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