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A Bountiful Harvest For Beetroot Tagliatelle

1st September 2014 By Urvashi Roe 38 Comments

Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

Last year I planted a three different varieties of beetroot.  This year I chose just ‘Beetroot Boltardy’ but with lessons learned, I thinned and replanted my little beets so I’d get nice, fat ones for roasting.  There’s no space in my fridge for pickles this year with all the lemon and elderflower marmalade!

Beetroot happy at the allotment

Beetroot happily transplanted at the allotment

I must admit it has been much easier to harvest them too and the greens have been healthier.  I’ve been adding them to my dhal to give a little extra nutritional boost and a bonus pinky colour.

I discovered a whole host of recipes with beetroot and all year have been pinning to my dedicated board on Pinterest and one recipe I was keen to try is beetroot pasta.  I’ve seen what beetroot does to mashed potato and it’s how I got my girls eating it.  Pink mash they call it and even now they’ve gone through their girlie pink phase and pink food is a welcome addition to our dinner table.  With the cloudy skies of late it’s a great way to add a little brightness to the end of the day.

Discovering beetroot pasta 

Discovering beetroot pasta has been much the same.   The colour of the dough is spectacular and you cannot help but smile while kneading.  It does take a little trial and error with the flour depending on how wet your beetroots are.  For a better flavour and a less watery colour I would suggest roasting them but if you don’t have time, boiling is fine though allow some time to leave them to stand and drain off excess water.

Make sure that you purée the beetroot really well so there are absolutely no lumps that could get stick in the machine.  This will ruin all your hard work because it only takes one to stick and the whole batch need to be done again.

Beetroot Pasta

You’ll need to use lots of extra flour to get it through the machine

We have an Italian pasta machine and it’s been a worthwhile investment.  We have used it almost every week for the last 15 years. The important thing is to brush and wipe it clean.  Washing it will lead to rust.

If you don’t have a pasta machine, take small balls of the dough and roll it out as thin as you can on a very floury surface.  Then cut strips using a pizza cutter.

Beetroot Pasta

Ensure there are no lumps in the beetroot to avoid the pasta getting caught in the machine

Beetroot Pasta

Beetroot Tagliatelle

I made a double batch of the pasta and left half over the prepared tagliatelle overnight in the fridge.  If you want to do this, put it on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper and a little dusting of fine semolina.  Helps it not stick a little better than flour.

beetroot tagliatelle
Print Recipe

Beetroot Tagliatelle

Servings: 6

Notes

Beetroot Pasta, tagliatelle

Beetroot Tagliatelle with Carrot Top Pesto

You'll need

  • 2 medium sized beetroots - about 300g
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 350g plain 00 grade flour - you may need more depending on how wet your beets are
  • 1 heaped tsp salt

To make 4 portions

  1. Preheat the oven to 190C
  2. Chop the beetroot (skin on) into thick wedges and toss in the olive oil.
  3. Roast the chopped beetroot in a heatproof pan for about 20-30 minutes.
  4. Leave the beetroot to cool and then rub the skins off gently with a paper towel or your fingers if you don't mind getting them pink!
  5. Pop them into a food processor or blender.  I use a Froothie as the Magimix doesn't quite get it smooth enough.
  6. Add the eggs and egg yolk and then blitz it all up together.
  7. Transfer this mixture to a large bowl and then add in the flour and salt until you get a stiff dough.  It will be sticky to start but keep adding a little more flour and knead away and you'll get a nice smooth dough in about 15 minutes.
  8. Shape the dough into a ball and leave to rest for a couple of hours.
  9. Cut the dough into eight pieces.  I find the easiest way to do this is cut in half and then in half again and then again.
  10. Flatten each piece into an oblongy shape and cover well in flour.
  11. Put it through the machine once to flatten.  Flour it and then pass it through again.  Repeat until you have it just a few mm thick.
  12. Finally pass it through the tagliatelle setting and then leave on a floured work surface, over a laundry rack or the back of a chair to dry as you finish the rest of the pieces in the same way.
  13. To cook the pasta bring an enormous pan of water to the boil and add salt to your taste.
  14. Dust off as much flour as you can before cooking each batch of pasta to avoid the water becoming too starchy.  It only takes a few minutes to cook.
  15. Drain, drizzle in a little olive oil to stop it sticking.
The pasta works well with a light creamy sauce - sauté some garlic and onions, add double cream and seasoning, then toss the cooked tagliatelle through.  Our favourite though is carrot top and sunflower seed pesto but a standard basil pesto would also be lovely.
My next step is to make Beetroot Ravioli stuffed with some goat's cheese I bought in France last week.  Can't wait.

Have you ever made beetroot pasta? What did you pair it with? 

Related articles
  • Pearl barley and roasted beetroot salad with maple balsamic dressing (amuse-your-bouche.com)
  • Borscht (mycustardpie.com)
  • Beetroot and Bitter Chocolate Cupcakes (franglaiskitchen.com)
  • Beetroot and Goat’s Cheese Wraps (tinnedtomatoes.com)

Related

Filed Under: Main Meal, Pasta Tagged With: Allotment, Beetroot, tagliatelle

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Karrie says

    1st September 2014 at 11:39 am

    Puzzled as to why on earth you would keep unopened pickles in the fridge – pickling is a preservation method so they store well in cool dark places for years even!! 🙂

    Reply
    • Urvashi Roe says

      1st September 2014 at 11:41 am

      Hi I meant the opened jars. We have one beer pickle jar left in the cupboard as you say but I have so many open jars of other things – jams, compotes, relishes, chutneys etc and my fridge is only a little one. 🙁

      Reply
  2. Katie Bryson (@cookingkt) says

    1st September 2014 at 11:57 am

    How stunning is that beetroot pasta?!!! That’s totally cheered up my rainy Monday morning 🙂

    Reply
    • Urvashi Roe says

      2nd September 2014 at 8:06 am

      Awww thank you. It was rather dreary yesterday. I wonder if your boys would love the colour or hate it?

      Reply
  3. Jac -Tinned Tomatoes (@tinnedtoms) says

    1st September 2014 at 1:29 pm

    That pasta looks stunning. I gave my pasta machine away as I wasn’t using it. Now I regret that!

    Reply
  4. Philip says

    1st September 2014 at 8:30 pm

    Stunning! And I can vouch for beetroot ravioli: Goat’s cheese and toasted walnut filling with a rocket and reduced balsamic pesto is a fab dish

    Reply
    • Urvashi Roe says

      2nd September 2014 at 8:05 am

      Ooh I had not thought of walnut but that would totally work. Thank you! I like the idea of a reduced balsamic too

      Reply
      • Philip says

        2nd September 2014 at 10:49 am

        Yes, cuts through the gorgeous richness of the cheese and the marvellous bitterness of the walnuts. Crikey, I am getting hungry as I type!!!

        Reply
        • Urvashi Roe says

          3rd September 2014 at 7:40 am

          🙂

          Reply
  5. Sarah Maison Cupcake says

    1st September 2014 at 8:44 pm

    This looks so beautiful and I am in awe you make pasta yourself once a week. Loving the carrot top pesto too!

    Reply
    • Urvashi Roe says

      2nd September 2014 at 8:04 am

      Thank you Sarah. The carrot top pesto is a revelation!

      Reply
  6. Sally says

    2nd September 2014 at 7:01 am

    Absolutely beautiful Urvashi. Plus you’ve reminded me to get out my pasta maker. Saying you’ve used it every week for 15 years makes me very ashamed at how little mine comes out of the cupboard.

    Reply
    • Urvashi Roe says

      2nd September 2014 at 8:03 am

      I think it’s getting out of the mind set that it’s a faff because it’s really not when you come down to it. Make dough in the morning, rest while I’m at work and then it only takes as long as the sauce to go with it. Adding beetroot was a little more faff but totally worth it for the taste.

      Reply
  7. circusgardener says

    2nd September 2014 at 11:42 am

    Superb idea, and wonderful photos.

    Reply
    • Urvashi Roe says

      3rd September 2014 at 7:40 am

      Thank you 🙂 how’s your beet harvest?

      Reply
      • circusgardener says

        3rd September 2014 at 12:13 pm

        It’s also bountiful – we have plenty of both conventional and golden beetroot, but fortunately we love it!

        Reply
        • Urvashi Roe says

          4th September 2014 at 9:15 am

          I’ve never planted the golden beets. Next year or perhaps over the winter.

          Reply
  8. Cooksister says

    2nd September 2014 at 12:52 pm

    We have been growing big fat beetroots too! Need to get a little more creative with them – we seldom get further than roasting them and gobbling them up 🙂 Adore the colour of the pasta, and I love that you served it with carrot top pesto!

    Reply
    • Urvashi Roe says

      3rd September 2014 at 7:42 am

      Thank you. I know what you mean about just roasting. They are so good that way and easy. That carrot top pesto is brilliant. Miss from one of our purple carrots that got pulled up by something and nibbled on so we checked the carrot but gobbled up the greens as they were too lovely to throw away

      Reply
  9. FarminCityfolk says

    2nd September 2014 at 2:55 pm

    These are gorgeous! I’ve been getting more beets than I know what to do with, what a great idea.

    Reply
    • Urvashi Roe says

      3rd September 2014 at 7:43 am

      Thank you. Our beets have now taken over a third of our allotment space. I’ve replanted some of the small ones again this weekend and will leave them for Xmas dinner now. Love how they last forever almost

      Reply
      • FarminCityfolk says

        3rd September 2014 at 3:03 pm

        Perfect color for a festive meal! Genius.

        Reply
        • Urvashi Roe says

          4th September 2014 at 9:15 am

          Thank you. I like your idea of festive meal. This would be a good one also for children’s pink or purple themed birthday parties. My girls want to make pink raviloi fortheir next birthday party!

          Reply
          • FarminCityfolk says

            8th September 2014 at 5:04 pm

            Love it, such a great idea. I’m all about theme parties.

  10. Jody and Ken says

    3rd September 2014 at 2:32 am

    Your pasta is stunning looking–as it should be. Beet pasta is so much fun, especially as sheets for raviolil. Just curious–what did you sauce it with? Thanks. Ken

    Reply
    • Urvashi Roe says

      3rd September 2014 at 7:44 am

      Thank you :-). I made a very simple pesto using carrot greens, sunflower seeds and olive oil. It was very lightly just tossed through the pasta and then dollops on top

      Reply
  11. Nazima says

    3rd September 2014 at 10:27 pm

    I have only ever made regular pasta with my machine and like the others find it hard enough persuading myself to do that, but this looks amazing. Such colour. We grew carrots this year but I’d never had thought to do a carrot top pesto. Must get more adventurous with the pesto sauces!

    Reply
    • Urvashi Roe says

      4th September 2014 at 9:14 am

      Thank you.
      The carrot greens smell so amazing I hate wasting them. Pesto its good but they are also great blitzed into soup and curries. Almost a lemony flavour.

      Reply
  12. Elizabeth says

    8th September 2014 at 1:19 pm

    What a beautifully vibrant pasta colour! I tried making beetroot tagliatelle once but when it came to boiling the pasta all the colour leached out and I ended up with a barely perceptible pink pasta. Saying that, it was pre-packaged cooked beetroot I used so maybe that was it. I must try it again with fresh!

    Reply
    • Urvashi Roe says

      8th September 2014 at 9:03 pm

      Oh no! Maybe it dies work better with super fresh ones. I’d never have thought it though. Beets should be beets!

      Reply
  13. Michelle @ Greedy Gourmet says

    31st December 2014 at 6:28 pm

    Wow, I bet it tasted amazing. Beautiful photos too!

    Reply
    • Urvashi Roe says

      11th January 2015 at 9:09 am

      Thanks Michelle x

      Reply
  14. zana says

    3rd March 2015 at 9:40 am

    Looks delicious! Can the pasta be stored once dry?

    Reply
    • Urvashi Roe says

      3rd March 2015 at 9:42 am

      Hi I think you can toss it in semolina and then put in the fridge but honestly I’ve never tried it so not sure

      Reply

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Hi I'm Urvashi!

I love food. This blog is a little glimpse into my foodie world which is an escape from two teenage girls, a busy job and my little cafe.

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