Pesto is a very popular sauce, delicious and… versatile! Many associate it with its classic green appearance, however, the term “pesto” only refers to the type of preparation with mortar, since in Italian pesto comes from the Genoese term pestare, which translates as “pound”. This means that any pounded sauce can be pesto, apart from the popular green basil sauce.
Likewise, the herb + nut + cheese + olive oil formula can be applied with a wide variety of ingredients, according to the imagination and good taste of each person. The variants are many, from the regional ones to those formed by the creativity of many chefs. For example, the Genoese pesto, the Provence pesto (town near Genoa) or the Trapani pesto, although they all come from Italy, varies in some ingredients. On the other hand, there are also vegan versions that substitute beer yeast for cheese; and there are other recipes with spinach and basil pesto sauce, spinach and avocado, spinach, tomatoes and almonds, broccoli and spinach, spinach and cashew nuts, among many others.
A pesto sauce is always a show at the table. Due to the exquisite and colorful nature of this version of pesto, we have selected this recipe for spaghetti with red beetroot pesto for you. The preparation of this sauce is very simple; you just need to crush all the ingredients and mix. Due to its color, it will stand out on your table and… on your palate!
Ingredients to make Spaghetti with red beetroot pesto:
- red pesto pasta
- 1 glass of beetroot water or plain water
- 250 grams of cooked beetroot
- 1 clove garlic
- 12 tablespoons of Walnuts
- 2 tablespoons of concentrated tomato or tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons of powdered cheese
- 4 tablespoons of virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon of Salt
- ½ teaspoon of black pepper
- 500 grams of Spaghetti
- to decorate
- 8 walnuts
- 1 branch of arugula or rosemary
- 250 grams of grated white cheese
How to make Spaghetti with red beetroot pesto:
- Wash the beets or beets very well, and then remove the shells.
- At this point you can decide whether to cook them or not.
- If you have a food processor or a blender you can use the raw beetroot, for which you will have to cut it into pieces.
- In the event that you do not have a kitchen helper, you can cut the beets into 2 or 4 partsand cook them in hot water until they soften.
- Then, you shred them with the kitchen utensil you own. In my case, this is the option I chose.
- The advantage of preparing raw beets is that it retains most of its nutrients.
- Crush the walnuts in the mortr or with the kitchen helper you have on hand.
- Set aside a moment, crush the garlic or chop it very small and set it aside to continue making the red pesto sauce for pasta.
- Crush the beets until they create a puree, as shown in the photograph.
- Arrange all the ingredients on the table in their proper measure. All set to continue with the recipe for spaghetti with red beetroot pesto!
- Remember, if you can’t find or don’t have tomato paste or concentrated tomato on hand, you have two alternatives:
- Use ketchup but balance its sweet taste with spiciness, just a little.
- Use concentrated tomato prepared at home.
- The steps? Very easy! Use a can of natural crushed tomato, empty it into a strainer and let it drain.
- Wait 30 minutes; you will get a wonderful concentrated tomato.
- Boil the pasta until it feels al dente. While it cooks, prepare the sauce. Make sure that the paste does not overdo it, as it will become very soft.
- On the other hand, if you didn’t cook the beets, so you didn’t reserve the glass of red water, then reserve a glass of pasta water before the end of cooking.
- Parallel to cooking the pasta, prepare the red pesto. Use a bowl and deposit all the ingredients of the sauce.
- Mix very well, until the ingredients are perfectly integrated.
- The consistency doesn’t need to be completely smooth; if there are a few bits left over they can be appealing… especially the walnut bits
- Strain the pasta and place the spaghetti back in the casserole. Add part of the sauce to the red beetroot pesto that you prepared and reserve the other half.
- Gradually add the beetroot water or the spaghetti water that you previously reserved.
- You will see how little by little the spaghetti dyes. Keep the heat low and wait for all the liquid to be consumed.
- Tip:The other half of the pesto will be used when serving the spaghetti.
- Time to eat! Serve the pasta, top with some red pesto, sprinkle with cheese, and top with a rocket or rosemary leaf.
- Pour a drizzle of olive oil and… Boon appetite!
- Ready to put color on your table? Surprise everyone with this delicious and nutritious recipe for spaghetti with red beetroot pesto.
Benefits of Red Beet Pesto
The Mediterranean diet has wonderful contributions to health, as well as a colorful and fragrant presentation when serving food. The imagination, thanks to this sensory experience, can take us to idyllic places in Spain, Greece, Portugal, France and Malta. However, although Mediterranean food is a true spectacle for the senses, its real importance lies in how healthy it is for the body. This way of consuming food provides benefits such as: controlling weight and increasing the sensation of physical well-being, improving the functioning of various organs, such as the kidney and the heart, and even prevents cancer.
Thus, consuming pasta recipes with healthier sauces like the one presented here will not only help us maintain our figure, but will also benefit our entire body. Focusing on beets, we can say that it is a root with multiple health properties, including its high percentage of antioxidants, fiber and B vitamins, as well as essential minerals such as iron. For all these reasons, this food has the ability to improve intestinal transit, increase good cholesterol levels and, therefore, reduce bad cholesterol, combat constipation, and anemia and prevents premature aging of the skin.
