A pasta as scrumptious as it is pretty
This Pasta with Ricotta Beet Sauce is as scrumptious as it is pretty. Beets are roasted until tender then blended with whole milk ricotta cheese, garlic, fresh dill, and a dash of horseradish. A squeeze of fresh lemon juice softens any bitterness that might accompany the beets and rounds out their earthy sweetness. After combining the sauce with your favorite pasta, the dish is topped with crumbles of creamy and tart goat cheese, lemon zest, a crack of black pepper, and an extra sprinkle of fresh dill for good measure.
Though the bright pink color of this pasta dish makes it perfect for Valentine's Day or Galentine's Day, it's wonderful for any occasion you need a little creamy pink pasta in your life!
How to roast beets
Roasting beets for this pasta recipe is super easy! I've included 2 ways to roast them - wrapped in tin foil or secured in a dutch oven - depending on your preference. The amount of time that it takes to roast your beets until tender depends on what size your beets are and what temperature you roast at - I suggest 425 F / 220 C. Smaller beets are usually tender in about 40 minutes, large beets can take an hour or more to tenderize properly. However, roasting beets is super flexible so if you happen to have something else baking in your oven at 375 F or 400 F already, you can go ahead and add your beets in at that lower temperature too; they'll just need a little bit of extra time.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F / 220 C and reserve a baking sheet to the side.
- Scrub the beets under cool water with a vegetable brush to remove dirt, pat dry, and trim the ends off.
- Coat the beets in a thin layer of olive oil or avocado oil, rubbing the oil across the beets by hand until they are lightly coated.
- Wrap each beet individually in tin foil and transfer to the reserved baking sheet. If you prefer not to use tin foil, you can transfer the oiled beets to a dutch oven with a lid rather than baking them on a baking sheet.
- Roast for 40-60 minutes or until a toothpick is easily inserted into the flesh of the beet when unwrapped. Reserve beets to the side to cool slightly.
- Once beets have cooled enough that you can safely touch them by hand, remove the foil (if used) and remove their skins. The skin should come off easily now that they have been roasted, but if you find that they need a bit of help, I like to run them under cool water while I push the skins off. It's important that you remove all of the rough skin because it's not pleasant to eat.
What kind of pasta is best to use?
This is 100% up to you, but I suggest choosing a sturdy one as this sauce is nice and thick. I used a classic spaghetti pasta when I shot this recipe because I wanted to maximize the amount of Ricotta Beet Sauce I could coat on each noodle, but linguine, bucatini, and pappardelle are also lovely choices for a swirl and twirl pasta that will stand up well to the sauce. I also enjoy this sauce with a corkscrew shape like rotini, a rigatoni, or a penne because they all hold up well to thick sauces. Classic elbow, conchiglie/shell, or orecchiette are also really nice if your favored method for enjoying pasta in a deep bowl and a spoon. This sauce is also really lovely tossed in with gnocchi, if that's more your style.
Can I swap out the goat cheese that goes on top?
I love to top this pasta with a sprinkle of goat cheese, lemon zest, fresh dill, and an extra sprinkle of fresh cracked black pepper. However, if goat cheese isn't your favorite, this Pasta with Ricotta Beet Sauce is also really lovely with salty crumbled feta cheese.
What tools do I need to make this recipe?
- A baking sheet + tin foil - OR - a dutch oven (if you prefer not to use tin foil)
- A cutting board
- A chef's knife or paring knife
- A food processor
- A silicone spatula
- A kitchen scale (or measuring cups for less precise measurements)
- Measuring spoons
- A citrus juicer
- A citrus zester
- A large pot (or you can reuse the dutch oven)
- A pasta spoon
- A colander
Are you looking to upgrade to your cooking tools or replenish your pantry? Check out my kitchen tools shop page and pantry staples shop page to find my must-have kitchen tools, pantry items, and other Whip & Wander favorites.
Looking for more dinner inspiration?
Love this recipe? Here are some additional dinner dishes that you might enjoy!
- Pasta with Olive Tapenade
- Risotto with Mushrooms and Peas
- Roasted Salmon with Feta and Herbs
- Shrimp in Romesco Sauce with White Beans
A note for special diets
This Pasta with Ricotta Beet Sauce is friendly for vegetarian diets and can easily be made friendly for gluten-free diets by choosing a gluten-free pasta to enjoy this Ricotta Beet Sauce with.
Pasta with Ricotta Beet Sauce
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings
- Category: Mains
- Method: Oven / Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This Pasta with Ricotta Beet Sauce is perfect for Valentine's Day, Galentine's Day, or any time you need a creamy pink pasta in your life!
Ingredients
- 175 g (about 3 small) red beets, with ends trimmed
- 1 tsp olive oil - OR - avocado oil
- 122 g (about ½ cup) whole milk ricotta cheese
- 2 tbsp garlic-infused olive oil (may sub for 2 tbsp olive oil + 2 cloves minced garlic)
- 2 tbsp lemon juice, zest reserved
- 1 tbsp fresh dill
- 1 tsp horseradish cream
- ½ tsp Kosher salt
- ¼ tsp cracked black pepper
- 16 oz pasta of your choice (may use gluten-free if preferred - I utilized classic spaghetti for the nutrition summary)
- 2 oz (56 g) goat cheese, crumbled (may sub for crumbled feta cheese if preferred)
- Optional: additional fresh dill and cracked pepper to top
Instructions
Roasting the beets:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F / 220 C and reserve a baking sheet to the side.
- Scrub the beets under cool water with a vegetable brush to remove dirt, pat dry, and trim the ends off.
- Coat the beets in a thin layer of olive oil or avocado oil, rubbing the oil across the beets by hand until they are lightly coated.
- Wrap each beet individually in tin foil and transfer to the reserved baking sheet. If you prefer not to use tin foil, you can transfer the oiled beets to a dutch oven with a lid rather than baking them on a baking sheet.
- Roast for 40-60 minutes or until a toothpick is easily inserted into the flesh of the beet when unwrapped. Reserve beets to the side to cool slightly.
- Once beets have cooled enough that you can safely touch them by hand, remove the foil (if used) and remove their skins. The skin should come off easily now that they have been roasted, but if you find that they need a bit of help, I like to run them under cool water while I push the skins off. It's important that you remove all of the rough skin because it's not pleasant to eat.
For the ricotta beet sauce:
- Roughly chop the beets into quarters and add to your food processor fitted with a blending blade, along with the ricotta cheese, garlic-infused olive oil (or olive oil + minced garlic cloves), lemon juice, dill, horseradish cream, salt, and pepper.
- Blitz the ingredients on low to combine, then slowly increase the speed, blending until the sauce is smooth and creamy. You may need to pause blending to scrape the bowl down once in order to combine fully. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust if needed. Reserve to the side until your pasta is finished cooking.
Pasta + assembly:
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Reserve about 8 oz /1 cup of pasta water, then drain the remaining water and return pasta to the pot. Pour ricotta beet sauce into the drained pasta and use a pasta spoon to toss and combine the sauce evenly. Pour in small amounts of the reserved pasta water to help the sauce combine, as needed.
- You can dress the entire pasta dish in crumbled goat cheese (or feta cheese, if preferred) or dress each bowl individually. I love to finish each portion with a sprinkle of the reserved lemon zest, some fresh dill, and a sprinkle of cracked black pepper.
Notes
Nutritional information on Whip & Wander is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
I utilized classic spaghetti pasta for the nutrition summary
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 387
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 193 mg
- Fat: 11 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Carbohydrates: 60 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 13 g
- Cholesterol: 18 mg
Allison says
Hi, this looks great. Can the beet and ricotta sauce be frozen after it is blended to be used another time?
Jenni says
Hi Allison! I haven't tried freezing this sauce yet. My best guess is that you may end up with a bit of separation because the water content in ricotta is fairly high, but that wouldn't stop me from giving it a try. Once defrosted, I would be inclined to reheat on the stove and use a whisk to re-emulsify if needed. Please let me know if you give it a try!