Roasted Beet Pasta Sauce

Wow! Life just turned up its speed on me and things got crazy…in a good way J. Generally after a busy week, or when I’m feeling tired, I start to crave comfort foods. You know what I mean right - foods that are warming and often times rich, thick and creamy. But, yes there is a but, my body does not agree with foods that come with rich, thick and creamy (i.e. cheese, heavy cream, cream soups, butter, etc.). And so I set out to create a pasta dish that seemed like comfort food and would leave me feeling light and nourished rather than full and sluggish. It is my pleasure to introduce to you this creamy, healthy (check out the health benefits here!) and lip-smacking good Roasted Beet Pasta Sauce!

For this recipe, I topped brown rice pasta noodles with the beet sauce and roasted Brussels sprouts; however, you can use any pasta and veggie of your choice. Oh and don’t forget the goat cheese. Though I try to stay away from cheese most of the time, goat cheese and beets just go together if you ask me J Use just a little bit!

* Sorry for all the noodle recipes lately, you can look forward to a Spring dessert next week!

Ingredients

4 medium sized beets

½ cup of purified water (or vegetable stock) to thin out the sauce
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

4-5 fresh basil leaves

2 cloves of roasted garlic

Sea salt (I love Himalayan pink salt)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Rinse the beets under fresh water, cut the beet greens off of the beets and wrap individually in foil. Transfer the beets to a pan or baking dish and roast for approximately 40 minutes or until you can easily pierce the beet with a fork. Add your garlic cloves (with skin on) to the oven for the last 10 minutes.

Remove the foil and let the beets cool long enough for you to handle. Use a wet cloth or paper towel and gently remove the beet skin or peel. It should come off easily. Cut the beets in smaller chunks and transfer to a blender or food processor.

Add the garlic (skin removed), olive oil, basil leaves and vegetable stock or water to the blender or food processor and mix until creamy. Continue to add stock or water until you reach your desired consistency. Add salt to taste.

Serve over your favorite pasta and top with your favorite veggie (the Brussels sprouts paired nicely).