This roasted beet salad with citrus is perfect for a family Valentine’s dinner. It’s festive, adorable, and delicious – the perfect kid friendly salad!
Confession: I don’t often put much effort into side dishes for dinner. I typically focus on the main, and then throw together whatever veggies we have for a quick salad. If I’m feeling fancy, perhaps I’ll roast some broccoli (but it’s much more likely I’ll serve it raw with a side of ranch). This kid friendly salad with roasted beets and citrus is the exception.
Family Valentine’s Dinner
Each Valentine’s Day, in lieu of going out to a fancy couple’s dinner, we do a family Valentine’s dinner at home. We love celebrating friendship and love with our kids, and sharing things we appreciate about each other. Over the years, I’ve streamlined our meal and chosen our favorite dishes that we make year after year. It makes it so much simpler to not have to reinvent the Valentine’s Day menu each year, and I easily know what ingredients I need to purchase.
Plus, it’s so fun having a special and familiar meal to anticipate! It feels a bit more special when we all can look forward to this tradition together.
We keep to a vegetarian Valentine’s dinner, and this roasted beet salad fits in perfectly.
Kid Friendly Salad with Roasted Beets, Citrus, and Maple Mustard Vinaigrette
We’ve made this roasted beet salad for our family Valentine’s dinner every year for the past…6 years? 7? All I know is we all eagerly anticipate it, not just for being festive and adorable, but also because it’s delicious. And anything that helps my kids eagerly anticipate beets and greens is a win in my book.
We usually pair it with some pasta (these simple stuffed shells are delicious), good bread, a pink drink, and a berry or chocolate dessert.I hope you love it, whether for a family Valentine’s dinner or just as a healthy and kid friendly salad!
Kid Friendly Roasted Beet Salad with Citrus Recipe
Dressing adapted from here
Heart Beet & Citrus Salad with Maple Mustard Vinaigrette
Ingredients
Heart Beet Salad with Citrus & Goat Cheese
- 3 large beets I prefer a mix of red & yellow
- 1-2 tbsp olive oil
- salt & pepper
- 12 oz of salad greens I like arugula & kale
- 1 blood orange
- 1 pink grapefruit
- 4 oz soft goat cheese or feta, crumbled
- 1/2 cup candied nuts
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
Maple Mustard Vinaigrette
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp grainy mustard, like DIjon
- 1-2 tbsp fresh lemon or orange juice
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- salt & freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F. Scrub beets well and cut off top and bottom. Cut out a notch in the top and shave off the bottom sides to roughly create the shape of a heart. Slice beet sideways to cut heart-shaped slices.
- Place beets on a sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt & pepper. Toss to ensure they are evenly coated. Roast in the oven until tender but not mushy, about 20-30 minutes.
- While beets are roasting, peel your citrus and slice sideways.
- Arrange salad greens and citrus on a large platter. When beets have cooled slightly, lay them on top of the salad. Sprinkle with cheese and nuts and drizzle with dressing. Serve.
Maple Mustard Vinaigrette
- Whisk together maple syrup, mustard, and citrus juice.
- Slowly pour in olive oil while whisking until dressing emulsifies. Season with salt & pepper.
