Fig Kale Salad with Beets and Goat Cheese, a tasty late summer salad with tasty figs, sturdy kale, roasted golden beets, white beans, and goat cheese with a maple miso dressing.
Love kale? Love figs? We’re combining them in this kale and fig salad with roasted golden beets, protein-packed white cannellini beans, and a sprinkle of flavorful goat cheese. Top it all off with a simple maple miso dressing and this is a late summer into fall-inspired salad with flavor that can’t be beat!
👉 Ready to learn how to make a kale fig salad? Let’s do it!
🥬 Ingredients
- Figs: A light and soft fruit that’s in season in summer and early fall, figs add a soft and slightly sweet flavor
- Kale: Arguably the most popular salad green right now, kale leaves are sturdy and add a bit of crunch
- Beets: Earthy, slightly sweet, and oh-so-tasty when roasted
- Beans: White cannellini beans add soft protein addition to this produce-packed salad
- Goat cheese: Soft with deep flavor, goat cheese rounds out the flavors of this salad (can also use vegan cheese)
- Dressing ingredients: Our favorite maple miso dressing is made with olive oil, maple syrup, rice vinegar, white miso paste, and salt and pepper
- Recommended tools: baking sheet, large mixing bowl, kitchen knife set
🥣 How to make (step-by-step photos)
1️⃣ Step One: Roast the beets
To start making this salad, you should first make the roasted beets as they’re the longest to cook and you can prepare the other ingredients while the beets are in the oven.
To do this, simply preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (or 400 degrees C) and then wash the beets. Then cut the stems off of the beets and cut them into 1/2 inch cubes by cutting them in half, then into slices, and finally into cubes.
Add the beets cubes to a baking sheet, then drizzle them with olive oil and toss them to coat completely in the oil. Then sprinkle with salt and pepper and put the roasting pan in the oven to bake for 25 minutes, flipping them once throughout to make sure they’re browned on all sides.
When the beets are done, remove them from the oven and set them aside to cool while you build the salad.
2️⃣ Step Two: Make the maple miso dressing
Next it’s time to prepare the salad dressing! To do this, simple combine the olive oil, rice vinegar, maple syrup, white miso, and a pinch of salt and pepper in a jar, salad shaker, or bowl.
Then shake (or whisk) the dressing until it’s well combined, and set it aside while you cook the salad ingredients.
3️⃣ Step Three: Massage the kale
Next it’s time to massage the kale! Yes, we’re going to “massage” the kale with the dressing to make the kale leaves softer and easier to eat.
To do this, simple wash the kale and then pull off pieces of it into small shreds from the spine of each kale leaf. Then add these kale shreds to a large mixing bowl.
Then drizzle about half of the salad dressing over the kale and use your hands to “massage” the salad into the kale leaves. Make sure to use your fingers to coat the kale shreds completely.
Then let the kale sit for 5-10 minutes so the dressing can help to soften the strong fibers of the kale.
4️⃣ Step Four: Build the salad
It’s finally time to build the salad! To do this, simply add sliced figs, drained white beans, the reserved roasted beet cubes, and a handful of goat cheese cubes to the bowl with the kale.
Then drizzle the remaining half of the salad dressing over the salad, mix, and serve! A tasty maple miso fig kale salad with roasted beets, with a flavor that can’t be beat.
🧊 How to store
- Refrigerator storage: Store leftover salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, for best texture and taste.
- Freezer storage: We don’t recommend freezing this salad, as the fresh produce ingredients won’t hold their texture when thawed.
👉 Nutrition notes
This kale, fig, and beet salad is full of plant foods that provide a nutrient AND flavor dense meal.
- Kale: kale is high in fiber and is an excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin K
- Beets: good source of fiber, folate, manganese, and full of phytonutrients (which give beets their bright color)
- Figs: provide fiber, are a good source of vitamin A, and provide vitamin K. Figs also have a long history in ancient cultures and are a staple in many Mediterranean diets.
🥗 More summer salad recipes
Want more seasonal summer salad recipes? We’ve got you covered:
- Grilled Peach Salad with Goat Cheese and Honey
- Savory Stone Fruit Quinoa Salad
- Simple Cranberry Arugula Side Salad
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Fig Kale Salad with Beets and Goat Cheese
Ingredients
Fig Kale Salad Ingredients
- 1 medium golden beet
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pinch salt and pepper
- 3 cups kale, washed and shredded
- 5 whole figs, sliced in half
- 1 15-ounce can white cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 ounce goat cheese, or vegan alternative
Maple Miso Dressing Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon white miso paste
- 1 pinch salt and pepper
Instructions
- Roast beets: Heat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Wash the beets and cut the ends off, then cut into 1/2 inch squares. Add the cut beets to a baking sheets, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Then roast until golden brown and they begin to soften, about 25 minutes. When beets are done, remove them from the oven and let them cool.
- Make dressing: Combine olive oil, rice vinegar, maple syrup, white miso, and a pinch of salt and pepper in a jar, salad shaker, or bowl. Then shake or whisk to combine, then set aside.
- Massage the kale: Add the shredded kale to a large mixing bowl and add 1/2 of the reserved salad dressing to the leaves. Then, use your hands to massage the dressing into the kale leaves to soften them and distribute the dressing. Let the leaves sit for a few minutes before building the salad so the kale softens.
- Build the salad: To the bowl with the massaged kale, add the fig halves, drained white beans, reserved roasted beets, and goat cheese. Then drizzle with the remaining salad dressing and enjoy.
Recipe Notes
- Leftovers and storage: This kale, fruit, and vegetable salad features hearty ingredients that hold up well as leftovers. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days. We do not recommend freezing.
- Nutrition notes: This simple salad is hearty enough to be an entree, yet light enough to be served as a side dish. It is high in protein, fiber, potassium, and vitamins A and C. Nutrition information is an estimation using all salad dressing.
Nutrition Information
UPDATE: This recipe was originally published in July 2018 and updated for clarity in August 2022.
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