Beet Pasta Sauce

This savory beet pasta sauce is made with roasted red beet, creamy cashews, lemon juice, garlic, and sauteed onions. Serve it with pasta for a vibrant and flavorful oil-free dinner!

Course Dinner

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 50

Total Time 1

Servings servings

Calories 372kcal

Author Stacey Eckert

Equipment

Sheet Pan
Parchment Paper
Medium Saucepan
Large Pan
Large Pot
Blender

Ingredients

16 oz farfalle pasta (use gluten-free pasta if necessary)
1 large red beet peeled
½ cup raw cashews (or raw sunflower seeds)
½ cup vegetable broth or water (to saute)
1 medium yellow onion sliced
3 medium garlic cloves
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
3 tbsp lemon juice
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
1 tsp lemon zest
3-4 cups fresh spinach
1 tbsp chives chopped

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Trim the stems and greens off the beet. Wrap the beet with parchment paper or foil on a sheet pan and roast for 50-60 minutes or until the beet is tender. You can test it by sticking the beet with a fork or knife, it should slide in easily. It may take less time if you use smaller beets.
Put the raw cashews in a medium saucepan and cover them with 1-inch of water. Bring it to a boil and let it cook for 10 minutes. Drain any excess water. Set aside.
While the beet is roasting, saute the onions in a large pan over medium heat until they're soft and translucent. Add the sliced garlic and let it cook for 3 minutes.
Remove the cooked beet from the oven and let it cool until you can handle it without burning yourself. You can cut the skin off with a knife or use a paper towel to rub the skin off.
In a large pot, boil water and cook the pasta until tender. Drain the pasta and set it aside. While the pasta is cooking, make the beet sauce.
Add the cooked and peeled beet, boiled cashews, sauteed onions and garlic, 3 tbsp lemon juice, 1 cup almond milk, ½ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp black pepper to a high-powered blender. Blend on high until the sauce is smooth and creamy. Pour the sauce into the pan that you cooked the onions in and warm it over medium-low heat.
Add the zest of 1 lemon, 3-4 handfuls of fresh spinach, and the cooked noodles to the pan with the beet sauce. Stir to coat the noodles in the sauce. Taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary. Garnish with chopped chives before serving.

Notes

Soak (for 1 hour) or boil (for 10 minutes) the cashews to soften the nuts. Doing this will make the nuts easier to blend and they will be easier to digest.
Zest the lemon before juicing it.
Store leftover sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days or you can freeze it for 2-3 months.

Nutrition