This is a nice light dish for the summer and can be served at room temp. I know I have been on a pasta roll with my posts but there is so much to explore with this ingredient.
Beet Pesto Pasta
Ingredients
1 lb. of beet pasta, linguini
3 large beets, cleaned and quartered
1 cup of almonds
4 cloves of roasted garlic
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
hand-full of Italian Parsley, minced
salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil
½ cup goat cheese – optional
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place beets in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil and season to taste, toss. Pour onto the baking sheet and roast in the oven for about 30 minutes, once the beets start to char, remove and let cool.
Cook pasta as directed on package, drain, and reserve ½ cup of the pasta water.
In a food processor place the almonds and pulse until finely chopped. Remove about ¼ cup of chopped almonds and set aside.
Now add to the food processor garlic and pulse to combine. Now add the beets and lemon juice, turn on the processor, and slowly pour in the olive oil until a smooth pesto is created. Turn off and spoon pesto into a large serving bowl. Add pasta water and whisk until smooth. Now add the pasta and toss to coat.
Garnish with the remaining chopped almonds and the parsley – Serve
Note: I have made this with goat cheese, add the goat cheese at pesto and pasta water stage, and whisk until smooth.