Beet Pasta Sauce
Ingredients
- About 7-8 oz. cooked beets cut into large dice (3-4 small or 2-3 medium-large)
- 2 crushed garlic cloves
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 2-3 tablespoons sun dried tomatoes in olive oil, rough chopped
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil extra virgin (EVOO if you have it)
- 2 tablespoons walnuts chopped (optional if you don’t like walnuts)
- 1 tablespoon herb of your choice thyme, tarragon, sage, cumin * if desired
- 12 oz pasta of your choice I prefer spaghetti
- Kosher Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook pasta per directions, drain and reserve 3/4 cup of the pasta water.
- In a blender, puree all ingredients (except pasta). Add the pasta water about ¼ cup at a time until you reach desired consistency.
- At this time, you could add a 1/4 cup of ricotta or heavy cream right to the pasta sauce, but I was not fan of the pink color. I preferred the deep beet red.
TO SERVE
- You can mix the sauce with pasta or just put it on top of the pasta when serving.
- Add a dollop of good quality ricotta, or sprinkle with chunks of goat cheese or feta (which ever you prefer). Drizzle with a little olive oil and some chopped toasted walnuts. I suggest toasting the nuts whenever I add to a dish because it brings out the flavor of the nuts. I have used candied walnuts, too.
Notes
* This is a sauce you can do a lot with depending on your taste. You can add some hot chili peppers or toss the pasta and sauce with a little olive oil, arugula, goat cheese and toasted pine or walnuts. Or throw on some cilantro or fresh parsley. For more texture you could small dice some of the cooked beets and add on top. Or you could add some tangerine or orange sections on top for color flavor and texture. Children might like that!
It’s a great summer pasta dish!