My Valentine's Day salad is made with peppery arugula, creamy goat cheese, tender beets, and toasted walnuts, all tossed in a bright orange honey dressing. A perfect side dish or a starter for your special family dinner or Valentines day celebration.
We rarely go out on Valentines day, so every year I love creating fun new recipes to celebrate at home. Last year I have made with pink pasta sauce using beets beets, and as you can probably tell... we love beets! When it comes to Valentine's Day, they are the prefect vegetable to use because they make dished looks bright, naturally pink, and festive.
For this recipe I used the base of my favorite ever beets and arugula salad, then I made adorable beet "stacks" with a creamy goat cheese filling. I had heart-shape cookie cutters that I used a few weeks ago for my heart cookies recipe, and I thought why not to use them again to cut the hearts from the cooked beets. They turned out so cute and instantly made this salad feel like a true Valentine's Day dish.
Note: If you do not have heart-shape cookie cutter, you can use other shapes or simply cut the beets into squares or small circles. Red and pink beets will still look festive.
Oh, And do not throw away all the beet scraps. You can toss the leftover pieces right into the salad or save them for later. I love using those leftover beets for making pink beet waffles or pancakes for breakfast, since those recipes need only a small amount for the color.
Ingredients notes
You will need whole beetroots for this recipe. I used red beets and Chioggia beets. Chioggia beets are Italian variety of beetroot that have pink color with rings inside. You can use only red ones or try it with red and yellow beets.
Instead of arugula, you can use baby spinach or spring mix salad.
You can find ingredients quantities in the recipe card below.
How to make this Valentine's Day salad?
This is the step-by-step recipe overview for making this holiday salad.
Cook whole beetroots
You can do it even a day before. For this recipe I love boiling whole beets in water for about 30-40 minutes until fork tender. You can also roast them whole in the oven. Let the beets cool down.
Step shortcut: You can buy pre-cooked whole beets at the grocery store to save time. Or if you already have raw beets, you can cook them quickly in the microwave.
Prepare the goat cheese filling
In a small bowl, mix goat cheese, chopped toasted walnuts and some honey.
Make the heart-shaped stacks filled with goat cheese filling
Peel the beets, and slice them thinly into circles. Use the smaller size heart-shaped cookie cutters to cut out the hearts. I had small and medium beets, so I used two sizes. When you shop for beets, remember to check what size of the cookie cutter you have so you grab the right size beets. And do not toss the leftover pieces, you can add them tight to the salad or use in other recipes I mentioned above.
Spread a little bit of goat cheese on the heart and stack then in 2 or even three layers. Set them aside. You can also make them ahead of time and store them in the fridge.
Make the salad dressing. In a small bowl or in a jar, whisk all salad dressing ingredients. Taste a dressing and adjust salt, honey or lemon juice to your liking. Set the dressing aside or refrigerate it for up to 7 days until ready to use.
Assemble the Valentine's Day salad
In a large salad bowl, add a layer of arugula, add any leftover beet pieces (you can cut then into smaller bites if needed). Sprinkled with toasted walnut halves. If you have any goat cheese leftovers, you can crumble and add it there as well. Drizzle the salad with the dressing and gently toss.
Right before serving, add the heart-shapes stacks of beets on top. Serve and enjoy.
Complete your Valentine Day meal
Since you are already here, I'd love to share your a few main dishes, side dished and a desserts to help you to create a fun and festive Valentine's Day meal at home.
Main dishes:
Simple baked salmon, chicken piccata or roasted duck are some of my favorite main dishes to serve along this beet and arugula salad. All kid-approved as well.
Side dishes and appetizers:
Add a few more festive appetizers and side dishes such as caviar canapes, pink beetroot risotto, roasted fennel rounds with Parmesans or mashed potato croquettes.
Desserts:
Finish your meal with this show-stopping red velvet crepe cake (16 layers !) or a rich, truffle like Italian Torta Caprese ( flourless almond cake). If you are looking for something easier, one bowl, try my new easy strawberry cake.
Happy Valentine's Day! I hope your day is filled with love, warm memories and delicious food.
📖 Recipe
Valentine's Day Salad
Equipment
- 1 large salad bowl
- 1 small bowl
- 1 Whisk
- 1 cutting board
- heart-shaped cookie cutters
Ingredients
Heart-shaped beetroot stacks ingredients
- 4-5 medium beets, cooked
- 4 tablespoons goat cheese
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped toasted walnut
- 1 teaspoon honey
Orange honey dressing ingredients
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
- 1 tablespoon honey or agave nectar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 pinch black pepper, to taste
Salad ingredients
- 4-5 cups arugula, washed and dried
- 2 tablespoons toasted walnuts
- 1-2 tablespoons crumbled goat cheese
- (optional) any leftover beets pieces, cubed
Instructions
Heart-shaped beetroot stacks instructions
- Peel cooked beets. Slice them thinly. Cut them into heart shapes using a cookie cutter. You can also cut them into small squares.
- In a small bowl, mix goat cheese, finally chopped walnut and honey.
- Spread goat cheese onto beet hearts, and stack them into 2 layers. Set aside or refrigerate for up to 1 day.
Orange honey dressing instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk olive oil, orange juice, honey, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper. Give it a taste and adjust the taste if needed. The dressing can be refrigerated for up to 7 days.
Assembling Valentine's Day Salad
- Toss arugula, toasted walnuts, any leftover beet pieces (if using) and crumbles of goat cheese. Arrange on a salad platter. Drizzle with the dressing.
- Top the salad with beet and goat cheese stacks. Enjoy! It is best enjoyed right away but can be refrigerated for up to 1-2 days.
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