Description
Tender pasta with thick roasted beet and goat cheese sauce that’s earthy, tangy, and sweet. The pasta salad is topped with crushed walnuts and fresh basil.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese sauce
- 3 medium beets (or 2 large ones), peeled and chopped into 1 inch cubes
- 1/2 yellow onion, sliced
- 5 to 6 garlic cloves, peeled
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil or grapeseed oil
- salt
- 4 ounces goat cheese, divided
- 2 to 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 to 2 tablespoons honey (or sub maple syrup)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 cup veggie broth
- salt and pepper to taste
- Pasta
- 8 ounces gluten free short cut pasta such as penne or rotini
- Toppings
- Handful of crushed walnuts
- fresh basil leaves, cut into a chiffonade
Instructions
- Prepare: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil (to prevent the beets from staining your baking sheet). Chop the veggies as instructed above. Add the beets and onion to the baking sheet, toss with the oil and a good sprinkle of salt.
- Garlic cloves: Tear off a medium piece of foil. Place the garlic cloves on the foil and toss with a small amount of the avocado oil. Fold the garlic cloves up in the foil so that they are in a single layer and the foil is sealed. Like a pocket of garlic! If there is room for the garlic pocket on the baking sheet with the other veggies so that the veggies are in a single layer than add it to that baking sheet. If not just pop it onto a separate small baking sheet.
- Roast the veggies: Roast the veggies for 20 to 25 minutes, flipping half way through. The beets should be fork tender, the garlic should also be fork tender, and the onions should be tender and slightly charred. Allow them to cool slightly.
- Cook the pasta: At this point cook your pasta according to the package instructions. Makes ure to undercook it slighlty (about 2 to 3 minutes) because we will continue to cook it with the sauce for a few minutes. Once the pasta is done cooking drain the water and add the pasta back to the empty pot that the pasta was cooked in. Set aside.
- Make the sauce: Add the slightly cooled veggies + garlic to a food processor, along with 2 ounces of the goat cheese, 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, honey, the olive oil, and the veggie broth. Process until the sauce is mostly smooth, scraping down sides as needed. Add salt and pepper to taste. Taste the sauce and adjust as needed, adding more balsamic vinegar for more tang or more honey for more sweetness etc.
- Finish: Add the sauce to the pasta in the pot. Turn the heat on to low and allow the sauce and the pasta to heat up. If it gets too dry or too thick stir in a little broth. Once warmed through transfer the pasta to a serving bowl.
- Garnish: Garnish with some crushed walnuts, some of the remainder of the goat cheese, and the basil. Serve immediatly while it’s warm. However, it’s surpisingly good when it’s cold too!
