Macheesmo

I drastically over-estimated the amount of beets I would need for the gratin I made last week and it left me with a fridge drawer full of one of my favorite root vegetables.

There are worse problems to have no doubt.

Many beet recipes tend to have a long cook time because they rely on roasting the beets, which can take an hour.

Well, I didn’t have an hour, so I used a different method to cook these. By cutting the beets into matchsticks you can drastically reduce the cooking time and keep their delicious flavor and color.

I tossed these with some bow tie pasta and few other key add-ins to make this really unique and delicious Golden Beet Pasta dinner.

Beet and Bow Tie Pasta

by Nick

Serves:

Serves 4

Prep Time:

15 mins

Total Time:

30 mins

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Golden beets cut into strips, sauteed, and tossed with bow tie pasta, goat cheese, and pine nuts! You have got to try this!

Ingredients

12 ounces bow tie pasta

2 medium golden beets, cut into matchsticks

1 sweet onion, sliced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

4 ounces goat cheese

1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted

Salt and pepper

Instructions

1) Cook pasta according to package in salted water. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water when you drain the pasta.

2) Peel the beets and cut them into matchsticks. Slice the onions into strips.

3) In a large skillet, add olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and beets. Season with a pinch of red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper and cook until beets are tender and slightly browned on the edges, about 10 minutes.

4) When pasta is cooked, add drained pasta to the skillet along with 1/2 cup pasta water. Toss together. Add other 1/2 cup of pasta water if the pasta seems really dry.

5) Toast pine nuts in a small skillet over low heat until lightly browned and fragrant.

6) Divide pasta between bowls and top with crumbled goat cheese and pine nuts.

Golden Beet Pasta Recipe

Matchsticking

It can look like a lot of work to matchstick vegetables like this. While you can use a mandoline with the matchstick attachment, I actually just used my knife for these since I was only doing two.

You just peel the beets, then cut them into coins, and then cut the coins into sticks. It’s not hard, but can take some time depending on your knife skills.

Cooking Beets

To cook the beets, add a drizzle of oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced onions and beets and let these cook until the beets are tender and the veggies are starting to brown slightly.

I recommend hitting the veggies with a pinch of salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes as they cook.

Eventually, you’ll have something like this.

Pine Nuts and Pasta

Toasted pine nuts are always a great garnish for pasta dishes like this Golden Beet Pasta. They are a bit expensive though so you don’t need a bunch. A small handful goes a long way. Just toast them slowly over low heat in a dry skillet until they are fragrant.

Watch your skillet carefully. These can burn quickly and then you’ll be out a few bucks and have to start over!

You could use a wide variety of pastas for this. Even elbow macaroni would work okay I think.

Bow tie (or farfalle) is my personal favorite. Just cook it according to the package in salted water. Be sure reserve about a cup of the pasta water before you drain the pasta.

Finishing the Golden Beet Pasta

Once your pasta is cooked, the dish couldn’t be easier. Just add the drained pasta to the skillet with the beets. Toss them together and add about 1/2 cup of pasta water. If the pasta mixture looks dry, you can add more water.

The finished pasta should have a very light sauce on it from the oil and pasta water. I just love the bright, golden colors!

Serving is pretty straightforward. Divide the pasta between bowls and garnish with goat cheese and pine nuts.

As you might guess, this Golden Beet Pasta keeps really well. You can actually eat it cold as a pasta salad of sorts. If you want to reheat it though, it’s best to do it in a small pan or skillet over medium heat. Add some water to the pasta as it reheats to loosen it up.

I love golden beets so much and this pasta dish really accents their best qualities.

Are you a beet fan? Leave a comment!