Hot Pink Creamy Beetroot Pasta

This pasta has a serious wow effect, am I right!? Who knew linguine could be hot pink! Actually it’s the beetroot in the creamy cashew sauce that makes it so eye catching and vibrant. It is altogether silky smooth, a little earthy and sweet from the beets and deliciously savoury with shallots, garlic and nutritional yeast.

To top it all off it’s served with some toasted walnuts for crunch and nuttiness and some of my vegan brazil nut “parmesan”. Finally I like to top it with some fresh thyme leaves but fresh basil would be delicious too or fried sage leaves would be another great option. Either way this pasta is guaranteed to get some “ohs” and “ahs” at your next dinner party without much fuss in the kitchen really!

This dish was put together as the starter for my Valentine’s Day three course menu video on YouTube for this year. It’s the third time I’ve made on of these! You can see year 2020 and 2021 too by clicking the years. This year this pasta is sandwiched between these roasted carrots with gremolata, hazelnuts and yogurt and these delicious no-bake chocolate and peanut butter tartelettes. Yum!

Malin x

Hot Pink Creamy Beetroot Pasta

Serves 4.

INGREDIENTS:

0,75 cup raw cashews

2 shallots

2 large garlic cloves

2 tbsp olive oil

2 medium sized cooked and peeled beetroots

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp nutritional yeast

1 tsp salt

Black pepper, to taste

0,75 cup unsweetened soy milk

To serve:

500 g linguine, use gluten free if required

0,5 cup walnuts

Brazil nut parmesan

Fresh thyme

METHOD:

Place the cashews in a bowl and pour boiling water over them until covered. Leave to soak for 15 minutes.

In the meantime put your pasta water on to boil and then follow cooking instructions for your particular linguine (or use spaghetti or fettuccine if you prefer) as and when the water comes to a boil. Make sure to salt the water.

Peel and finely chop the shallots and peel and roughly chop the garlic. Place a saute pan over medium heat with the olive oil. Once warm saute the shallot and garlic until softened and translucent. This will take 3-4 minutes.

Transfer the sauteed shallot and garlic to the jug of a blender. Chop up the cooked beetroot roughly and add that too along with lemon juice, nutritional yeast, salt and black pepper. Finely drain and rinse the soaked cashews and add those too. Pour in the soy milk and blend on high until the ingredients mike a smooth and silky sauce.

Warm another frying pan over medium heat and break the walnuts into it. Dry toast them in the pan until fragrant and golden around the edges. Remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl or plate.

When the pasta is cooked drain it and transfer it back to the pot over low heat. Pour over the sauce and use a pair of tongs to coat the pasta in the sauce. Keep moving the pasta around until it is a good temperature.

Serve in pasta bowls and sprinkle with the toasted walnuts. Also sprinklke over some brazil nut “parmesan” and fresh thyme leaves.