Roasted Beet and Garlic Pasta
Roasted Beet and Garlic Pasta with Goat Cheese has an amazing color and flavors that are just as strong. Eating pink pasta never tasted so good!
As I mentioned the other day, I like to challenge myself to make pink foods that don’t use any food coloring. Lucky for me, Hubby and I both love beets. In fact, this summer we threw some on the grill just to try it. OMG. Seriously. Hubby’s favorite grilled vegetable is now beets (mine is red peppers).
So when I saw the concept of making a beet pesto to put on pasta, I knew I’d be making it this October. I made some changed to the recipe based on what we had lying around the kitchen and what we like. Roasted garlic is a must. When I’m roasting anything, I like to throw a bulb of garlic in some foil and roast it while the oven is on. We always find a way to use up roasted garlic and it keeps in the fridge for about a week. I also threw a clove of fresh garlic in the sauce just to give it a little bite.
Hubby and I rarely eat pasta. In fact, we don’t even keep it in the house. I had to add pasta to the grocery list so we would have some. I know a lot of people who love pasta and eat it on a regular basis, but that’s just not us.
This was a comforting meal that’s perfect for this time of year. I served it with some Onion Focaccia with Rosemary and a nice big glass of wine. And just look at that color! Hubby took some leftovers in his lunch and he said he got quite a few comments when people saw him eating it.
Don’t forget about my Power of Pink Challenge! Make something PINK during the month of October to raise Breast Cancer Awareness and a chance to win a $100 donation to the charity of your choice.
One Year Ago: Vanilla Spiced Applesauce
Two Years Ago: Pink Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Three Years Ago: Homemade Marshmallows and Smores Cookies
Five Years Ago: Pizza Night
Six Years Ago: Caramel Mocha Cupcakes and Tofu and Veggies in Peanut Sauce
Roasted Beet and Garlic Pasta
Roasted Beet and Garlic Pasta with Goat Cheese has an amazing color and flavors that are just as strong. Eating pink pasta never tasted so good!
Ingredients:
1 pound whole grain spaghetti
1 1/2 pounds red beets, trimmed and scrubbed
7 whole garlic cloves
4 Tbsp olive oil, divided
1/2 cup toasted walnuts
freshly ground salt
4 oz goat cheese
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degF. Drizzle beets with 2 Tbsp olive oil and wrap beets and 6 of the garlic cloves (no need to peel them) tightly in foil. Roast until very tender, approximately 1 hour.
Meanwhile, prepare pasta according to instructions on box. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water.
After removing beets and garlic from oven, remove foil and let cool slightly. Once cool enough to touch, use a spoon to peel skin off beets and coarsely chop. Squeeze the roasted garlic out of it's skin.
In a food processor, combine roasted beets, roasted garlic, remaining olive oil, walnuts, and peeled raw garlic clove. Pulse until smooth and creamy, adding reserved pasta water as needed. Add goat cheese and pulse until combined. Season with salt to taste.
Toss pasta and beet mixture until well combined. Sprinkle with more goat cheese if desired.
Recipe inspired by Simple Bites
I am Jen the Beantown Baker. Engineer by day and baking maven by night. Hubby serves as my #1 fan and official taste tester. We got hitched back in 2006. Barefoot. In the sand. With the waves crashing behind us. It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. 
I’m guessing you’ve tried Manchego? It’s my favorite sheep’s milk cheese.
I’m lactose intolerant too, and cheese is what I miss most. I’m curious about the goat cheese and sheep’s milk cheese; according to what I’ve read, goats’ milk and sheep’s milk have almost the same amount of lactose as cows’ milk. How is it that the cheese doesn’t have lactose? I’d be interested in any resources you could pass on because I’d love to be able to eat some cheese again!
I’m lactose-tolerant, but according to a Good Eats episode on cheese, most of the lactose is removed during the cheese making process, so that’s why most lactose-intolerant people can eat it. My g/f is Asian and very lactose-intolerant, but she can eat cheese with no problem. Ice cream (which she will eat when she gets the craving) does her no good at all, but cheese is usually fine.
That’s interesting. I know lactose intolerance is different for each person. Unfortunately for me, eating cheese (and ice cream) is like a death-wish, but I have read that cheese that’s made traditionally, aged 2 yrs., has nearly no lactose in it. That’s hard to find though. I haven’t heard that goat cheese and sheep cheese have less lactose. But perhaps most goat and sheep cheese are aged?
I actually have the GE episode on my TiVo (Cheese: Good Milk Gone Bad) and he says that cheeses that have a little age on them have had their lactose consumed by the bacteria so there’s little if any lactose left. I just replayed that portion for the exactish quote.
I think goat/sheep cheese is similar to cow in that it can be fresh or aged. I think Manchego has fresh and aged varieties. If you have a good cheese source nearby, you should be able to find well-aged (2+ years) varieties of cheddar at the very least. A Canadian, English, Irish, or Austrailian. All are very good.
I truly feel sorry for you, as I love a nice extra sharp cheddar, Parma Reggiano, etc.
And really, it’s not my intention to torture you. 🙂
Thanks for looking that up for me! I’ll have to test the waters the next time I’m feeling brave…:) I would LOVE it if I could eat some cheese again!
The only reason I eat goat and sheep milk cheese is because when my doctor told me I was LI, she said I could eat those. So that’s what I’ve been doing. I am very sensative to all cow dairy, but haven’t ever had problems with the goat or sheep cheese…
I haven’t tried Machego… I’ll have to look for it.
I first had Manchego at a tapas place near Phoenix on a cheese and fruit plate. I had no idea what I was missing. 🙂
oh my gosh! a fellow cheese junkie! haha
So I’ve been lactose intolerant since I went away to college… but I still enjoy most of my favorites. Lactaid works wonders!!! I carry the pills around with me all the time and enjoy most of the foods I love. Regarding the different milks, goats milk does indeed have lactose, it is just less than traditional cows milk so more people can tolerate it. I’m sure different processes in which you make cheese, etc could effect it, and everyone’s sensitivity is different as well. I adjusted quickly to Lactaid milk, and they have cottage cheese, ice cream (but i stick to the good ol’ stuff), and some other products I have yet to try. I urge fellow LI folks not to give up your (and my!!) favorite foods!!!
I found this website of sheeps cheese and it appears it is good for people with LI.
http://www.sheepscheese.com/
Yep! Sheep cheese is my friend for sure.
I am severely lactose intolerant but love food and cooking, so this has been a difficult adjustment for me as well. Parmigiana Reggiano is lactose free as well as; Grana Padano, all Finlandia cheeses including Muenster and Lappi. I use Lappi as a substitute for Mozzarella as it has similar texture and flavour. Muenster has worked well as a substitute for many cheeses as it has great flavour. There are some cheeses that I cannot tolerate such as mozzarella. Goat cheese does have lactose, but also has a protein in it that is different from that in cow’s milk. This makes it much more easily digestible and is great for those with lactose intolerance. Hope this is helpful! p.s. – I make my own ice cream by making creme anglaise with lactose free 2% milk.