BEET PESTO PASTA WITH GOAT CHEESE OVER ARUGULA

Pink is not my color. And it really never has been.

As a kid, I preferred blue, which fared quite nicely for my parents who 
stuffed me in hand-me-downs from my brother. 
That’s okay.....
 I wasn’t ever really a dress girl either. I was a tree-climbing wannabe tomboy. 
Scraped knees were better for keeping up that persona than pink dresses, as probably 
were oversized clothes.

The only time I did wear pink was when my parents dressed my 3-year-old self up 
in a puffy pink princess gown for a Halloween event. 
I took home first place at the event’s costume contest. 
That I’ll attribute to the itchy goldilocks wig they also placed atop my head. 
I haven’t worn pink since.

Today, I love dresses. And nail polish. 
And climbing trees too. Naturally, I’m a hodgepodge of my younger self and older years. 
Part lover of fashion, hater of shopping, adventurer of trees and urban landscape.

I still don’t love pink when it comes to clothes, 
but when it comes to the kitchen, I can’t get enough of it. 
There’s nothing uglier than a bright pink shirt (in most cases), but there’s little else 
more beautiful than a bowl of pink pasta. 
The beet-dyed strands like the ones pictured above make my heart melt for magenta.

This has been my year of the beet, which has infused a love, almost a need, 
for its color in any situation possible. 
A little goes a long way, like in this rice and quinoa tabbouleh, 
and the pesto recipe that follows.

Here, it keeps basil pesto from turning a putrid green, sweeping in with 
its dye to prevent any pitfalls of oxidization. 
The beet will add a slight earthiness to the pesto, but is far from prominent in flavor. 
Rather, it shines in its color, which pairs so naturally well with vibrant 
arugula and the amenable tones of pasta.

The goat cheese is optional, so feel free to skip it all together if you’re vegan 

or dabbling in dairy-free.

 It adds a slight tang to play off the mild sweetness of the beets, but a few 

sliced tomatoes could work just as well.

BEET PESTO PASTA WITH GOAT CHEESE OVER ARUGULA

INGREDIENTS

• -2 medium cloves garlic
• -1 1/3 packed cup of basil
• -1 medium beet, grated
• -1/3 cup toasted almonds
• -1/2 cup nutritional yeast
• -1 tsp. salt, plus to taste
• -1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• -2 Tbsp. reserved pasta water, optional
• -Arugula (enough for 1 cup per person)
• -4 oz goat cheese, crumbled
• -Freshly ground pepper
• -1 lb. pasta (I used whole wheat spaghetti)

INSTRUCTIONS

- Pulse garlic cloves in a food processor.
- Add remaining ingredients, slowly drizzling in 
the olive oil and adding the pasta water, 
if needed/desired to thin. Continue to pulse until smooth.
- Toss with pasta. 
Place 1 cup of arugula on each plate/bowl. 
Spoon pasta on top. Divide goat cheese, crumbling on top. 
Top with fresh ground pepper. Serve.

NOTES

The pesto freezes quite well. If serving only a small crowd, 
feel free to freeze halve the pesto for later and reduce 
the amount of pasta you cook.

You also may have a little extra pesto sauce than needed 
for the pasta, which you can store in the freezer, 
or in the fridge to spread on sandwiches/ dip broccoli in, etc.

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