Pink Pasta with Beet Cream (Printable)

Vibrant pasta with smooth beet cream sauce, garlic, and Parmesan creates a stunning vegetarian dish ready in 40 minutes.

# What You'll Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 14 oz dried penne or rigatoni
02 - Salt, for boiling water

→ Beet Cream Sauce

03 - 2 medium cooked beets (peeled and chopped)
04 - 2 tbsp olive oil
05 - 1 small onion, finely chopped
06 - 2 garlic cloves, minced
07 - ½ cup heavy cream
08 - 2 tbsp unsalted butter
09 - ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
10 - 1 tbsp lemon juice
11 - ¼ tsp ground black pepper
12 - Salt, to taste

→ Garnish

13 - Fresh basil leaves, for serving
14 - Extra grated Parmesan

# How To Make It:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente according to package directions. Reserve ½ cup pasta water and drain pasta.
02 - Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes until translucent. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
03 - Add chopped beets to the skillet and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
04 - Transfer beet mixture to a blender. Add heavy cream, butter, lemon juice, black pepper, and a pinch of salt. Blend until smooth and uniform.
05 - Return beet cream sauce to skillet over low heat. Stir in grated Parmesan until melted and smooth. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
06 - Add drained pasta to sauce, tossing gently to coat. Incorporate reserved pasta water as needed to achieve a silky texture.
07 - Plate immediately, garnishing with fresh basil leaves and additional Parmesan cheese.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • The color alone will make everyone at your table gasp, but the flavor is what keeps them coming back for seconds
  • It comes together in under an hour but tastes like something from a restaurant that takes reservations three weeks out
  • The beet cream sauce works with literally any pasta shape you have languishing in your pantry
02 -
  • Blending hot liquids can be dangerous—either let the beet mixture cool slightly or vent your blender carefully to avoid a pink explosion all over your kitchen
  • The sauce thickens quickly as it sits, so have everything else ready before you start tossing the pasta
  • If your sauce looks too vibrant, almost unnaturally pink, you nailed it—that is exactly what you are going for
03 -
  • Use a high-speed blender if you have one—the smoother your sauce, the more luxurious it feels
  • Taste your beets before you start—earthy beets need more acid, sweeter ones need less
  • A microplane makes quick work of the Parmesan and helps it melt into the sauce more evenly
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