Spinach Salad with Beets, Chickpeas, and Goat Cheese
and balsamic vinaigrette
This simple vegetarian salad, first featured in 2023, has so much color and flavor. Cook the beets and freekeh ahead of time and the rest will come together very quickly.
Smarts: If you have some leftover cooked protein in your fridge, almost any would be great on top of this salad.
Ingredients
- Shallots - 1 clove , diced
- Vinegar, balsamic - 1 1/2 Tbsp
- Mustard, Dijon - 1 tsp
- Honey - 1 tsp
- Oil, olive - 1/4 cup
- Water - 1 3/4 cups
- Cracked freekeh - 3/4 cup
- Beets - 8 oz
- Foil - for roasting
- Beans, garbanzo (15 oz / 397 g) - 2 cans
- Oil, cooking - 2 Tbsp
- Baby spinach - 8 oz
- Pistachios, shelled - 1/3 cup
- Goat cheese - 4 oz , crumbled (sub feta or blue cheese)
Prep
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Beets - Heat the oven to 400F / 204C. Scrub and then trim off ends, place into a baking dish, and fill with about 1/2” of water. Cover with foil and roast for 45 to 60 minutes, depending on the size of the beets. Once they’re cool enough to handle, peel off skin with the side of a spoon and chop into bite-sized pieces. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
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Cook freekeh - In a saucepan bring the water to a simmer. Add the freekeh and then reduce the heat to a low simmer. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the freekeh is tender and has absorbed all of the liquids, 15 to 20 minutes. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
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Make vinaigrette - Finely dice shallots. Whisk together shallots, vinegar, mustard, and honey. Add olive oil while whisking. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
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Beans - Drain and rinse.
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Make
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Heat a skillet with cooking oil over medium-high heat. Add the beans and saute until golden and crisp, seasoning them with some salt as they cook, 5 to 6 minutes.
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If freekeh was made ahead, warm it briefly to take the chill off.
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Assemble the salad by spreading out a bed of baby spinach. Top the spinach with freekeh, beets, warm chickpeas, and pistachios. Crumble the goat cheese over top. Drizzle the salad with vinaigrette until dressed to your liking. Enjoy!
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