This Roasted Beet and Feta Pasta dish is as tasty as it is beautiful. It has hints of bright orange juice with all the creaminess feta brings while bringing that gorgeous almost pitaya-colored red beet sauce.
ROASTED BEET AND FETA PASTA
Inspired by the a viral Tik Tok video, my version plays off of beet friendlies like orange and red wine vinegar to soften the earthy notes of red beet. You’ve probably seen a few versions floating around, most of which sound very earthy. When I’m eating beets I prefer to pair them with brighter notes that complement and enhance the natural flavor of beets and focus on pulling out their sweet notes instead of just the earthy ones.
HOW TO MAKE ROASTED BEET AND FETA PASTA
- Start by roasting your beets with some thyme, orange zest, garlic cloves, salt, pepper, and a good amount of olive oil. Be sure to cover your pan with foil to seal in all the good stuff.
- When you’re halfway through the roasting process (about 20 mins in), cook your pasta until it’s al dente and set aside.
- When the roasting process is over, blend everything but the thyme stems and orange zest with feta, orange juice, olive oil, pasta water, and red wine vinegar until it’s super smooth and extra creamy.
- Pour all that beautiful sauce over the pasta in the same pot you used to cook it and then plate it all up with some crumbled feta, fresh dill, black pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil. YUM.
TIPS AND TRICKS
- I stan bronze-extruded pasta all day. Bronze-extruded pasta is just that, extruded through a bronze extruder instead of something like Teflon. This results in a really scratchy exterior that makes for super starchy water and pasta that holds sauce better. So, if you want the best version of this dish, use bronze-extruded pasta.
- When it comes to beets, I look for beets that are on the smaller side, that are firm and deeply maroon. The taproot should be attached and shouldn’t be hairy looking (hairs usually point to toughness) and I look for beets with the least amount of blemishes.
- You can substitute other herbs like parsley or even chopped chives if you aren’t a fan of dill.
If you make this Roasted Beet and Feta Pasta, let me know on Instagram!
Looking for recipes to serve with this Roasted Beet and Feta Pasta? Here are some favorites:
Endive Salad with Orange and Walnuts
Roasted Beet and Feta Pasta
This Roasted Beet and Feta Pasta dish is as tasty as it is beautiful. It has hints of bright orange juice with all the creaminess feta brings while bringing that gorgeous almost pitaya-colored red beet sauce. Â
Serving Size: people
Ingredients
- 9 ounces fresh beets trimmed, peeled, and quartered (roughly 3 medium beets)
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 large zest peel from an orange
- 6 cloves of garlic peeled
- ½ teaspoon and ¼ cup kosher salt plus more for seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper plus more for seasoning
- 3 tablespoons and ¼ cup olive oil plus more for finishing
- 16 ounces dried pasta of your choice
- 8 ounces feta cubed and divided
- ¼ cup orange juice
- ½ to 1 cup pasta water (reserved from pasta)
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- ½ cup fresh dill roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Place beets in a small roasting pan with the thyme, orange zest peel, and garlic cloves. Season with a ½ teaspoon of kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon of black pepper, then toss everything in 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Cover the pan with foil, sealing the edges, and roast for 40 minutes.
- Halfway through the roasting, bring a large pot of water to boil and season with ¼ cup kosher salt when boiling. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, following the instructions on the package. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water then drain the pasta in a colander and set aside. Keep the pot on the stove.
- To a blender jar, add the roasted beets, garlic, thyme leaves (discarding the stems and orange zest peel), 5 ounces of feta, orange juice, ¼ cup olive oil, ½ cup reserved pasta water, and red wine vinegar. Blend on high for about a minute or until creamy and smooth.
- To the pot you cooked the pasta in, add the pasta back in and pour the beet sauce all over. Toss to coat evenly. You can warm it on low if the pasta cooled down and add more pasta water to thin if needed.
- To plate, add the pasta first then crumbled on some of the remaining 3 ounces of feta and sprinkle on some fresh dill. Finish with some black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.
Nutrition
Calories: 161kcal (8%) | Carbohydrates: 4g (1%) | Protein: 8g (16%) | Fat: 12g (18%) | Saturated Fat: 8g (50%) | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 50mg (17%) | Sodium: 652mg (28%) | Potassium: 113mg (3%) | Fiber: 1g (4%) | Sugar: 1g (1%) | Vitamin A: 724IU (14%) | Vitamin C: 13mg (16%) | Calcium: 295mg (30%) | Iron: 1mg (6%)
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