Beet Pesto Pasta

Thanks to Heather Christo, I’ve got a bright lovely pesto pasta recipe for you today, made with beets!

The kitchen remodel is still underway and, of course, the closer it is to completion the harder it is to wait. I’m trying my best to stay out of the way, but every time I walk by the kitchen I want to step in and just gaze at the beauty …the contractor doesn’t seem to like that.

Another sweet friend is here to share something wonderful with you.

Heather Christo is a culinary rockstar featured in multiple magazines, on TV, and on her blog HeatherChristo.com. She loves to garden and entertain, and makes the most innovative dishes.

Jaw-dropping dishes her little girls will even eat–that’s impressive.

Heather recently published a new cookbook, Heather Christo’s Generous Table. This books is filled with menus that center around celebrations and events we all experience through the seasons.

Heather describes it best in her own words…

And thank you so much Heather for being here today!

Hi everyone! My name is Heather, and Sommer is being so sweet to let me guest post today. I’m a wife and mama to two little girls and live in Seattle (aren’t we Asheville’s “sister” city??) I ramble on about food, entertaining and family over at HeatherChristo.com, and my very first cookbook is out this month (eek!!)

When I tried to decide which recipe to share with you, it was my 5 and 3 year old daughters that came to the rescue. They emphatically said “the pink pasta, the pink pasta!!” Um, what that really means is Beet Pesto Pasta.

It’s an earthy, garlicky, lemony puree of glorious fuchsia beets, and it is in fact STUNNING not to mention really delicious. I mean, there is no way my kids would sit down to a plate of beets. But when a big bowl of this “pink pasta” is placed in front of them, they just gobble it up!

And for those of us that do like (or love) beets, this is a really wonderful treat. I will serve it with a big salad if I am going for a vegetarian meal, or it pairs really well with salmon or pork.

This pasta makes me think of spring, even if only for the color. And aren’t we all craving a little Spring by now?

And the best part for those of us without a ton of time to spare? It is so easy! To make this Beet Pesto Pasta, this is what you do:

First you bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil and add the beets. Boil until fork tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Then you drain and rinse the beets with cold water and, using your fingers, rub the skin off the beets.

Chop the beets into quarters and place them in the bowl of a food processor. Add the garlic, pistachios (or almonds), lemon juice and olive oil.

Pulse until you have a smooth bright pink spread, and transfer to a bowl.

Using a spatula, fold in the Parmesan and season with salt. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the spaghetti to al dente,
according to package directions. Rinse the spaghetti with cool water and drain well. Toss the spaghetti with the pesto and serve immediately. Garnish with extra Parmesan (and the chopped pistachios if desired).

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Beet Pesto Pasta

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes minutes

This Beet Pesto Pasta is earthy, garlicky, and lemony perfection that is absolutely stunning, and not to mention, delicious!

Servings: 6

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

• 3 large purple beets tops trimmed
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup whole raw pistachio nuts plus 2 tablespoons chopped, for garnish (sub peeled almonds)
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
• Kosher salt
• 1 pound spaghetti

Instructions

• Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil and add the beets. Boil until fork tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Drain and rinse the beets with cold water and, using your fingers, rub the skin off the beets. Chop the beets into quarters and place them in the bowl of a food processor. Add the garlic, pistachios, lemon juice and olive oil and pulse until you have a smooth bright pink spread.
• Using a spatula, fold in the Parmesan and season with salt. Set aside.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the spaghetti to al dente, according to package directions.
• Rinse the spaghetti with cool water and drain well. Toss the spaghetti with the pesto and serve immediately. Garnish with extra Parmesan and the chopped pistachios.

Notes

Beet Pesto: Heather Christo’s Generous Table by Heather Christo © 2013 Kyle Books.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 512kcal, Carbohydrates: 65g, Protein: 19g, Fat: 20g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 15mg, Sodium: 292mg, Potassium: 444mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 200IU, Vitamin C: 7mg, Calcium: 221mg, Iron: 1.9mg

Course: Pasta

Cuisine: American, Italian

Author: Sommer Collier

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