Healthy pink beetroot pasta: Quick and effortless

Pink beetroot pasta!

How beautiful a name it is. Like its name, it gives a luxurious and comfy feel, which is why it is named Barbie pasta. This silky, smooth, and exciting pasta looks attractive and tastes too. It is the perfect recipe to celebrate any occasion with your loved ones and to enjoy with kids. 

The vibrant pink beetroots are an excellent source of dietary fiber. They are packed with essential nutrients such as fiber, manganese, potassium, iron, and vitamin C. Adding beetroot into pasta enhances the taste and increases the dish’s overall nutritional value.

Beetroot has its own earthy and slightly sweet flavor. But beetroot taste blends so well with cheese, spices, and herbs that its earthy flavor doesn’t remain dominant.

Let’s start with beetroot cooking. 

Different methods to cook beetroot:

There are several methods to cook the beetroot. The exciting part is that each resulted in a unique flavor and texture. The most popular methods are:

• Roasting
• Steaming
• Boiling
• Air-fryer (my recommended method): I always prefer to air-fryer beetroot. This method not only keeps the pasta’s exciting pink color but enhances the taste, too. 

By the way, you should also try my these magical recipies pasta with marinara sauce and Indian style macaroni pasta.

Roast beetroot and garlic in an air-fryer:

Preheat your oven to (200°C) or roast in the air-fryer. Wash and peel the beetroot. Slice beetroot into diced cut. Spray with olive oil and black pepper, wrap it in aluminum foil. Take a few garlic cloves, spray them with olive oil and black pepper, wrap them in separate foil, and place them in the air-fryer for 30 minutes. ( using of aluminium foil is optional)

Once beetroot and garlic are air-fried, blend both contents with lemon juice, a pinch of salt, and pepper(you can add more according to taste). Blend until you get the desired smoothness and set aside. Beetroot sauce is ready!

I will teach you how to make pink beetroot pasta in today’s recipe. Once you try this simple recipe, you’ll never hesitate to make it repeatedly. Let’s dive into the recipe. 

Ingredients to make pink beetroot pasta:

Beetroot pasta is prepared with simple ingredients which are primarily available at home. There is nothing fancy to add in the recipe.

• Pasta shells
• Beetroot
• Lemon
• Garlic
• Dill
• Feta

Directions to make pink beetroot pasta:

Step 1(pasta selection): small pasta shapes like linguine, elbow, shell, bowtie, or orzo go perfectly to hold thick and rich sauces. In this recipe, I’m using pasta shells. However, you can select any pasta according to your preference, including gluten-free.

Step 2(cook al-dante pasta): bring a large pot of water with pasta up to the boil to cook pasta. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. You can seek help to achieve the perfect pasta texture just by clicking here:

How to cook perfect al-dante pasta

Step 3(pair up beetroot sauce and pasta): add precooked smooth beetroot sauce to pasta once the pasta is cooked. Cook the pasta and sauce on low heat until the pasta is coated with pink sauce and the sauce has thickened to perfect consistency. 

Step 4(sprinkling of dill): dish the pasta into a serving bowl. Garnish pasta by sprinkling dill and reserved shredded feta on it. 

Happy Barbie pasta!

Suggested variations:

Want to sauté garlic? 

If you like strong garlic flavor in the sauce, toasting garlic in olive oil is the best option. It will enhance the beetroot sauce taste. You can add garlic powder if you’re on short time. 

Reserve pasta water: 

Don’t discard all pasta water after boiling. Reserve 1 cup pasta water to add in beetroot sauce while blending. It brings out a sauce that is lighter and more flavourful.

Want to add walnuts? 

When serving, walnuts are a great addition to get crunchy smack over the pink pasta.

Mindful with beetroot color:

Beetroot’s vibrant color adds visual attraction to the dish, but it can stain easily. Be careful while handling beetroot in the kitchen. Wearing gloves can prevent you from staining.

Frequently asked questions