Roasted Beet Pasta
Published 2/25/2023 • Updated 10/4/2023
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Did you know that beets make for a DELISH pasta sauce? This roasted beet pasta recipe is seriously out of this world.
The beets get roasted with garlic and onion and are then blended all together with goat cheese to create a dreamy, creamy beet sauce. Add this one to your favorite pasta rotation!
The BEST Creamy Beet Pasta
When it comes to beet dishes, what usually comes to mind is beet salad, beet hummus, or an ingredient that goes into a healthy smoothie. But beets in pasta? Whaattt?! Yes, my friends… get ready for the most beautiful pasta of all time.
The key to this recipe is the cooking method we use for our beets. We cover this in the recipe, but for a more detailed rundown of how we roast our beets, check out our post, How to Cook Beets.
It creates ultra-soft and tender beets while still holding onto all the sweet and earthy flavor. As a result, an absolutely exquisite pasta with the most gorgeous color to boot. So go on, have at it!
Why you’ll love it!
Ready to eat in under an hour.
The flavors of the beets, goat cheese, and toppings are out of this world!
The vibrant colors created from the beets make this dish SO PRETTY.
It’s just as delicious as it is nutritious!
Featured Ingredients
- Beets: you need two medium/large beets to make this recipe. Try to get similar sizes if you can! Fresh is always best.
- Garlic & onion: we roast the garlic and white onion separately along with the beets so that everything is flavor-packed and tender.
- Bucatini pasta: bucatini is an excellent pasta for oil-based sauces like this one, as it holds the sauce really well. However, your favorite pasta will work just fine!
- Goat cheese: goat cheese is a no-brainer with any beet dish! It really enhances the flavor of the creamy sauce.
- Pistachios: pistachios add a pleasant saltiness to the dish that balances out the sweeter, earthier notes of the beets. Be sure to roast and salt them first!
- Fresh dill: this herb pairs perfectly with all the other flavors of the beetroot pasta sauce.
- Lemon zest: you can never go wrong with a touch of acidity! Lemon brings everything all together for a truly impeccable dish.
try it!
How to Cook Beets
Roast your own beets for this roasted beet pasta. You’ll love this easy, foolproof method.
How to Make Roasted Beet Pasta
PREHEAT OVEN
Preheat the oven to 400ºF and cut two pieces of tin foil for the beets, garlic, and onion.
WRAP VEGGIES IN FOIL
Place the beets in a piece of tin foil and drizzle them with 2 teaspoons of olive oil, and season with ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon of pepper. Seal the tin foil tight so no heat can escape.
Next, place the garlic and onion in a piece of tin foil, drizzle with 2 teaspoons olive oil and ¼ teaspoon of salt, and ¼ teaspoon of pepper, and seal so no heat can escape.
ROAST BEETS, GARLIC, & ONION
Transfer the beets, garlic, and onion to a baking sheet and bake for 30-40 minutes or until the beets are fork-tender and the garlic is soft.
Note: The time it takes to roast the beets will vary by the size of the beet and the oven used.
While the vegetables are roasting, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the bucatini until al dente. Set aside 1 cup of pasta water for later (we take out more than we need just in case). Strain the pasta and set aside.
PEEL + BLEND
When the vegetables are done roasting, carefully peel the beets and transfer them to a high-speed blender along with the onion. Carefully squeeze the garlic cloves out of the garlic wrapper into the blender.
Add the rest of the olive oil, 2 oz. of goat cheese, the rest of the salt, and 4 tablespoons of starchy pasta water to the blender and blend all of the ingredients together until smooth. Taste test the sauce and add more salt if needed.
Pro Tip: You can make a thicker sauce by adding less starch water and a thinner sauce by adding more starchy water.
MIX PASTA + SAUCE
If the sauce is still hot, add the sauce and cooked pasta to a large bowl and mix. If the sauce needs to be warmed up, transfer the sauce to a saucepan and heat over medium heat until it reaches the desired temperature.
ADD TOPPINGS + SERVE
When the sauce and pasta are combined, top with the remaining goat cheese, pistachios, dill, lemon zest, and flakey salt. Serve immediately. Enjoy your yummy beet pasta!
Top Tips
When shopping for beets, pick medium/large-sized ones that are firm, have few blemishes, and are a deep maroon color. Also, make sure the taproot is attached and isn’t hairy, as this usually means the beet will be tougher.
If you use canned or store-bought roasted beets, your beet pasta will likely not turn out as vibrant of a purple / red color. We’ve tested this, and it yielded a much more muted purple / brown color.
Don’t have/like dill? Feel free to use other herbs like parsley or chopped chives.
If you forget to reserve the pasta water, don’t fret! Regular water or even nondairy milk works great, too.
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FAQs
This beet pasta is the perfect balance of creamy, earthy, savory, and tangy. It really hits the spot!
Nope! There’s no need to peel your beets before or after baking them. The skin is perfectly edible and almost falls right off after the cooking process. We like to peel ours after, as we prefer the texture that way, but it’s totally up to you!
Storage
Let this roasted beet pasta cool completely before storing it in an airtight container for 3-5 days.
To reheat: reheat your homemade pasta by either microwaving it until hot or placing it over medium heat over the stove until warmed through. If the sauce has thickened, add a splash of water or milk until thinned to your liking.
Roasted Beet Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 medium/large beets, ends cut off and cut into fourths
- 1 head garlic
- ¼ large white onion
- 1.5 tablespoons olive oil, separated
- 16 oz. bucatini pasta
- 1 cup starchy pasta water
- 4 oz. plain goat cheese, separated
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, separated
- ½ cup roasted and salted pistachios
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped dill
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon flaky sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF and cut two pieces of tin foil for the beets, garlic, and onion.
- Place the beets in a piece of tin foil and drizzle them with 2 teaspoons of olive oil and season with ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Seal the tin foil tight so no heat can escape.
- Next, place the garlic and onion in a piece of tin foil, drizzle with 2 teaspoons olive oil and ¼ teaspoon of salt, and ¼ teaspoon of pepper, and seal so no heat can escape.
- Transfer the beets, garlic, and onion to a baking sheet and bake for 30-40 minutes or until the beets are fork-tender and the garlic is soft.
- While the vegetables are roasting, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the bucatini until al dente. Set aside 1 cup of pasta water for later (we take out more than we need just in case). Strain the pasta and set aside.
- When the vegetables are done roasting, carefully peel the beets and transfer them to a high-speed blender along with the onion. Carefully squeeze the garlic cloves out of the garlic wrapper into the blender.
- Add the rest of the olive oil, 2 oz. of goat cheese, the rest of the salt, and 4 tablespoons of starchy pasta water to the blender and blend all of the ingredients together until smooth. Taste test the sauce and add more salt if needed.
- If the sauce is still hot, add the sauce and cooked pasta to a large bowl and mix. If the sauce needs to be warmed up, transfer the sauce to a saucepan and heat over medium heat until it reaches the desired temperature.
- When the sauce and pasta are combined, top with the remaining goat cheese, pistachios, dill, lemon zest, and flakey salt. Serve immediately.
Tips & Notes
- We cook the beets in tin foil because they stay moist and cook faster.
- The time it takes to roast the beets will vary by the size of the beet and the oven used.
- You can make a thicker sauce by adding less starch water and a thinner sauce by adding more starchy water.
- If you use canned or store-bought roasted beets, your beet pasta will likely not turn out as vibrant of a purple / red color. We’ve tested this, and it yielded a much more muted purple / brown color.
Watch It
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Photography: photos taken in this post are by Ashley McGlaughlin from The Edible Perspective.
What would be a good substitute for goat cheese? I’ve never gotten used to the flavor of goat produced dairy. Would a farmer’s cheese/tvorog work?
Ricotta would be a great alternative!
I made this tonight and wouldn’t change a thing. A huge hit with my husband. Will definitely make it again.
Look at that beautiful beet pasta!!
Great recipe. Can I not add garlic?