Creamy Roasted Beet Feta Pasta
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 because we are rotating fresh beets to preserve all their vitamins and minerals into a delicious and meal-prep-friendly sauce. So, if you love easy and fun dinners, then let's cook!
Servings: 6 servings
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.
Video
Notes
Storage: This sauce is a great meal prep option! You can freeze it for up to 3 months or store it in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container. You can store it tossed with the pasta for up to 3 months. Reheat it on the stove top with a splash of liquid to rehydrate it.
Can I boil the beets? You can, but roasting caramelizes the natural sugars in the beets. This leads to a much more flavorful sauce than if the beets were boiled.
