and pepper.
- Transfer the arugula (or greens of choice) to individual salad plates.
- Drizzle the vinaigrette over the greens.
- Top the greens with the beets.
- Tear or slice the burrata into smaller pieces and add to the salad.
- Top the salad with the walnuts.
- If desired, drizzle more vinaigrette over top.
- Serve with extra vinaigrette on the side.