CREAMY BEET PASTA

Beets & greens are definitely in our weekly rotation of vegetables and this is my favorite EASY method to prepare them. I first boil the beets separately and meanwhile make the Sautéed Beets with Cilantro Beet Greens. I use some of this recipe to create a pasta dish and the rest I use for bowl meals or as a side dish.  This also happens to be one of my favorite (and often surprising to many) ways to include cilantro - sautéed!

CREAMY BEET PASTA

I like to call this dish “Pink Pasta” because of its vibrant color. It’s an excellent, easy, and tasty way to include more beets and their healthy greens in your diet.

It's so delicious served with oil-free garlic bread, made with Tracy's REAL Foods Sunny Parm! Check the product page for the quick and easy recipe!  

8 ounces pasta of choice, cooked and drained

2 cups Sautéed Beets with Cilantro Beet Greens (recipe below)

½ cup Vegetable broth (as needed)

½ cup Tofu Cashew Mayo (oil-free recipe in this blog!) 

Tracy’s REAL Foods Sunny Parm, garnish

1. In a sauté pan, heat the greens, adding the vegetable broth and the Tofu Cashew Mayo.
2. Heat until bubbly, then stir in the cooked pasta and toss it well to coat.

Serve topped with Sunny Parm to taste. 

SAUTÉED BEETS WITH CILANTRO BEET GREENS

Serves 4 (small servings) 

½ cup vegetable broth

1 red onion, chopped

1 bunch beets, stems and greens

1 bunch cilantro, chopped, long stems chopped separately

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon Bragg’s Aminos (or to taste)

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar (or to taste) 

1. Prepare the beets according to the recipe below. 
2. Clean the greens well. Remove the stems from the greens and cilantro and slice the stems and chop the greens separately.
3. Sauté the stems (both the cilantro and beet stems)  with the red onion in ¼ cup of the broth, with the balsamic vinegar, Braggs and garlic until soft, using the lid to steam on low temperature for a few minutes.
4. Continue to sauté adding additional vegetable broth as needed to keep it from burning or getting too dry.
5. Stir in the beet and cilantro leaves, bring to a boil, cover, and reduce to simmer, cover and steam until soft. 

CHEF’S NOTE:

1. This recipe is also great with chard, treating the tough chard stems as you would the beet stems.
2. If you don’t like cilantro, leave it out or substitute spinach or arugula.

BOILED AND PEELED BEETS

1 bunch beets (3-4), greens and stems removed, rinsed

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the rinsed beets, making sure they’re mostly immersed in the water. Bring back to a boil, then reduce heat. Cover the pot loosely and cook at a low boil for about 45 minutes until they are knife tender.
2. Remove from the water and place on a plate. Allow them to cool to the point you can handle them.
3. Under running water, remove the peels with your hands.