Beets are plentiful in our garden right now, so finding creative ways to use them is always fun for me. My sister-in-law was visiting us for the week, so I figured we should make something special. I’m in love with the colour of the roasted beets in this recipe.
This recipe may seem like it has many steps, but it really didn’t take long for us to put it all together. If you are new to making pasta or don’t have much time, check out some simpler variations below that don’t require as much time or skill.
You can reduce the number of steps by coating the pasta with a simple olive oil/nut parm cheese combination or a bottled sauce/pesto of your choice. You can also use premade vegan pasta sheets if you are lucky to find some. I’m very fortunate to have a husband that loves to make pasta dough and to have a Kitchenaid pasta attachment to make the process much easier. Or, if you prefer, just make the basil pesto cream sauce and toss it with your regular pasta. There are so many options!
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
INGREDIENTS
PASTA
– 2 cups semolina flour
– 1/2 cup warm water
– 1/2 teaspoon salt
CASHEW CREAM
– 1 cup raw cashews, soaked for a minimum of 6 hours
– 1 cup water
– 6 Tablespoons of your favourite pesto (or this recipe here)
– 1/2 teaspoon salt
– 1/4 teaspoon pepper
FILLING
– 1 cup raw cashews, soaked for a minimum of 6 hours
– 1/2 cup chopped roasted beets (approximately 2 medium beets to start)
– 3 Tablespoons water
– 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
– 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
– 1/2 teaspoon salt
– 1/8 teaspoon pepper
DIRECTIONS
PREPARATION
1. Soak 2 cups of cashews in water for a minimum of 6 hours.
2. Roast the beets whole in a 400C oven, wrapped in tin foil, until tender (time will vary based on how big your beets are). Let cool slightly before using.
PASTA
1. Mix flour and salt in a large bowl. Add warm water and stir to make a stiff dough. Add a bit more water if dough seems too dry.
2. Form the dough into a ball. On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for 10-15 minutes. Pat the dough into a ball and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Cover in saran wrap and let rest for a minimum of 20 minutes. Start working on the other steps while you wait.
CASHEW CREAM
1. Drain and rinse cashews and measure out 1 cup.
2. In a high-powered blender (e.g., Vitamix), put the cashews, water, pesto, salt and pepper and blend on high speed until creamy.
3. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
4. Store in fridge until ready to use. You may need to thin it out with water after it sits. You won’t use all of the cashew cream in this recipe, so keep it to use as a dip or use in other dishes.
FILLING
1. Drain and rinse the remainder of the cashews (1 cup).
2. Put all of the ingredients (beets, cashews, water, lemon, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper) into a blender and mix.
ASSEMBLY
1. Prepare a large pot of boiling water (salted) to cook your pasta.
2. Roll out pasta dough using rolling pin or pasta machine to 1/6 of an inch (or level 4 on your pasta machine). Work with a quarter of the dough at a time, keeping the remainder covered. Keep the rest covered, to prevent from drying out.
3. Cut pasta into desired shape. You can do ravioli or tortellini, depending on your preference. We choose ravioli because we have a ravioli press.
4. Fill the bottom layer of your pasta with the beet mixture. Do not overfill. The amount will depend on the size of your pasta shape. You may not use all of the filling. (Tip: You can make filling the pasta easier by putting into a piping bag, or a sandwich bag with the corner cut off.)
5. Put on the top layer of your pasta and seal. (Tip: do not over-flour the sides of the pasta sheets that you will be putting together because you want them to stick together when you go to seal them).
6. Cook the pasta for 3-5 minutes. Drain.
7. Warm up the pesto cream sauce slightly (make sure not to heat on high for too long or it will form a crust on top).
8. Pour a bit of the cream sauce onto each plate and top with the pasta.
9. Garnish with additional pesto or basil.
Running With Veggies 
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