This beetroot pesto pasta is not only delicious but looks amazing! Kids will love it too.
Basically, this recipe came about because I don’t like beetroot. However, being plant-based, it’s quite difficult to avoid so I’ve been on a mission to make friends with the superfood. I started with beetroot soup but that didn’t work out - loved the colour, hated the taste. Next, I added some to my roasted root veg which I served with couscous. That was better.
Then, there was one lonely beetroot left in the fridge and no plan. That evening though I’d decided to use up my dropping basil plant and make some pesto before the leaves all died and went to waste. Do you see how much I hate waste? That’s when I realised I could use up both the beetroot and basil and make beetroot pesto.
My daughter enjoyed helping me in the kitchen and we both loved this colourful meal. Although I had mine with capers and she had pine kernels. Plus, the beetroot taste was subtle so I’ve finally found myself a new way to sneak this sweet root into my diet.
Here’s how we did it:
Ingredients (for 2 people)
For the Pesto:
Juice of half a Lemon
One Beetroot
50g Cashew Nuts
2 Cloves Garlic
One handful of fresh Basil
1 tbs Olive Oil
1 tbs Yoghurt or plant-based alternative
Water
Also:
150g Tagliatelle
Spinach
1 Courgette cut into thick slices
Handful of Capers OR Pine Kernels
Method
1. Cut up your beetroot and courgette into chunks of a similar size. Roast until soft enough to sink a fork into. 2. Boil a pan of water and add fresh or dried tagliatelle. Cook as per packet instructions.
3. Place the garlic, cashews, basil, lemon juice, olive oil and cooked beetroot into a blender and mix until smooth. If the blend is too thick, add water until the consistency is that of pate, then add 1 tablespoon of yoghurt or plant-based alternative and stir in.
4. Sieve the tagliatelle and use the empty pasta saucepan to heat the beetroot flavoured pesto and your roasted courgette. When warm add the pasta back to the pan and stir together gently until the tagliatelle is coated in the pesto. Add a few handfuls of spinach and keep it on the heat just long enough to start wilting.
5. Serve and add either pine kernels or capers (they don’t work together). Capers give a sharp bite and pine kernels give a crunch so I’ll leave it to you to decide what you prefer. Add salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy! The next day I mixed in the leftover pesto with couscous which was equally delicious and made for a real rainbow dinner #eattherainbow #pinkpesto #beetrootpesto #pestorecipe #plantbasedrecipe #healthyfood
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