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I always prefer to serve beets in their skins, as they contain lots of flavor and nutrients as well, but if you do the same, make sure to choose small, tender beets. The skins of older, bigger beets are too tough.
This looks best made with a mix of yellow, red, and Chioggia beets. Pomegranate molasses brings out the natural sweetness of beets while tempering the earthy flavor that some people don’t love.—Christine Sahadi Whelan
You roasted beets with goat cheese questions, answered
If you’re using fully mature beets (or even ones that aren’t tender baby beets), you may want to peel them before roasting or rub the skins off after they are cooked as the skin may be tough.
A lot of people eschew beet greens, not realizing that they’re actually really, really good and very nutritious. They are like kale but sweeter, more tender, and a lot less work. However, grocery stores often remove the beet greens because customers don’t want them. You can substitute kale, Swiss chard, or mature spinach if you can’t get them.
Pomegranate molasses used to be a pain in the butt to find, but it’s getting easier. (Thank you, Goddess of the Red Orb.)
Luckily, you can also make your own. Here’s the Pomegranate Council’s recipe, halved:
1. Stir together 2 cups pomegranate juice, 2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice, and 5 tablespoons granulated white sugar in a small saucepan.
2. Bring it to a boil over medium-high heat, then drop to medium-low and keep a gentle boil going in the center of the pan. Simmer uncovered, stirring now and then so it doesn’t stick, until it coats the back of a spoon, 35 to 45 minutes.
Notes
☞ This stuff thickens fast at the end, so don’t start rearranging the cupboard. You’ll get about 1/2 cup, and it’ll thicken considerably as it cools.
☞ This makes twice what the recipe calls for (that’s because I’m so sure you’ll love this you’ll want to make it again). So store the rest in a covered jar in the fridge, where it’ll keep for months.
No pomegranate juice? Unsweetened 100% cranberry juice reduces the same way, though it comes out more tannic and less fruity. Skip cranberry cocktail, which is already sweetened and will cook down to a sweet syrup instead of a puckery one.
Not in the mood to stand at the stove? Bottled balsamic glaze’ll do in a pinch. It’s sweeter and woodier than pom molasses, and most brands have added sugar, so it will change the personality of the dish.
Pomegranate Roasted Beets with Goat Cheese
Ingredients
For the pomegranate vinaigrette
- 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup pomegranate molasses
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper
For the beets
- 3 bunches (2 1/2 lbs total) of small young beets with greens (about 12 beets)
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
- 1/2 cup fresh pomegranate seeds
- 4 ounces firm fresh goat cheese
- 4 or 5 fresh chives, chopped
Instructions
Make the pomegranate vinaigrette
- In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, pomegranate molasses, salt, and black and Aleppo pepper.
Make the beets
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Separate the beets from the greens and wash both well, scrubbing the beets with a brush. Place the whole beets on sheets of heavy-duty foil (if using a mix of varieties, use a separate sheet for each color). Drizzle each pile of beets with a few tablespoons of the vinaigrette and sprinkle with the thyme. Fold the foil up and over them to seal tightly.
- Put the packets on a rimmed baking sheet and roast until the tip of a knife pierces a beet easily, 60 to 75 minutes. Let the beets cool in their packets.
- While the beets are roasting, cut the beet greens and about 3 inches (7.5 cm) of the stems crosswise into thin strips.
- In a medium saucepan, bring 1/2-inch (12 mm) water to a boil and add the greens. Cook until just wilted, 2 to 3 minutes, turning with tongs to ensure they cook evenly. Drain the greens and arrange them on a large serving platter.
- Once the beets are cool enough to handle, cut off the pointed tips and stem ends, and cut the beets into wedges, leaving the skins on. Scatter them over the beet greens.
- Sprinkle with the pomegranate seeds and crumble the goat cheese over everything. Drizzle with enough pomegranate vinaigrette to coat and garnish with the chives.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
Did you know only 68% of the recipes we test make it onto the site? This recipe survived our rigorous blind testing process by multiple home cooks. It earned the Leite’s Culinaria stamp of approval—and the testers’ reviews below prove it.
This dish of pomegranate roasted beets with goat cheese had all the flavors of lingering summer and was a gateway to fall. The tender, earthy beets are perfectly dressed with balanced sweet and sour pomegranate vinaigrette.
I wasn’t able to find the pomegranate molasses at my local store, but I ordered it online for next-day delivery. I was prepared to craft my own with a mixture of molasses and pomegranate juice, I think that would’ve sufficed, but I’m glad to have found the real thing.
The dressing is flawless and is an incredibly robust recipe on its own. After dressing the salad to my liking, I had about 1/4 cup of dressing left, I’m not mad about it. Each bite of this dish brought a tender beet bite, a bright hint of dressing, the pop of a tart pomegranate aril, and finished with creamy, rich goat cheese. It’s hearty enough to stand on its own, but a perfect accompaniment to any fall feast.
The classic pairing of beets and goat cheese gets amped up in this recipe, thanks to the addition of some of my favorite Middle Eastern flavors: pomegranate molasses and Aleppo pepper.
This recipe for pomegranate roasted beets with goat cheese was not only simple to make but healthy and beautiful on a serving platter. I always try to buy beets with their greens still attached, so I loved that this recipe used those greens as the base of the dish. I also liked that you didn’t need to worry about peeling the beets once they were cooked, no red-stained hands here!
This is a truly exceptional roasted beet recipe. Not only did it somehow manage to sway even the most staunch anti-beet members of my household, it somehow only managed to get BETTER when reheated (20 minutes at 350°F). It’s rich, and earthy, and creamy and tart and sweet and somehow one of the best things I’ve eaten in a while.
I used a mix of red and golden beets, but with the greens, the pomegranate seeds, and the dressing all are darker and/or red, I’d recommend going with all golden or striped for the color contrasts. If you don’t have a pomegranate molasses of choice, I highly recommend Cortas which I find is the sharpest and tartest, and perfect for this dish.
These pomegranate roasted beets with goat cheese make a colorful and delicious salad with a beautiful presentation. The earthiness of the beets is lifted up by the tang of pomegranate molasses and I love the addition of goat cheese and pomegranate seeds.
I’ve never had unpeeled beets before and was intrigued but the skin was too tough and I ended up having to peel them after I cut them into wedges. I was not able to find true baby beets so I’m guessing that is why the skin was too thick and didn’t have a pleasant mouthfeel or taste.
In any event, they were easy enough to peel and the result was a huge improvement. I sprinkled a bit of Maldon sea salt onto the finished salad.
