Rich with the earthy flavors of ruby red beets and garlic, this beet pasta is such an easy, elegant and delicious way to put a healthy meal on the table — in less than 30 minutes.
Elegant and beautiful with a glorious earthiness, this pasta with beets is a gem of a pasta dish. Simply cut beets into beautiful red rubies, sauté them with fragrant garlic and a hint of chili pepper, simmer and toss with pasta.
Ingredients for Pasta with Beets
Rubies in the rough. Hard to believe the not-so-pretty, yet kind of cute, little beetroot creates such a beautiful and delicious pasta dish.
How to Make Beet Pasta
Here’s a little overview and tips on how I like to make pasta with rubies. For detailed instructions, be sure to scroll down to the recipe card.
Here we’re peeling the beets like a potato, then cutting them into bite-sized rubies, or smaller if you like. I like them big enough to be able to pick up at least one ruby with a fork so I can twirl spaghetti around it. I cook the beets until barely tender because I love their rich earthy taste. Cooking them further of coarse makes them more pleasantly tender and less earthy, which you may prefer, and taste ever so slightly sweeter. Then we sauté sliced or chopped garlic in olive oil with a dash of chili pepper. I prefer using powder because it is so easy. Once the garlic starts looking like it wants to turn gold, add the red rubies. Then toss in the pasta with a little water and watch it turn ruby red. This is a dish you serve immediately.
Don’t Like Spicy?
Leave out the chili pepper, or try half a pinch.
Such gorgeous color!
A Few Reminders
Bear in mind the power of the beautiful beet to stain your hands, wood cutting board and any wooden tools. You may want to use a plastic cutting board and metal utensils. I usually end up using a wood board and utensils anyway, and rinse them sooner than later. A little scrub with baking soda helps. It usually takes a few soap and water scrubs to get the red off your hands too. If you don’t have time for that, disposable food-safe cooking gloves come in handy. Heads up again with white tablecloths, etc… And your favorite white shirt might not be the best thing to wear—just in case!
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Ingredients
- 2 small ruby red beets or 1 large beet (about ½ lb, 227 g total)
- 1 clove garlic, thinly sliced or chopped
- a pinch of chili pepper (about ⅛ tsp or less), powdered or crushed (optional)
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 8 oz, ½ lb thin spaghetti
- a pinch of fresh Italian flatleaf parsley, chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Bring a large covered pot of salted water to boil.
- Prep the beets: Wash, cut off the tops and roots, then peel the beets with a vegetable peeler. On a cutting board, cut each beet in half, then into slices, then into cubes. Set aside.
- Make the sauce: In a large enough skillet to hold the pasta, sauté the garlic and chili pepper in olive oil for about 2 minutes over medium heat. The garlic should not, or just barely, start to color. Add the beets immediately along with ½ cup of water, cover and cook until tender, about 10 to 12 minutes (adding a little more water, if necessary, to keep them from drying out).
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta: Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, tender yet still firm to the bite.
- Toss: Using a pasta fork or tongs, transfer the pasta straight from the water to the skillet of beets, along with ½ cup of the starchy cooking water, and toss over medium-high heat until the deep ruby sauce is evenly distributed throughout the pasta. Sprinkle with fresh parsley, if using, and serve immediately.
Notes
If your beets have stalks, you can add them too, in bite-sized pieces or smaller. They add a subtle yet nice flavor dimension similar to Swiss chard, plus more nutrients and beautiful color. Or save them with the extra nutritious bitter greens to sauté up with garlic as a side for another meal.Nutrition Info: Click to Expand
by
I first came across the name Pasta with Rubies from Michele Scicolone. I love the beet’s similarities with other beautiful gems of the earth. Her version of the pasta slow bakes the beets in the oven.
