Sweet Beet Pasta
Caramelized onions, butter, red wine, beets and goat cheese. Add some pasta and you have a solid meal. The slightly sweet sauce in this dish contrasts perfectly with the tang of the goat cheese on top; and the color contrasts are unreal. Sweet Beet Pasta!
Equipment
- Normal Kitchen Utensils
Ingredients
- 2 Large Sweet, Yellow or White Onions Quartered and Sliced to 1/4-1/8" Thickness
- 2 15 Oz. Cans Cut Beets
- 1 Lb. Egg Noodles or Cascatelli Pasta
- 1 C Cabernet Sauvignon
- 6 Oz. Goat Cheese Soft or Crumbly; Herbed if You Like
- 1/2 Stick Butter
- 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 Tbsp White Sugar
- 1/2 tsp Dried Thyme
- Parsley for Garnish
- Salt and Pepper to Taste
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add the onions, sugar and a heavy pinch of salt.2 Large Sweet, Yellow or White Onions, 2 Tbsp Olive Oil, 1 Tbsp White Sugar, Salt and Pepper to Taste
- Spread the onions evenly across the pan and cook for around 45 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until the onions have shrunk down and caramelized. Keep an eye on the heat. If the onions start to brown too quickly, drop the heat. The idea is to cook the majority of the liquid out of them and caramelize their sugars, but not char them.
- Once the onions are caramelized, add the butter and thyme. Let everything cook, stirring constantly, until the butter has just begun to brown. It should start to give off a nutty aroma. Between 7 and 10 minutes.1/2 Stick Butter, 1/2 tsp Dried Thyme
- Start boiling a large pot of water for the pasta.
- Pour the wine into the pan of onions and butter. Stir to deglaze the pan, scraping up as much of the cooked bits (fond) as possible.1 C Cabernet Sauvignon
- Open the cans of beets and pour their juice into the sauce. Give the beets a rough chop until they are 1/4 to 1/2 inches in size. Add them to the sauce.2 15 Oz. Cans Cut Beets
- Let the sauce simmer and reduce while you cook the pasta. Be sure to scrape the sides of the pan on occasion. Get those caramelized bits back into the sauce.
- Drop your pasta in the pot of boiling water along with a couple Tbsp. of salt.1 Lb. Egg Noodles or Cascatelli Pasta
- Boil the pasta per the directions and drain, reserving 1 C of the pasta water.
- Add the drained pasta to the beet sauce and stir to combine. Add the pasta water to both thicken and add volume to the sauce.
- Continue stirring and cooking until the sauce has thickened and is clinging to the pasta.
- Test for salt and pepper. I usually add a heavy pinch of pepper but no extra salt.
- Serve hot, right away, topped evenly with the crumbled goat cheese. Add a sprinkle of parsley for color if you would like.6 Oz. Goat Cheese
Notes
You can also use cooked fresh beats in place of canned, though canned is generally cheaper and easier. Either boil or pressure cook the beets in about 2 1/2 C of water and use that water in place of the beet juice.