Roasted beets are combined with herbs and balsamic vinegar to create a mouthwatering sauce. This sauce is tossed with greens and topped with walnuts for an easy and nutritious weeknight meal.
3mediumbeets (or 2 cups precooked beets),greens reserved if applicable
1tablespoonolive oil,optional (see note below for oil free)
1poundgluten free spaghetti noodles
1teaspoondried thyme
1teaspoondried basil
⅓cupunsweetened almond milk,or other non-dairy milk
2tablespoonsbalsamic vinegar
3clovesgarlic
salt and pepper,to taste
3cupsarugula or reserved beet greens
½cupwalnuts,toasted and roughly chopped
Instructions
If you are using precooked beets, you can skip this step. Preheat oven to 425°F (220C). Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside. Place beets on prepared sheet pan and rub with olive oil. Roast for 35-40 minutes, flipping once halfway through, until fork tender. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
While the beets are roasting, cook pasta according to package directions in a large pot. Drain and rinse with cool water and return to cooking pot.
When beets are cool enough to handle, rub the skins off and discard. Chop the beets into quarters. Add beets to the bowl of a food processor along with the thyme, basil, milk, balsamic vinegar and garlic. Pulse until smooth, adding more milk as necessary to make a pourable sauce. Season with salt and pepper.
Pour the sauce over the prepared noodles and cook over medium heat until warmed through, tossing to coat the noodles with the sauce. Add the arugula or beet greens, toss and cook until wilted, about 1 minute. Top with toasted walnuts and enjoy!
Notes
Dinner in 15 Minutes: Instead of roasting the beets, purchase precooked beets and you'll have dinner on the table in a snap! Alternatively, roast and peel the beets up to three days ahead of time and store in an airtight container in your fridge and use when you're ready to make the recipe. Oil Free: The oil will help the beets cook more quickly and evenly, and since we’ll be taking the skin off won’t add any extra fat. If you are avoiding oil completely, wrap the beets in parchment paper or aluminum foil with a tablespoon of water. Grain Free: Use zucchini noodles in place of the gluten free pasta.Nut Free: Use sunflower or pumpkin seeds in place of the walnuts. Use any other unsweetened non-dairy milk in place of the almond milk.