Roasted Potato Pasta in Beet Sauce | Potato and Beetroot Pasta

Ever since I made this amazing pasta with Spinach puree [Spinach & Mushroom Pasta], I have been waiting to try my hands at making a similar pasta with beetroot puree. I was just not sure what to pair it with. A perfect pairing is very important here as beetroot has a distinct flavour of its own and may not pair well with veggies that are too powerful on a different flavour. It was not like making the usual tomato based pasta or the pasta in white sauce which are tried and tested sauce bases and are pretty versatile with a whole lot of veggies. Hence, after much contemplation, I decided to stick to the good-old potatoes!

Potatoes is the most versatile vegetable, according to me. You just cannot go wrong with it. Simple to cook, easy to flavour and so friendly that they get along up real well with anything you pair it up with!  

So for this pasta, I planned on pan-roasting boiled potato wedges, along with some Italian seasoning to give the humble boiled potatoes an Italian make over. The result - YUMMILICIOUS Roasted Potatoes! These make great munchies as is and they are not even deep-fried! Oh, I had to hide it from myself to save some for the pasta :D

And oh, the colour that the beetroot puree imparts to the pasta, is so pretty! The rich pink was simply inviting and I used Farfelle pasta here, to enhance the cuteness factor! :) This pasta is so healthy considering the minimal use of cheese, the sauce base being beetroot and the potatoes are only pan-roasted... it really felt nice munching on it! 

Makes: 1 large bowl

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cooking Time: 15 mins

Ingredients

Pasta - 2 cups (You can use any kind of Pasta. I used Farfelle)

Beetroot Puree - 2 cups (I blanched 1 big beetroot and blended it with little water to get a puree of thick consistency)

Potatoes - 1 large, boiled, wedged.

Onion - 1 medium

Garlic - 5-6 pods

Butter - 2-3 1-inch sized cubes

Italian Seasoning - 2-3 tsp

Red Chilli Flakes - 2 tsp

Olive Oil - 1/2 tbsp

Cheese - 1 cube

Method

• Cook the pasta as per instructions in the packet. Strain and keep aside.
• Heat two cubes of butter in a pan and saute the potato wedges in it till they turn light brown. Then flip over and allow the other side to brown. Sprinkle some Italian seasoning over the roasted potatoes and keep aside.
• Slice the onions and crush the garlic pods. If you have a garlic crusher, use that, else just finely mince it using the knife. 
• In the same pan, heat olive oil and toss in the garlic and onions. Saute till they turn light brown.
• Pour in the beetroot puree and mix well.
• Add salt, Italian seasoning and red chilli flakes. Keep the pan covered and allow the mixture to cook for about 1 minute.
• Now, add in a half the roasted potatoes into the puree and also the cooked pasta. Gently combine all the ingredients and allow to cook for a minute or two more on low flame. 
• Take off the stove, sprinkle grated cheese over and the remaining roasted potatoes on top and serve!

• It tastes best while still warm. The roasted potatoes loose their crunch if completely mixed with the pasta o if they are allowed to rest for too long. Hence, remember to save some to add on top! Enjoy :)