I had to try to make this Pasta after seeing so many versions online with the craze of the recent Barbie movie. The result was a gorgeous, bright pink beetroot pasta dish that is so creamy and luscious. It’s made in 20 minutes, with a simple sauce made in a blender with just a handful of ingredients, it’s as pretty as it gets and a delight to eat.
Ingredients to make this Beetroot Pasta
- Fettuccine or Tagliolini Pasta: I like to use a fettuccine for this dish but any other pasta that you like will also work perfectly!
- Mascarpone cheese: This recipe for this Beetroot Pasta uses about 3/4 of a standard 250 gr tub of Mascarpone.
- Beetroot: for this recipe I used the pre-cooked vacuumed sealed beetroot that is already cooked and peeled with no added ingredients.
- Pine nuts
- Red onion and a garlic clove: to make the sofritto to start off the sauce
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Salt & pepper
- Basil Leaves and Parmesan to serve
Some Facts about Mascarpone and Substitutes
This is a popular variety of cream cheese that is used in Italy in a variety of savoury and sweet dishes, the most popular would be in a classic Tiramisu dessert.
Mascarpone can be found in most supermarkets. If you can’t get a hold of Mascarpone, a similar alternative that you can substitute it in this recipe would be normal cream cheese.
There are though, a couple of main differences between the two. First is the texture: Mascarpone has a creamier, more velvety texture. This is because the base of it is cream, rather than milk. It has in turn more fat too. Second the Taste: Mascarpone has a more mellow creamy taste – whether cream cheese has a slight tang to it.
The other option for a lighter version would be to substitute the Mascarpone for Fresh Ricotta Cheese. The consistency is although different from Mascarpone. It might require a bit more blending as the sauce might not result as smooth.
How to make this Beetroot Pasta
Make the soffritto
In a pan with 2 tbsp of olive oil over low to medium heat, very gently fry the chopped onion and garlic till softened for at least 5-6 minutes.
Combine the pine nuts and beetroot
Add the pine nuts and continue cooking for an additional 2 minutes so that they can toast along with the onion and garlic.
Add the chopped beetroot with a generous pinch of salt and pepper and combine for an additional minute. Take off the heat and let cool slightly.
Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to the boil and start cooking the fettuccine.
Blend the Pink Sauce
In a blender add the onion, garlic, pine nuts, beetroot and the mascarpone. Add a few tablespoons of olive oil for easier blending.
Blend in tall bowl with a stick blender or in a standing blender (I just used what I use to make my smoothies) till smooth, creamy and bright pink.
Combine & Serve
Once the pasta is cooked till perfect al-dente, combine it with the sauce. This is best done in the cooled pan (the sauce will split easily if the pan is hot) or large bowl and serve immediately.
Top with basil leaves, more pepper and a spoonful of mascarpone or shaved parmesan to your liking.
Servings and Storage Notes for this Beetroot Pasta
This recipe makes 2 very generous serves or 3 standard serves using 250 gr of pasta.
As the sauce has fresh mascarpone, it’s best eaten immediately as that is when the texture will be at it’s best.
It does not reheat well as I noticed the sauce splits due to the high fat content of the mascarpone cheese.
Want more?
Loved this Beetroot Pasta recipe? Check out my other pasta recipes Sausage & Ricotta Pasta Bake and Slow Cooker Beef Ragu with frilly Pappardelle.
Pink Fettuccine with Mascarpone, Beetroot and Pine Nuts
Ingredients
- 250 gr Fettuccine Pasta
- 4 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 quarter Red Onion (Finely Chopped)
- 1 clove Garlic (Finely Chopped)
- 2 tbsp Pine Nuts
- 150 gr Mascarpone (plus a few extra teaspoons to serve)
- 150 gr Cooked Peeled Beetroot (roughly 2-3 medium-sized beetroots)
- Salt
- Ground Pepper
- Grated Parmesan (to serve)
Instructions
- In a pan with 2 tbsp of olive oil, very gently fry the chopped onion and garlic till softened for 5-6 minutes.
- Add the pine nuts and continue cooking for an additional 2 minutes
- Add the chopped beetroot with a generous pinch of salt and pepper and combine for an additional minute. Take off the heat and let cool slightly. Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to the boil and start cooking the pasta.
- In a blender add the onion, garlic, pine nuts, beetroot and the mascarpone. Add a few tablespoons of olive oil. Blend till creamy and bright pink.
- Combine with the fettuccine and serve immediately. Top with basil leaves, more pepper and a spoonful of mascarpone or shaved parmesan to your liking.
Notes
- This recipe makes 2 very generous serves or 3 standard serves using 250 gr of pasta.
- As the sauce has fresh mascarpone, it’s best eaten immediately as that is when the texture will be at it’s best.
- It does not reheat well as I noticed the sauce splits due to the high fat content of the mascarpone cheese.
