I haven’t posted a big ol’ salad for a while and for a while so it’s time. I’ve been intrigued by this Cubby’s Beet & Goat Cheese Salad. I’ve only had it once while traveling but I’ve never been able to get it out of my mind.
Cubbys Beet & Goat Cheese Salad
So I got it in my head that I wanted to try my hand at a copycat version of the Cubby’s salad – and it’s just as delish made at home!
About Cubby’s Beet & Goat Cheese Salad:
As stated on Cubby’s website, the salad is a mix of Spring Greens, Roasted Red Beets, Toasted Pistachios, Goat Cheese, Avocado, Orange Slices, Orange Zest, and Orange Balsamic Vinaigrette.
The combo of beets, goat cheese, and oranges with a citrus vinaigrette is a little magical. Those items make eating the rest of the salad worth it! But then, let’s not forget the crunchy pistachios and avocado. The salad is full of so many wonderful things that you’ll almost forget you’re eating salad!
The robust Orange Balsamic Vinaigrette drizzled over the salad adds such flavor and freshness. It has enough acidity enough to offset the sweet Mandarin oranges and cut through the buttery richness of the avocado in that salad and the peppery component of that dressing accents those beets.
Orange Balsamic Vinaigrette
Making Cubby’s Beet & Goat Cheese Salad:
It’s January and I ran into a bit of trouble when I went to pick up the ingredients. The spring mix didn’t look good, there were no beets, and then I complicated things at home by eating the orange after I zested it; I thought I had another!
I subbed in Romaine for the Spring Mix, bought a can of beets for 69 cents, and used Mandarins for the orange. The problem? The beets were as awful as those I remember from childhood school lunches. More on them, below.
The dressing, the Orange Balsamic is fabulous. It does call for White Balsamic Vinegar; it can be hard to track down. If it’s a no-go, try White Wine Vinegar. Before tossing in the avocado, toss it with a little of the vinaigrette; it will help keep the avocado from discoloring.
Substituting for the Beets:
- Pickled Beets (check out my Grandma’s Pickled Beets) will be great in this salad and a quick shortcut over roasting beets.
- But about the 69-cent can of beets? I patted them dry, tossed them with some of the vinaigrette, and roasted them on a foil-lined sheet pan. 400 degrees F. for ten minutes. I turned them and roasted a few more minutes. They shrunk a bit but both the flavor & texture were improved – they were delish! Watch carefully; ovens vary.
Roasted Canned Beets for Cubbys Beet & Goat Cheese Salad
Leftovers?:
Using the hardy Romaine, this salad will store for a day or two, tightly covered, as long as the avocados are removed from the salad. With a spring mix, all bets are off.
Saving Money on Cubby’s Beet & Goat Cheese Salad:
Salads like Cubby’s Beet & Goat Cheese Salad are so versatile; let what looks good and what has a great price be your guide as to what you put in it.
The Salad Greens:
- Spring Mixes other than boxed or bagged is difficult to find it seems most groceries will no longer let you pick and choose from several bins of loose lettuce.
- The problems with Spring Greens or other greens? The bagged/boxed are usually not great quality and cost 4 to 10 times the amount of their fresh counterparts.
- Romaine is sturdy, almost always available by the head, and usually the cost is reasonable.
Avocado:
Finding a decent avocado seems to eclipse all thoughts of price. A ripe avocado should have dark green to nearly black bumpy skin, and flesh that yields to a gentle squeeze with no mushiness or dents afterward. If there’s a stem, it should easily fall off and the avocado should be green underneath.
- Watch for sales; if it’s a good one, buy ripe ones for this week and harder ones for next. Discount stores (Aldi, Lidl) usually have good pricing.
- Be careful of small avocados; they’re often not great once opened. If buying in bags, carefully check each avocado.
- If all the avocados look bad, but the price is great, don’t be afraid to look under the top boxes or ask whoever is in produce when they’re expecting the next shipment.
Oranges:
- Fresh oranges are so much more inexpensive than Mandarins in a can. Shop well for them, and use/buy more when they’re in season and at a low, usually from January through April.
- Oranges will stay for a good while on a counter. All citrus stores better in the fridge in a container lined on the bottom with paper towels and loosely covered.
Pistachios:
- Pistachios can be pricey. Pick them and other nuts up at a low during the winter holidays. Check several areas; the bulk near the produce, the baking aisle, and the snack aisle.
- Toss any nuts in the freezer & they’ll stay fresh for months. I prefer to buy pistachios in the shell – it slows me down if I feel like snacking! Almonds would be a more affordable option.
Goat Cheese:
- Potentially pricey, both buyer’s clubs and discount groceries are great options. If the regular grocery is the only option, look for coupons on the producer’s site, hang tags at the grocers, and use them when the goat cheese goes on special. If not a fan, Feta is a good option.
- Goat cheese will keep well unopened for a week or two past the buy-by date; once opened, all bets are off and it’s best to use in two to three days.
I hope you guys enjoy this salad as much as we have! I’ve made it since with the proper lettuce and pickled beets, which are even more delish than roasted and it was as fabulous as I remember! Next time, I’ll remember to take new pics!
Mollie
Cubbys Beet & Goat Cheese Salad
Cubby’s Beet & Goat Cheese Salad
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: salad
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 6 to 8 ounces mixed greens lettuce or appropriate substitute
- 1 large avocado, cut in chunks, tossed in the Orange Balsamic Vinaigrette
- 1/3 cup toasted pistachios (just toast in a dry skillet until fragrant, watching carefully)
- 1 or two oranges, supremed or a can (15 ounces) mandarin oranges, well drained
- 2 to 3 beets, roasted see below, or a can of small beets (see text under Making Beet & Goat Cheese Salad for further instructions)
- Crumbled goat cheese
- a partial amount of Orange Balsamic Vinaigrette
Instructions
Add well-washed Salad greens to a large bowl. Top with avocado, beets, oranges, and pistachios. Drizzle with dressing and toss before serving.
Notes:
To roast beets, wash, remove greens but leave root end intact. Place on a sheet of foil and wrap well, closing at the top. Place on a pan and roast in a 350-degree F. oven for about an hour. Open package carefully, let cool. Slip off skin with a vegetable peeler or paring knife.
I’m sharing Cubby’s Beet & Goat Cheese Salad at Fiesta Friday #260, hosted by Diann @ Of Goats and Greens.
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