Having moved past squid ink noodles, we’ve now approached beet noodles.  I decided to make these after we got a small bunch of beets in our box this week.  Like the squid ink pasta, beet pasta is mostly just pretty.  The flavor of beet was pretty much gone by the time the pasta was cooked and sauced.  But they were so pretty!  If you’re rolling pasta and setting it aside, it would be so much fun to make beet pasta, spinach pasta, or other colored pastas and collect the colors in a single meal.  I could also see a really good argument for making beet pasta to celebrate Valentine’s Day.  Or combining beet and spinach pasta for red and green Christmas feast!

Beet Pasta

3 oz beets

2 eggs + 1 egg yolk

3 c AP flour

Pinch salt

Wrap the washed beets in aluminum foil and roast in a 400 degree oven for 30-45 minutes, or until the beets are fork tender.  This can be done a couple days in advance.

Peel the roasted beets and remove the stems.  Place the beets, eggs, and egg yolk in a food processor or blender and process until the mixture is completely pureed.

Mound the flour and pinch of salt in a large bowl.  Make a well in the flour and pour in the beet mixture.  With a fork, begin slowly incorporating the flour from the inside of the well out.  This can also be done on a counter top, but the bowl helps prevent staining.  As the dough gets stiffer, switch to kneading the mixture by hand.  Transfer to the counter and continue kneading the dough until it makes a smooth ball – about 5 minutes.  Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and set aside for at least 30 minutes.  Once the dough has rested, use a pasta machine to roll the dough to your desired thickness and cut.

Yield 4 generous servings.

Pasta in Garlic Cream Sauce

8 oz pasta of your choice, or half of the beet pasta made with the recipe above

2 T butter

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

1 c heavy whipping cream

Salt and pepper

Shaved Parmesan

Cook the pasta in salted water until the noodles are al dente.

Meanwhile in a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat.  Add the garlic to the melted butter and cook until the garlic is fragrant and softened (3-5 minutes), but do not brown.  Browning will make the garlic bitter.  Add the cream and the drained pasta.  Continue cooking until the cream thickens and coats the pasta.  Generously salt and pepper and top with the shaved Parmesan.