letting this humble veg be the star of the show….even if it is covered in bread crumbs and cheese. don’t let the fear of beet’s stop you from trying them. this is a great entry level beets dish if you are not sure how you feel about their flavor or texture. simply boil or roast them till fork tender and peel off the skin and they are ready to be blended into a creamy sauce like this one.
Beet Cavatappi
serves 4 / prep and cook time is about 1 hour.
Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil - for sautéing
1 medium sized beet ( roasted or boiled )
1/4 cup - minced shallot
2 tbsp - minced garlic
1/2 tbsp - soy sauce
1/2 cup - white wine
1 can - full fat unsweetened coconut milk
1 tbsp - cornstarch + 1/4 cup cold water mix together
1 cup - reserved pasta water
1/4 cup - lemon juice
3 tbsp - cold vegan butter
1/2 tbsp - sea salt
1/4 tsp - freshly cracked black pepper
1/4 tsp - nutmeg
1/2 tsp - white pepper
1 tbsp - nutritional yeast
4 cups - or 8 oz of cavatappi pasta
Instructions
Step 1 - Beet prep + get a pot of boiling water going
There is nothing worse than going to make something and realizing you don’t have the stuff ! For this recipe you are going to need one beet. I recommend baking it to avoid it being too watery which can happen in the process of boiling beets. To roast your beet rub it with a bit of olive oil and season with a touch of salt before wrapping it in tin foil and roasting it till cooked through. This depends on how big it is but typically 40 minutes at 370 degrees Fahrenheit does the trick. Once it is cooked, let it cool down a bit and then use the tin foil to rub and peel off the skin. Then cut off any rough bits if needed and cut your beet into cubes so that way you can measure out a heaping quarter cup of diced beets.
While this is goin on, get a pot of boiling water going with a bit of salt to par cook the cavatappi pasta. Cook the pasta for about 7 minutes and reserve 1 cup of pasta water before straining the pasta.
Step 2 - Blending
Add the quarter cup of beet cubes in a Nutribullet or high powered blender with 1 cup of your canned coconut milk to make your “beet puree”. Blend really well and then set aside.
Step 3 - Making the pan sauce
In a large sauce or sauté pan, sauté the shallots and garlic till golden brown. Season with a touch of soy sauce and deglazed with white wine and allow the wine to cook down for maybe 2/3 minutes. After that add in your boiled cavatappi pasta and pour over your beet puree. Give everything a good stir and allow everything to combine together. This is when I added in the corn starch slurry, lemon juice and seasonings. Allow everything here to simmer on low while stirring everything allowing that cornstarch slurry to thicken everything well. Use your pasta water to get the desired sauce thickness and texture by adding a little at a time and stirring it in. Lastly, something I like to add in pasta dishes like this is a bit of some cold vegan butter. Take the pasta off the heat and mix in the cold butter to sort of emulsify.
Step 4 - Plating and garnish
To make the toasted breadcrumbs, simply toast some panko breadcrumbs in a bit of vegan butter until golden brown and then season with a bit of salt, pepper and garlic powder. Use this to sprinkle over the top of the pasta with some chopped parsley and shredded parmesan cheese. As always, I used the Violife brand parmesan cheese block. Save any left overs in an air tight, food safe container for up to 7 days in the fridge.
If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.
And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you <3