Beets and goat cheese are a classic, if not cliché, combination. So for a weeknight, it doesn’t take much brain power to slap them together and make a delicious dinner.
For this pasta, I roasted beets in the morning before work. An when I returned home, all I had to do was peel the beautiful red bulbs and slice and saute them along with scallions and garlic. I chose to chop the beets into fairly large hunks, because I wanted big earthy bites rather than a homogenous sauce. Ample butter, pasta water, olive oil and goat cheese, coated the noodles, which took on a vibrant magenta hue.
Beet Pasta with Goat Cheese
1 1/2 pounds red beets
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 scallions, thinly sliced
Salt and pepper
1/2 pound dried spaghetti
1/4 cup pasta water
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 ounces soft goat cheese
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400°. Clean beets, and remove stems and greens, reserving for another use. Wrap each beet in aluminum foil, and bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until they can be pierced easily with a knife. Allow beets to cool. (This step can be completely a day in advance.) Remove beet skins, and chop into 1/2-inch pieces.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Lightly brown butter in a large frying pan. Add garlic and scallions, and cook until garlic is light golden. Add beets, and cook 8 minutes. Season liberally with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, begin cooking pasta according to package directions. Drain cooked pasta, reserving 1/4 cup pasta water. Add pasta, pasta water, and olive oil to beets. Toss to coat.
Divide pasta and beets into bowls, top with crumbled goat cheese, and serve immediately.
Serves 4