Roasted Beetroot Pasta

Cooking
1 hr 30 mins

Author and Chef James Strawbridge has created a seasonal pasta recipe that’s perfect for light lunches or sharing a colourful dinner with friends. A twist on a pasta salad that’s great eaten hot or cold. Dress with plenty of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Garnish with freshly zested lemon and lots of chopped herbs. This dish also works really well with a little crumbled goats cheese or feta.

Ingredients

For the pasta

500g organic penne pasta

2 large or 4 small beetroot, roughly diced

12 sundried tomatoes, rehydrated in warm water for 15 mins

1 red onion, roughly chopped

1 bulb of garlic

1 tin Suma peeled plum tomatoes

2 tbsp finely chopped basil

1 tbsp capers

1 tsp finely chopped rosemary

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp finely chopped fennel fronds or dill

Sea salt and cracked black pepper to season

For the pickles

2 beetroot, finely sliced

1 red onion, finely sliced

150ml white wine vinegar

2 tbsp caster sugar

2-4 tbsp boiling water

1/2 tsp fennel seeds

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp finely chopped dill or fennel fronds

Pinch of seaweed flakes or salt

For the toasted nuts & seeds

50g walnuts

2 tbsp pumpkin seeds

1 tbsp pine nuts

1 tsp olive oil

Small drizzle of balsamic vinegar

Pinch of sea salt

1/2 tsp finely chopped rosemary

Method

Preheat your oven to 180˚C. Trim the top off the bulb of the garlic so that the cloves are slightly exposed – this makes it easy to squeeze out the roasted cloves later. Then place your beetroot, garlic, onion, plum tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, rosemary, half the basil and capers in a roasting tray. Season generously and drizzle with oil and balsamic vinegar. Toss all the ingredients together and roast for 35-40 mins.

In a small pan heat your water, vinegar sugar and pickling spices until they come to a boil and the sugar is dissolved. Pour over the beetroot and red onion and allow to cool. Stir occasionally and strain once the vegetables have softened slightly but still have a good crunch.

Toast your walnuts, pine nuts and pumpkin seeds in a frying pan with a little oil and salt. Drizzle with balsamic for the last few seconds on a high heat to glaze. Allow to cool in a metal sieve.

Boil your past water and salt generously. Cook your organic white penne for 12-13 mins. Strain into the roasting tray with the beetroot and toss with more fresh basil and fennel tops. Drizzle with a little more oil and balsamic vinegar and squeeze the garlic into the pasta.

Garnish with toasted seeds and serve your rainbow beet pickles on the side.