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A colorful twist on the viral feta-baked pasta, this roasted beet pasta packs extra nutrients into a fancy yet easy pasta recipe. Gone are the days of canned beets…we are roasting fresh beets with feta cheese to create a delicious and meal-prep-friendly sauce.
save this recipe!Beets are high in betalains, which gives them their bright red color and lots of vitamin C. And when roasted, their natural sweetness comes out! This, plus creamy feta and other basic ingredients, makes the perfect base for a quick and easy veggie pasta sauce.
Let’s not beet around the bush
- Sheet Pan Pasta Sauce: There is nothing easier than a one-pan, sheet pan recipe. Everything gets cooked on the same pan for a quick and simple recipe.
- Date Night Perfection: With such a bold color, this is a great dinner for celebrating loved ones.
- Simple Ingredients: You don’t need anything special to make this warm and cozy pasta dish. Just some garlic, shallots, and lemon juice, to name a few.
Reader rating
“Loved this recipe, used vegan feta cheese and it was excellent! My husband loved it.” —Amie
Ingredients for beet pasta
Other than the feta and beets, I bet you already have everything you need for this vegetarian weeknight dinner in the kitchen! Jump down to the recipe card for exact measurements.
- Beets: These are large root vegetables usually found next to the carrots in the refrigerated section.
- Shallots and Garlic: These add a mild tang and depth of flavor. If you can’t find shallots, you can use a white onion. Always use fresh garlic if possible–I tested pre-minced garlic here and it didn’t have the same bright kick as fresh garlic.
- Feta Cheese: This salty cheese is soft but still stable enough to withstand the longer cooking time required for beets. Be sure to buy the block of feta. You can make this dish vegan by using a plant-based feta.
- Lemon Juice: This helps keep the red color super bright and lightens the richness of the cheese.
Can I use precooked beets?
Canned beets will not work here–I tested that for you! They are usually packed in a vinegar solution, which created an odd taste in the pasta sauce during our trials.
How to make feta pasta with beets
This recipe takes only 10 minutes of hands-on work. The oven does the rest! This is an overview of the recipe. Jump to the recipe card for the full printable recipe.
- Prepare: Chop and dice everything and add it to a pan with side walls. Toss in oil, salt, and pepper then add the feta to the middle and nestle garlic around.
- Roast: Bake everything until the beets are fork-tender.
- Blend: Add everything to a blender, plus some pasta water, and blend until smooth.
- Serve: Toss pasta in the sauce and top with fresh burrata.
If your sauce is too thick
Add more pasta water! This creates that silky pasta sauce that just shines with deliciousness! If the sauce is too thin, you can blend in a creamy cheese like cottage cheese.
stop! Don’t let beets stain!
Beets will stain things, so be careful when cutting them. If your cutting board and your hands are stained with red, the best way to tackle it is with lemon juice and salt. Squeeze lemon juice on the cutting board, then sprinkle coarse sea salt on it, and use the lemon as a scrub brush. After a good scrub, rinse with warm water.
one romantic night
If you’re on the hunt for more date night dinner ideas, here are a few recipes that will complete your vegetarian spread.
- Strawberry Salad: Keep the feta party going with this pink salad that pairs tangy red onion and sweet berries.
- Vegan Panna Cotta: For a show-stopping dessert, serve this with fresh berries.
Creamy Roasted Beet Feta Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 lb beets, peeled and roughly chopped, 450 g
- 2 medium shallots, peeled and roughly chopped
- 3 Tbsp olive oil, divided, 45 mL
- ½ tsp each salt and pepper
- 1 8-oz block feta cheese, 226 g
- 1 bulb garlic
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice, 15 mL
- ½ to 1 cup pasta cooking water, 120 to 240 mL
- To serve: 16 oz pasta, burrata cheese
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Add 1 lb beets (chopped) and 2 medium shallots (chopped) to a medium casserole dish, ensuring everything is in a single layer. Drizzle with 2 Tbsp olive oil and sprinkle on ½ tsp each salt and pepper, tossing to coat everything well.Form a hole in the beets and place 1 8-oz block feta cheese in the middle.Cut the top portion off of 1 bulb garlic to reveal the cloves underneath. Add the garlic to a piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle the top with 1 Tbsp olive oil then close it up tightly. Wedge it into the pan.
- Roast: Cook everything for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the beets are fork-tender.
- Blend: Add everything to a blender, squeezing out as many garlic cloves as you'd like (I love garlic and generally use most of the cloves). Add ½ to 1 cup pasta cooking water (start with less and add more as needed) and 1 Tbsp lemon juice.Leave the lid cracked to allow steam to escape (never tightly close a blender with blending hot liquids!). Blend until smooth.
- Serve: Stir into your pasta of choice, topped with burrata cheese.
Notes
did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!
Loved this recipe, used vegan feta cheese and it was excellent! My husband loved it.
I’m so happy to hear it was a hit, Amie! Enjoy!