Beetroot & Feta pesto pasta

Ingredients

• 500gr gluten-free pasta, ideally with ridges to hold the pesto better

• 500gr cooked beetroot

• 200gr Feta cheese

• 80gr roasted walnuts

• 2 small, whole garlic bulbs (or 1 large one)

• 1/2 cup + 3 tbsps extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

• 1 handful of fresh mint leaves

• 1.5 tbsps balsamic vinegar glaze

• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

I start by turning on the oven to 180ºC. Until it warms up, I chop the cooked beetroot into 2-inch chunks. 

In an oven dish, I add the beetroot chunks around the edges, which I dress with 2 tbsps of EVOO and 1.5 tbsps of balsamic vinegar glaze (the glaze coats the beetroot better). I, then, place 3/4 of the Feta cheese block (I save the other 1/4 for garnish) in the middle of the dish, together with the 2 garlic bulbs with the tops cut off to expose the garlic cloves. I season everything with salt and pepper. These will roast in the oven for 30 minutes.

If the walnuts are unroasted, I line a baking tray with baking paper and roast them at 180ºC for 8 minutes. Once the walnuts and the beetroot and Feta dish are ready, I leave them on the side, until they cool down to room temperature. 

Into a large pot, I pour in water and a generous sprinkling of coarse sea salt, which I then set on medium heat, to bring to a boil. In the meantime, I add the walnuts, fresh mint leaves, cooled-down beetroot, Feta cheese, squeezed-out roasted garlic, and 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp of EVOO into a food processor. I blend until perfectly smooth and then taste and season accordingly.

Once I’m happy with the consistency of the pesto, I transfer the mixture into a large pan. As soon as the water in the pot starts to boil, I add the pasta, give it a good mix, and set the timer (I tend to set it for 1-2mins before the recommended time on the pasta packet). Just before the timer goes off, I add 3-4 ladles of pasta water to the pesto in the pan, mix in, and leave on medium to low heat to simmer gently.

As soon as the timer goes off, I strain the pasta and stir it into the pan of simmering pesto. I incorporate it well until the pasta is completely covered in pink goodness. To serve, I either plate individually or in a large bowl to allow guests to help themselves. I garnish the pasta with the leftover, crumbled Feta cheese and a tiny sprig of mint. Let me tell you, this Barbie most definitely loves this pasta dish! 

A little note on quantity: This recipe serves 4 adults, comfortably. Should you want to cook for 2 adults, I would recommend halving the pasta portion but making the full pesto quantity. Before transferring to the pan, remove half of the pesto and place it into a freezer bag or freezer-friendly container. Label and date and use within 4 weeks. To the other half in the pan, add 2 ladles of pasta water (rather than 3/4). Choosing this method means there is less food waste (cooked beetroot tends to come in packets of 500gr and Feta blocks weigh around 200gr) and you’ll have another nourishing meal in the freezer, ready for when it’s needed. Trust me, you’ll want to have this for dinner every day, for at least a week.