Red Beet Pasta

Preheat your oven to 450°F.

Cut off the greens then wash and scrub the beets. No need to peel them as the skin will be removed after they have roasted.

Wrap the beets in one sheet of aluminum foil and add a 3 tablespoons of water.

This will allow the beets to steam in the oven.

Place the wrapped beets in a baking dish or on a baking sheet then roast at 450°F for 45-60 minutes or until the beets are fork tender.

The time will vary depending on the size of your beet(s).

While the beets are roasting in the oven, sauté the other vegetables. Chop your onion, sun-dried tomatoes, mince the garlic, and wash and chop your beet greens.

Heat up a large skillet on medium heat and add 1 Tbsp of olive oil.

After the oil is hot, add the chopped onion and sauté for a couple of minutes then add the chopped sun-dried tomato and cook for another couple of minutes.

Next, turn down the heat to medium-low and add the garlic. Stir and cook for 1 minute then move the veggies to a bowl.

Next, add the chopped greens to your skillet and sauté in the remaining oil for a couple of minutes or until it is wilted. Move to a second bowl.

Once the beets are done roasting, allow them to cool a bit before removing the peel.

While the beets are cooling, bring a large pot of water to a boil then once at a roiling boil, add 1 tbsp of olive oil and 2 tsp of salt to the water, stir then add the pasta.

Cook uncovered for 8 minutes and stir occasionally to make sure the pasta does not stick together.

Pasta will not be fully cooked after 8 minutes as you want it to continue to cook in the sauce later. Do not discard any of the pasta water.

While the pasta cooks, make the sauce.

First, grab the cooled beets and using a knife cut off the ends and the peel, being careful not to remove too much of the flesh, and cut the into large chunks.

Grab your food processor or blender and add the beet chunks along with the sautéd onions, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper and 2 Tbsp of olive oil.

You are essentially making a beet pesto!

Blend until it resembles a puree (30 seconds or so). Next, using a ladle, add 1-2 ladles of the hot pasta water to the beet mixture and blend again until it is smooth.

Grab a spoon and give the sauce a taste. Adjust salt and/or pepper if necessary.

Add 1/2 cup of red wine to your previously used skillet and turn the heat to medium heat.

Using a wooden spoon, deglaze the bottom of the pan by gently scraping the bottom of the pan. With this process the red wine will absorb any of the flavor left behind in the skillet. Allow the wine to cook for a couple of minutes.

Add the cooked pasta directly to the skillet with the red wine and stir so that the pasta is coated in the wine sauce. Next, add the beet sauce and gently stir until every piece of pasta is coated in the luscious red sauce.

Turn the heat down to medium-low, cover the skillet and allow the pasta to cook for a couple of minutes or until the pasta is al dente.

Lastly, add the sautéed beet greens to the pasta and stir.

Turn off the heat, grab a fork and give the pasta a taste.

Adjust seasoning if necessary.

To serve, top each plate of pasta with a bit of ricotta cheese and enjoy with a glass of wine, or two!