Beet Goat Cheese Arugula Salad Recipe [Lunch for Friends]

Name: Beet, Goat Cheese Arugula Salad
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 6 cups arugula ((one bag)); 8 ounces pre-cooked beets ((one package)); 3 ounces candied pecans; 4 ounce log of goat cheese; 1/2 cup olive oil; 4 TBSP balsamic vinegar; 1/4 tsp salt; dash pepper

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This Beet Goat Cheese Arugula Salad is one of my go-to easy recipes for lunch at home! While I often make this 4-ingredient salad for myself, I also love to share this for a lunch date with friends.

It can be hard to meet up, especially during the week. This is one of my favorite lunch ideas for entertaining friends. This arugula salad recipe and good conversation are all you need!

Overhead shot of a lunch table with arugula salad, fresh citrus and canned drinks. — Grab your girlfriends and enjoy this simple arugula salad with goat cheese!

This post was sponsored by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #AquafinaSparkling #CollectiveBias

This post was originally published on April 28, 2017 and has now been updated with better instructions so you can recreate this lunch for friends and the arugula salad recipe perfectly every time.

Lunch Ideas for Entertaining Friends at Home

It may seem counterintuitive to invite people into your home so you can keep things easy. But for me, it’s the best way to work in time with my friends.

It’s easy because I don’t have to scurry around and clean up the house before they arrive or make sure my clean (or dirty) laundry is hidden. These are the gals that don’t judge if my house isn’t vacuumed. I don’t need to break out the fine china for them.

We just crave time together to laugh and break bread. (Note: you should always have carbs for your best friends).

This Beet, Goat Cheese, Arugula Salad couldn’t be easier and is SO delicious! Did I mention there are also candied pecans??? And it goes perfectly with Aquafina Sparkling (it’s unsweetened which is my fave!).

All of the ingredients in this arugula salad recipe are ready to go which means that I don’t have to take much time out of my workday to prep for the meal. It’s quick and easy and can be made ahead of time.

More easy ideas for a lunch date with friends:

A Glass Noodle Salad is light and refreshing. It’s a totally unique recipe to serve your friends that will keep them talking.
If peaches are in season, you need to make this Peach and Burrata Arugula Salad. SO YUM!
A simple Prosecco Vinaigrette on Kale is a fun recipe to make for girlfriends.
If you’re looking for something more hearty, make this Butternut Squash Ravioli. They’re store-bought and take just a few minutes to prepare but comes off as totally gourmet.

Ingredient Notes

A bowl of arugula, goat cheese, salt, beets and candied pecans on a cutting board. — Just 4-ingredients is all you need for this delicious lunch salad!

If you serve this arugula salad with goat cheese to your friends, they’ll probably ask you to host them weekly…

Arugula is the perfect peppery base for this simple beet salad. I love how it has its own flavor and adds to the overall taste experience of this salad.

You can use another green if you prefer. I would stay away from iceberg which doesn’t have much flavor at all. Kale or a spring salad mix would be best.

Goat cheese is so creamy. It took me years to finally like it. (This Goat Cheese Appetizer Log did it for me!). I know that not everyone likes it, but I don’t think there is a suitable substitute. You may want to ask your friends as you are plating who doesn’t want it on their salad.

Beets are another divisive vegetable. I personally love them but some don’t. You can roast your own or buy pre-cooked beets from the store to keep this salad extra easy. I always use the pre-cooked. Get a plain flavor and not one with added vinegar or spices.

A sprinkle of candied pecans adds the best crunch and sweetness! It’s a delicious counterpoint to the arugula. Or you can make candied walnuts or candied almonds. Any of these will work!

A simple balsamic vinaigrette made of olive oil, balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper creates the perfect dressing to drizzle on top. Be sure to grab a good quality olive oil. It will really add to the overall flavor.

How to Make an Arugula Salad With Goat Cheese and Beets

A bottle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar next to a small mason jar holding oil for salad dressing.

Start by making the balsamic vinaigrette.

In a small jar, add the olive oil, balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper. Add the lid and shake well. Set aside as you build the rest of the salad.

The dressing can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator until ready to use. If left over night, the olive oil may harden so make sure to leave time for it to come back to room temperature before serving this salad for your lunch date with friends.

Overhead shot of an arugula salad topped with beets and pecans and a jar of dressing next to it.

To a large bowl add the arugula, cut up beets and candied pecans.

Drizzle with vinaigrette then toss. Less is more when it comes to dressing. You don’t want the salad to be soggy. Give it a nice light coat then serve the remaining dressing on the table.

Dressed salad doesn’t remain fresh for long so I suggest adding the dressing right as your friends arrive.

Arugula salad with pecans and beets on a plate.

To plate the salad, simply add a portion to each plate.

Or if you are just making this salad for yourself, you can build the salad right on the plate and drizzle with dressing. That way you can keep the leftovers fresh for another day.

I put whatever salad that doesn’t fit on the plates into a smaller bowl to set on the table. Because second helpings of salad are always acceptable.

A plate holding an arugula salad topped with pecans, beets and goat cheese on a table next to a canned drink with fresh citrus in the background.

The finishing touch is the goat cheese! SO good! Place a bit of baguette on the plate and the meal is ready! Like, literally took 5 minutes to make the whole thing.

Overhead view of two boxes of Aquafina sparkling water.

I love to serve Aquafina Sparkling beverages on hand because they don’t have any sugar, calories or artificial flavors. Aside from wine, I prefer to eat my calories.

The cans have undergone a makeover since I hosted this lunch for friends, but the taste remains the same.

Flavored sparkling waters are fun to serve, with a side of fresh citrus. It makes things feel celebratory.

Or make Spiced Iced Coffee. Or an Aperol Spritz or a Haus Cocktail if you want to make things boozy.

Lunch table with plates of salad and a serving bowl of salad and fresh citrus fruit as the centerpiece.

Set Your Table for a Gorgeous Lunch with Friends

Your girlfriends aren’t coming over and expecting some big shindig. But it is fun to surprise them with a nice table.

The fresh fruit is such a great way to bring color and scent to the table (I made sure the fruit matched my favorite Aquafina flavors. Some simple greenery from the back yard is the only other decor I needed on the table.

A simple white tablecloth and fabric napkins finish off an easy table. Wrinkles don’t matter among friends.

Close up of a small bowl holding candied pecans next to a plate and bowl of salad.

Adding the extra salad and bowls of candied pecans fills up the table easily. Plus the extra nuts are perfect to munch on while waiting for all my friends to arrive.

A bowl of salad on a table decorated with fresh citrus and serving plates of salad.

This is one of my favorite easy home lunches. If I’m enjoying the Beet, Goat Cheese, Arugula Salad on my own, my table doesn’t look like this.

Make this Beet, Goat Cheese, Arugula Salad Recipe for your next lunch date with friends! But trust me, this easy salad works just as well for dinner too!

Tips and Tricks

Swap out the candied pecans for any other nut or make your own candied walnuts or candied almonds. Even if it’s not a candied nut, it will still add the perfect crunchy element to this salad.
Make this salad your own by adding in even more flavor with things like avocado, blood orange segments and more!
Want to make this recipe more hearty? Add grilled chicken or hangar steak! YUM!
Use a store-bought balsamic vinaigrette to save you even more time!
Make your own fruit infused water to serve instead or if you can’t find the flavored waters mentioned above.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best substitute for goat cheese?

If you don’t like or can’t find goat cheese, you can use feta. Or you can totally changes things up and use blue cheese or gorgonzola. Those would also pair really well with the arugula and beets.

Is there a good substitute for beets?

If you aren’t a fan of beets you can use a lot of other vegetables. Cooked carrots would be delicious. As would roasted sweet potato.

More Friend Date Ideas

A coffee date is another great way to carve out some time in the day for friends. Everyone needs their coffee, so set up a time after you drop the kids off at school to hang out before the day gets hectic.
Who doesn’t love wine? Host a Rosé Tasting so you can find new wines to sip and just enjoy spending time together.
Sometimes moms just need to getaway. Plan a Mom’s Weekend! You’ll come away refreshed and ready to go back to momming.