Creamy Beet Pink Pasta

What’s better that eating pasta, and knowing it has hidden protein and vegetables? This creamy beet barbie pink pasta tastes AS GOOD as it looks!

This ultra creamy, tangy, earthy and spicy pink pasta with a subtle sweetness from the beets is a pasta you’ll want to make to pack in your protein and veggies. And it looks absolutely gorgeous (almost too pretty to eat!).

What You Need to Make This

• pasta – you can use any pasta shape, but I love using curly ones. I used Sfoglini in this recipe.
• beets – use cooked beets to shorten the process of making this pasta. I used Love Beets!
• beet powder – this is optional, but it adds a nice pink colour + adds nutrition!
• protein – silken tofu adds creaminess to this dish
• lemon zest and juice – to add acidity and tanginess to this pasta
• nutritional yeast – for the cheesy flavour!
• spices – garlic & onion powder, chili flakes, cayenne pepper. Note: you can substitute garlic powder with 5-6 roasted garlic cloves!
• pasta water – ALWAYS save your pasta water!

Tips to Make the Perfect Pasta

1. Cooked beets saved a lot of time in this recipe, but you can also use fresh beets for a brighter colour. In this case, you may not even need the beet powder. Drizzle some olive oil, salt and pepper on your peeled beets. Bake them at 200C for about 30 minutes and bake them for a few extra minutes if they don’t feel soft and tender.
   
2. You can substitute walnuts with pine nuts or soaked cashews.
   
3. You can substitute dill for spring onion, roasted leeks or chives.
   
4. Garnish is everything: garnish the pasta with fresh herbs, lemon juice/slices, olive oil, chili flakes and even some extra chopped roasted nuts if time allows.