Roasted Beets with Oranges and Whipped Goat Cheese
These Roasted Beets with Oranges and Whipped Goat Cheese are a total showstopper of a side dish at any dinner party. Fancy enough to wow your guests but secretly SO easy—just roast the beets, add sweet orange slices and honey, then pile it all on creamy whipped goat cheese loaded with herbs!
Servings: 5 servings
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds beets about 7-8 medium beets
- 4 teaspoons olive oil divided
- 2 tablespoons honey divided
- ¾ teaspoon salt divided
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 (8-ounce) goat cheese log broken into 1-ounce chunks
- 2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme plus more for serving
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary plus more for serving
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice from 1 lemon
- 2 mandarin oranges peeled and segmented
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped roasted pumpkin seeds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- For the Roasted Beets: Rinse and trim the ends from the beets. Rub with 2 teaspoons of the olive oil and sprinkle the cut sides with ¼ teaspoon salt. Wrap the beets in two foil packets and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 40–50 minutes, or until fork-tender.1 ½ pounds beets
- Once cool enough to handle, peel off the skins and cut the beets into 1-inch wedges.
- Transfer to a large bowl and toss with remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon honey, ½ teaspoon salt, and black pepper. Chill until ready to serve.¼ teaspoon black pepper
- For the Whipped Goat Cheese: Add the goat cheese, yogurt, 1 tablespoon honey, thyme, rosemary, and lemon juice to a small food processor or blender.1 (8-ounce) goat cheese log, 2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt, 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme, 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary, 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- Pulse 5–10 times, then blend for 10–20 seconds, or until smooth and creamy. Be careful not to over-blend since too much processing can make it runny.
- Spread the whipped goat cheese on a serving platter. Top with roasted beets and orange segments. (Do NOT toss the oranges WITH the beets. The red will end up bleeding all over the oranges!) Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds and more thyme, and finish with a drizzle of honey, if desired.2 mandarin oranges, 2 tablespoons finely chopped roasted pumpkin seeds
Notes
- Beets: Red beets were used when testing, but golden or even a mix would work great!
- Peeling the Beets: If the beet skin won’t peel easily, try rubbing it gently with a paper towel or clean kitchen towel while it’s still warm—the friction helps loosen the skin without bruising the beet. If that doesn’t work, you can also peel them under running water using a vegetable peeler or paring knife. Just be careful not to lose too much of the beet flesh!
- Oranges: You can also use one large navel orange that’s been peeled, segmented, and then the pieces are cut in half.
- Goat Cheese: Make sure the goat cheese is still slightly chilled when processing and don’t over-blend it or else it will become too runny. You can always pop it back in the refrigerator before serving to firm it up.
- Prepping Ahead: The beets can easily be prepped ahead of time up to 3 days in advance. For the whipped goat cheese, you can prepare 3 days ahead of time as well, but you’ll want to let it sit for 5-10 minutes before serving so it’s a more spreadable consistency.
Nutrition
Calories: 148kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 0.4mg | Sodium: 464mg | Potassium: 534mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 307IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 1mg
