This creamy beetroot pasta is a flavorful and vibrant dish made with just three main ingredients. Pasta covered in a smooth beetroot sauce that adds flavor and richness to every bite.
Do you need a pink recipe to celebrate Valentine's Day this year? How about a creamy and delightful beetroot pasta recipe made in no time and with just a few ingredients?
It is a delicious and simple dish that will convince anyone that beets are just amazing. You could also make our Pink Beetroot Crepes and serve them with a sweet or savory filling.
And if you are looking for more Valentine’s suitable food, have a look at these Valentine Sugar Cookies or this Heart Shaped Cheesecake; they are fabulous desserts to serve after a bowl of beet pasta. Or how about some drinks? The Gooseberry Gin or the Rhubarb and Ginger Gin have the right color as well.
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❤️Why will you love this beetroot sauce for pasta?
- There is no need to roast the beets in advance; you will grate and cook them in the pan.
- The sauce is bursting with rich, earthy beetroot flavor.
- Eye-catching, vibrant color.
- Incredibly satisfying and filling
- Offers a unique and delicious twist on traditional pasta dishes
📋Recipe ingredients
Three main ingredients: Fresh beets, pasta, and cream cheese. Check out more fresh beet recipes: Raw Beet and Feta Salad or Beetroot Salad with Yogurt.
- Beets: I had a relatively large piece, weighing about 1 lb/ 450 g, before peeling. But, of course, you can use two or three smaller pieces.
- Pasta: I used spaghetti, but any pasta shape would be fine, either long or short.
- Dairy: I often cooked this beet pasta sauce recipe and used crème fraiche or cream cheese, depending on what I had in the fridge. The sauce made with crème fraiche is slightly softer, so no milk is needed.
- If you use cream cheese, whisk it well with a small amount of milk to make it creamy before adding it to the sauce.
- Other ingredients: One small onion (white or red onion), vegetable or chicken stock, 1-2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar (or balsamic vinegar), a little olive oil, salt, and black pepper.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Additions
- Toppings: Top the dish with crumbled feta, goat cheese, toasted pine nuts, or walnuts.
- The additions are nice but not mandatory; the earthy flavor of the beets is perfect as it is.
👩🏻🍳How to make beetroot pasta sauce?
Step #1: Peel, rinse, and roughly grate the raw beets.
Step #2: Chop the onion very finely.
Step #3: Cook onion until soft and translucent (3-4 minutes). Add a small splash of the stock after one or two minutes to help it soften.
Step # 4: Add beets, stir well, and cook gently for about 3 minutes.
Step #5: Add the stock, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Cook on medium-low heat, covered, until soft (25 minutes).
Step #6: Add cream cheese to the cooked beets and stir well. Blend the beet sauce with an immersion blender or food processor.
- Cook pasta: In the meantime, cook the pasta al dente according to package directions.
- Adjust the taste with salt, pepper, and a teaspoon of vinegar.
- Combine: Drain the pasta. Return it to the pot. Pour the beet purée over the pasta and mix gently but thoroughly.
🍝Use already-cooked beets
- Start boiling water for the pasta because using cooked beets will speed up the cooking process.
- Cook the chopped onions as instructed.
- Add the grated cooked beets, but only ½ cup of stock. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the beetroot is heated through.
- Add dairy and blend the sauce. Adjust the taste and mix the beetroot sauce with the cooked pasta.
🔊Expert Tips
Adding salt to pasta water: You can only add flavor to the pasta while it cooks; adding extra salt after cooking will not help. The noodles will only absorb a small amount of salt, and you will drain almost all the cooking water. That, in case you are worried about eating too much salt.
1 lb/ 450 g pasta + about 17 cups/ 4 liters water + 1 tablespoon table salt or 1 ⅓ tablespoon fine sea salt or Kosher salt.
For cream cheese, blend it with some milk to soften and make it creamier. With crème fraiche, there's no need for that step as it's already softer than cream cheese.
❓Recipe FAQ
You can make the pink beetroot sauce in advance, keep it in an airtight container, and refrigerate it for 2-3 days. Once you are ready to serve it, cook the pasta, reheat the sauce on low heat (adding a splash of milk if too thick), and combine it with the noodles.
Beetroot pasta is best served immediately.
Refrigerate leftover pasta with beet sauce and add a splash of milk when reheating on a gentle heat, preferably in a non-stick pan (or mix with the splash of milk and reheat in the microwave).
The dish is not suitable for freezing.
🍽️What goes well with beetroot pasta?
- Serving: Serve the pink beetroot pasta immediately, sprinkled with chopped fresh herbs like parsley or chives and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Side dish ideas:
📖Recipe
Easy Beetroot Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb beetroot raw, 450 g, Note 1
- 1 lb pasta 450 g, Note 2
- 1 small onion
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup vegetable stock or chicken stock, 230 ml
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar divided
- 1 cup crème fraiche or cream cheese 250 g, Note 3
- fine sea salt and ground black pepper
Instructions
- Prepare vegetables: Peel, rinse and roughly grate the beetroot. Set it aside. Finely chop the onion.1 lb beetroot / 450 g + 1 small onion
- Sauté: Heat the oil in a large, deeper, non-stick pan. Add the onion and a pinch of salt. Cook on low heat for about 3-4 minutes, adding a small splash of the stock halfway through until the onion is softer. Add the grated beets and cook on medium-low heat, stirring a few times, for about 5 minutes.1 tablespoon olive oil
- Simmer beetroot sauce: Pour in the stock, 1 teaspoon vinegar, and add salt and pepper. Stir well, cover, and cook on medium-low heat for about 25 minutes until soft.1 cup vegetable stock/ 230 ml
- Cook the pasta: In the meantime, cook the pasta in salted water according to the instructions.1 lb pasta / 450 g
- Make the sauce: Add dairy to the beetroots in the pan and stir well. If you use cream cheese, mix the cheese with a good splash of mix and stir it well to make it creamy. Blend the sauce with an immersion blender.1 cup crème fraiche or cream cheese / 250 g
- Adjust the taste with the remaining 1 teaspoon of vinegar, salt, and pepper. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Add the sauce and mix gently to combine. Serve immediately (Note 4).fine sea salt and ground black pepper
Notes
- Weighed before peeling; about 400 g/ 14 oz left after peeling. So, it was a reasonably large beet. You can use 2-3 smaller ones instead.
- Spaghetti or any other pasta shape you like; short pasta is fine as well.
- For cream cheese, blend it with some milk to soften and make it creamier. With crème fraiche, there's no need for that step as it's already softer than cream cheese.
- Additions: You can sprinkle the dish with chopped parsley or chives and freshly grated Parmesan (optional). Or top the dish with crumbled feta, roasted pine nuts, or walnuts.
Francoise brun-cottan says
Easy. Beets are so tasty and good for us. Pretty as well.