Quinoa Pasta and Roasted Beet and Garlic Sauce

Only one other time in my whooooole life have I liked something with beets. It was about a year about when I made a Quinoa and Roasted Beet Salad.

I don't enjoy the earthiness of them. I love the color though.

My girls love beets and it's because of them that I found this recipe. I won't proclaim to be a beet lover. But I love this particular recipe.

I recently signed up to have fresh, organic produce delivered to my home...straight from local farms. It's pretty cool. I'm just giving it a test run to see how it goes. Anyway...my first delivery was the other day

I got beets. I knew they were coming. I could've put them on the 'no-no' list but since my girls love them, I went ahead and let them come.

In my Google search for beet recipes, I came across a Huffpost link that claimed to turn any beet hater into a lover. (They weren't kidding!)

A little tweaking from the original recipe and we have here a vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free recipe. So delicious! Just a slight hint of that earthy beet flavor (that I usually don't like) but the sweetness that beets are known for pulls forward from the roasting, offset and wonderfully paired with roasted garlic and thyme.

Quinoa Pasta and Roasted Beet and Garlic Sauce
Inspired by: BevCooks
Printable Version

3 beets, peeled and cubed
3 TB light olive oil, divided
3 sprigs fresh thyme (I use lemon thyme...love the stuff)
4 cloves of garlic (papery skins left on)
1 TB balsamic vinegar
2 TB extra dry vermouth
1/2 cup Parmesan style aged nut cheese divided
1/2 cup vegetable stock
1/4 cup plain cultured coconut milk (similar to plain yogurt)
1 tsp sugar
8 oz quinoa pasta,cooked according to the package directions
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper

Preheat oven to 400' F

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place beets, thyme and whole garlic cloves on the baking sheet and toss with 1 TB of olive oil, salt and pepper.

The reason I left the papery skins on the garlic, was to protect them from burning while in the oven.

Bake for about 45 minutes. Check them after 30 minutes just in case. The actual baking time will vary depending on how big or small your beet cubes are. Once they're tender, they're done.

Once done, remove the papery skins from the garlic and any thyme stems you can find. Place it all in a food processor along with the remaining 2 TB of olive oil, the balsamic vinegar, vermouth and 1/4 cup of 'cheese'. Puree until smooth.

Place your deep rich beet puree into a saucepan along with the vegetable stock and cultured coconut milk. Stir well until combined and heat to a simmer, over medium heat.

Add the sugar, remaining 1/4 'cheese' and if needed, a bit more salt. Simmer on low for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently.

This is a good time to cook your pasta. Once the pasta is cooked and drained, add it in with the sauce and give it a good stir.

Serve with more 'cheese' and a bit of thyme leaves.

(ok, I confess here...I'm not lactose intolerant the way my youngest daughter is, so I topped mine with real, shredded Parmesan cheese)

Oh so good! So beautiful. So hearty. Not to mention...GOOD FOR YOU!!

Btw...those beet leaves that you cut off? Save them! Do. Not. Throw. Them. Away.

Why?

You can bake them. And make beet greens chips, just like you do with kale. Just wash, dry thoroughly, remove tough stems. Drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper and a bit of garlic powder. Place on a baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes in a 375' oven. Turn off the heat and let sit in cooling oven for an additional 10 minute or until the edges are starting to brown but not burnt.

Other than the stems and the skinny root at the end of the beet...we have just consumed a lot of beet stuff.

And it was good!