To the BEET of a different drum

Today's Ripe Recipe takes a unique approach to cooking home-grown beets. Tonya Post, our Director of Programs, recommended this pasta/beet combo from her expansive repertoire of recipes. So, harvest some beets from your garden and dish up this ripe recipe for dinner tonight!

Beet Pasta

Serves 6

  • 2 pounds small red or golden beets, scrubbed well
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
  • Coarse salt and ground pepper
  • 1 pound whole wheat spaghetti or other short tubular pasta
  • 6 ounces blue cheese or feta, crumbled (1 cup)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place beets in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish; add 1/2 cup water. Seal dish tightly with foil. Bake beets until tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp paring knife, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Let cool 10 minutes. Using a paper towel, rub off skins. Slice beets into wedges.
  2. In a large bowl, toss beets with garlic, orange juice, oil, and coriander; season with salt and pepper.
  3. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, according to package instructions. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup of cooking water. Return the pasta to the pot; toss with half of the blue cheese and enough reserved pasta water to coat pasta. Season with salt and pepper.
  4. Divide the pasta mixture among plates; top with beets and remaining blue cheese. Serve immediately.

Did you try this beet pasta recipe? Let us know what you think by leaving a comment!