This pasta is pink, glossy, ultra creamy, and honestly a little dramatic – exactly the kind of dinner I want to make lately.
At first glance, a creamy Beet Pasta might sound like it would taste overwhelmingly earthy or sweet, but that’s not the case here at all. The roasted beets bring color, richness, and just enough sweetness, while parmesan, garlic, and a little acidity balance everything out into a sauce that’s savory, silky, and deeply comforting.
And the color? Unreal. It turns into this vibrant magenta sauce that looks impressive enough for a dinner party, but is easy enough to make on a weeknight.
It’s rich but not heavy, dramatic without much effort, and somehow still manages to feel both cozy and impressive at the same time. Also, if a pasta can double as a tablescape, I’m interested.
Table of contents
Ingredients you need for this beet pasta
- 1 pound beets, red or orange
- 7 ounces silken tofu
- 1 lemon
- 4 garlic cloves, grated
- 3 ounces parmesan, grated
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 16 ounces spaghetti, or pasta shape of choice
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
Why silken tofu is perfect for creamy sauces
Silken tofu is tofu in its most delicate, barely-set form. It’s not pressed or firm but instead, it’s soft, spoonable, and closer to a custard than anything else. Instead of holding its shape, it melts into whatever you blend it with, which is exactly what we want here. Think of it less like a protein (even though you are getting protein from it!) and more like a texture tool.
The magic here is in the sauce base. Using silken tofu in the sauce creates:
- Thickness without flour
- An incredibly smooth texture
- A creamy sauce that’s ready to absorb a lot of good flavor
Just a quick blitz and it turns into a sauce that clings to every noodle.
Ingredient substitutions
- Beets: To save time, you can use 14 ounces of pre-cooked canned beets instead of roasting raw beets.
- Garlic cloves: Swap for 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, or you can omit
- Parmesan: To make this recipe completely dairy-free/vegan, feel free to use dairy-free parmesan cheese.
- Silken tofu: Can be swapped for cashew cream, vegan heavy cream, coconut milk, or blended white beans (which are DELICIOUS)
- Extra-virgin olive oil: Swap for avocado oil, grapeseed oil, or really any oil you like!
How to make the beet pasta sauce
Although it is a gorgeous recipe, it really requires very minimal effort. Here’s a full step-by-step of the instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 425°F convection or 450 standard. Wash the beets very well and wrap them tightly in foil. Roast the beets for 40-45 minutes or until very tender. Pull them out of the oven and let them cool in the foil to help “steam” off the skin.
- When the beets are cool enough to handle, pull the peels off (it should be easy to do with your fingers).
- To a blender, add the peeled beets and silken tofu. Blend until smooth. Add a few tablespoons of water if it needs help getting smooth.
- Place a pan over medium heat. Add 1/4 cup of olive oil, 1 teaspoon dried basil, the lemon zest and garlic. Stir and let it sizzle for a few minutes, then add the beet sauce.
- Stir and add half the parmesan and a splash of the pasta water. Let this become a smooth sauce. Add the rest of the parm (reserving a bit for topping), taste and season with salt and lemon juice as preferred.
How to bring this pasta dish together
The most time-consuming part of this recipe is making the sauce but after that, it comes together like any other pasta dish!
Set a large pot of water to boil. While the water is coming to a boil, zest the lemon and then halve it. Grate the garlic cloves. Grate the parmesan.
When the water is boiling, season it liberally with salt. Cook the pasta until al dente. Use tongs to transfer the pasta into the sauce, carrying splashes of pasta water with it. Mix until smooth, adding pasta water as needed. Serve with parmesan on top and eat warm.
Storage tips and how to reheat
This beet pasta recipe keeps well, but it also freezes well!
To store in the fridge: Put the pasta in an airtight container. It will keep for up to 4 days in the fridge.
To store in the freezer: You can store it in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Before you’re ready to eat, thaw in the fridge overnight.
How to reheat: Reheat gently on the stovetop over low heat or in the microwave in 30–45 second intervals, stirring between each round. Add a splash of leftover pasta water (or just warm water) to bring the sauce back to its creamy texture.
Looking for other beet recipes?
Seared Beet Sandwich with Kimchi Slaw & Cheddar
Beet Ricotta Gnocchi
Roasted Beet Tart with Lemon & Thyme
And that’s everything for this Beet Pasta!
If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.
And, of course, feel free to leave any questions, comments, or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you <3
Equipment
- 1 blender
Ingredients
- 1 pound beets, red or orange
- 7 ounces silken tofu
- 1 lemon, for juice and zest
- 4 garlic cloves, grated
- 3 ounces parmesan, grated
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 16 ounces spaghetti, or pasta shape of choice
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F convection or 450°F standard. Wash the beets very well and wrap them tightly in foil. Roast for 40-45 minutes, or until very tender. Pull them out of the oven and let them cool in the foil to help “steam” off the skin.
- When the beets are cool enough to handle, peel off and discard the skins (they should slip off easily with your fingers). To skip this step, use 14 ounces of pre-cooked canned beets.
- To a blender, add the peeled beets and 7 ounces of silken tofu. Blend until smooth. Add a few tablespoons of water if it needs help getting smooth.
- Set a large pot of water to boil. Place a large sauté pan next to it.
- While the water is coming to a boil, zest the lemon and then halve it. Grate 4 garlic cloves and 3 ounces of parmesan.
- Once the water is boiling, season it liberally with salt. Cook the pasta until al dente.
- While the pasta is cooking, place the pan over medium heat. Add 1/4 cup of olive oil, 1 teaspoon dried basil, the lemon zest and garlic. Stir and let it sizzle for a few minutes, then add the beet sauce.
- Stir and add half the parmesan and a splash of the pasta water. Let this become a smooth sauce. Add the rest of the parmesan (reserving a bit for topping), taste and season with salt and lemon juice as preferred.
- Use tongs to transfer the pasta into the sauce, carrying splashes of pasta water with it. Mix until smooth, adding pasta water as needed.
- Serve warm with freshly grated parmesan on top. Enjoy!
Old Version
Below is the original recipe that was first developed in 2022. For the updated recipe, please see the above.
Serves 4
Total cook time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 medium beets
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 6 ounces freshly grated parmesan (around 3 cups, unpacked)
- 16 ounces pasta of choice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425F.
- Wash the beets well, and then cut them into cubes. Peel the garlic cloves. Place the beets and garlic in foil, cover them with olive oil and season with salt.
- Enclose the vegetables in foil and roast in the oven at 425F for 30 minutes, or until the beets are fork tender.
- While the vegetables are roasting, grate the parmesan and set aside.
- When the vegetables have 10 minutes of roasting time left, bring a pot of water to a boil and salt it like the sea. Cook your pasta to al dente, drain and reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water.
- In a large blender, add the beets and garlic and a splash of pasta water. Blend until smooth. I recommend doing this in a blender where you can ventilate the top, to avoid any pressure build-up as you blend. Add pasta water as needed, you want this sauce to feel like a very think purée.
- Keep the pasta in the pot you boiled it in, add a generous splash of pasta water, the beet sauce and a handful of the parmesan. Stir until glossy. Continue to add handfuls of parmesan and splashes of water until you reach your desired sauce thickness and texture. Reserve at least 1/4 cup parmesan for topping.
- Plate and top with leftover parmesan, salt and pepper. Enjoy immediately 🙂
Comments
This was seriously incredible. You were absolutely right, the earthiness and sweetness of the beets mixed so well with the tang of the fresh parmesan. It was also a flexible recipe, I think I added an extra beet and some extra parmesan to make a bigger batch and it still tasted so amazing. Thanks for the recipe!
I am so thrilled you liked it! Thank you for taking the time to leave this comment <3
Surprisingly very good! And this is from a beet hater!
Haha we love a good surprise! So glad you liked!
I love beets so much and have had this recipe saved on insta for a while now. I finally made it tonight and OMG it’s my new favorite pasta sauce! So beautiful and simple! Thank you for the recipe, this will be a new staple in our house
I’m so glad you liked it!! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment 🙂
Really good and super simple to make! For those planning on making the recipe watch the temperature when adding cheese to make sure that the Parmesan doesn’t congeal. It’s a really delicious (and pretty) meal to make.
I’m so thrilled you made it (and liked it!) Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment <3
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