You only need a handful of everyday ingredients to make the most gloriously vibrant, pink pasta of dreams. Pre-cooked beets cut the prep time right down so you can have this on the table in 15 minutes. Blitzed with feta, cream cheese and garlic, it makes a serious statement at the table.
How beautiful is this sauce!? Not only does it make a serious dinner party showstopper, it feels (and looks) indulgent and luxurious, but it’s actually packed full of nutrients thanks to the beetroot.
So smooth, silky and so naturally vibrant, this very easy (and fast) pasta recipe is FAB for dinner parties and entertaining and is a lovely option for a date night or girl’s night in. Plus, the bright colour makes it fun for kids to enjoy (and I promise it doesn’t taste too beetroot-y).
Just blitz up a quick sauce while your pasta cooks, then mix the two together. It really couldn’t be easier – 15 minutes, from start to finish.
Ingredients
There’s nothing fancy in this lovely pasta dish – you’ll be able to find everything at a regular grocery store – and you probably have most of the ingredients already.
- Beetroot (beets). We’re using ready-to-eat beetroot here for ease and speed – you can find these in the veggie section of the grocery store. You can also find them jarred, but make sure they’re not in vinegar. That will impact the flavour of the sauce and make it very acidic.
- Feta. This forms the base of our lovely sauce. Go for a high-quality, creamy feta here – it will blitz up more smoothly. It will also blend more easily if it’s at room temperature, but that’s a nice to have if you’re in a hurry.
- Cream cheese. This just helps to create a lovely smooth finish to the sauce. You can use low-fat cream cheese, or sour cream, creme fraiche, heavy (double) cream or a plant-based alternative. Greek yogurt isn’t a good substitute here because it will split when it’s heated and you don’t want grainy pasta sauce.
- Pasta. Go for your favourite shape here. I’m using rigatoni and I love how the sauce clings to it, but any will do so just use whatever you have to hand.
How to make it
Get your pasta into a large pot of salted, boiling water and cook until al dente. While that’s happening, blitz your beetroot, feta, cream cheese, garlic, lemon juice and salt into a lovely smooth sauce.
Drain your pasta, but set aside 1 cup of cooking water. Pasta cooking water is the secret o a gorgeous silky sauce, thanks to the starch that’s come from the pasta itself. Add the pasta back into the pot you cooked it in, then pour over your pink beetroot sauce, along with 2 tablespoons of the cooking water Toss to combine well – you want each piece of pasta to be well coated in sauce.
Scatter the grated parmesan on top, then mix it through the sauce. Add a little more pasta water to loosen it up – you want it to be more liquidy than you’d serve it in the pan because the pasta will continue to absorb the sauce the longer it sits. That way, when you’re ready to serve, your sauce should be at the perfect silky smooth consistency.
Divide your pasta between plates, then top with crumbled feta, dukkah and thyme, and enjoy right away!
Got a question?
You can roast your own beetroot if you like (though it will add a lot of time to the recipe). Wrap two large beetroot in aluminium foil, then pop them into the oven at 200C/400F for about 50 minutes. Check them near the end – you should easily be able to pierce them right through with a knife. If you can, they’re ready to use. Once roasted and cool enough to handle, you should be able to remove the skin with your hands easily. If you can’t, you likely need to cook them a little longer, so pop them back into the oven.
I recommend not using Greek yogurt – it will split when it’s heated with the pasta and will make the sauce grainy. Instead, swap it with sour cream, creme fraiche or regular heavy cream (or plant-based alternative).
This pasta is best served right away – it will keep absorbing the liquid as it sits, which will bloat the pasta and change the texture. It’s still fine to eat (and to be honest, I do), but if you’re serving it to guests I recommend making the pink sauce ahead of time (this will keep well for 5 days in the fridge), and then just cooking the pasta and tossing with the sauce to serve.
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Quick Pink Beetroot Pasta with Feta
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
You only need a handful of everyday ingredients to make the most gloriously vibrant, pink pasta of dreams. Pre-cooked beetroot cuts the prep time right down so you can have this on the table in 15 minutes. Blitzed with feta, cream cheese and garlic, it makes a serious statement at the table.
Ingredients
- 200g/7oz feta cheese
- 2 tablespoons cream cheese
- 2 large ready-cooked beetroot (not beetroot in vinegar)
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 400g/14oz pasta of your choice
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon dukkah
- Handful of fresh thyme leaves
Instructions
- Cook your pasta. Fill a large pot with enough water to come halfway up the sides, then add 1 tablespoon of salt. Set over high heat and bring to a boil. Once it’s boiling, add your pasta and cook until al dente (cooked, but still firm to the bite). Depending on the pasta you’ve chosen, this should take around 8 minutes (use your pasta packet for exact timing instructions).
- Make the pink beetroot sauce. While the pasta cooks, add all but 1 tablespoon of your feta to a small food processor, food chopper or blender, along with the cooked beetroot, 2 tablespoons cream cheese, 2 garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Blitz into a super smooth sauce, scraping down the sides of the bowl a couple of times to ensure it’s all mixing properly. Taste, then add a little more salt if needed.
- Combine the pasta and sauce. Scoop out 1 cup of pasta cooking water, then drain your cooked pasta. Transfer it back into the now dry pan. Pour the pink sauce on top, then add 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water. Set it back on the stovetop, and turn the heat to low. Toss the pasta through the sauce, making sure each piece is well coated. Sprinkle over the parmesan, then toss to combine again as the cheese melts into the sauce. Add a little more pasta water if it’s looking a bit thick at this point – you want your pasta in the pan to be saucier than you’d like to serve it – as pasta sits it continues to absorb liquid. This means that if you keep your sauce looser in the pan, by the time you transfer it to your plate, garnish and serve, the sauce will be at the perfect consistency.
- Garnish and serve. Divide the pasta between plates, then crumble over the set-aside feta. Finish with the dukkah and thyme leaves, then serve right away.
Notes
STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: Like the majority of pasta dishes, this one is best served right after cooking. You can make it ahead and reheat it (it’ll be fine for a couple of days in the fridge), but the texture won’t be the same. The pasta will absorb the liquid as it sits, making it soft and bloated. You can however, make the pink beetroot sauce in advance (it last 5 days in the fridge), then just cook your pasta and mix through the sauce when you’re ready.
INGREDIENT NOTES: Use fresh pasta for an even quicker meal – that generally only takes a couple of minutes to cook. If you do, make the pink sauce before you cook your pasta and then get ready to mix. Swap the cream cheese for sour cream, creme fraiche or regular heavy cream in the pink sauce if you like – I’d avoid Greek yogurt as it will split when it heats up and will make your sauce grainy. Crispy bacon scattered on top would also be a lovely little garnish, as would marinated feta or marinated mozzarella balls.
I promise the sauce doesn’t taste strongly of earthy beetroot if you’re worried – it just brings a lovely sweetness that contrasts beautifully with the salty feta and creamy cream cheese – and of course, the glorious colour.
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 10
- Category: pasta
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: mediterranean
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
Keywords: beet pasta
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