Beet-Pink Macaroni and Cheese
This is not your average mac n' cheese. This is a bright-pink, super glossy, salty but slightly sweet, parmesan-filled macaroni and cheese. And the best part is it's so easy to make. Just roast, blend and pour, and you have pasta.
Ingredients
- 2 medium beets
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 6 ounces freshly grated parmesan around 3 cups, unpacked
- 16 ounces pasta of choice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425F.
- Wash the beets well, and then cut them into cubes. Peel the garlic cloves. Place the beets and garlic in foil, cover them with olive oil and season with salt.
- Enclose the vegetables in foil and roast in the oven at 425F for 30 minutes, or until the beets are fork tender.
- While the vegetables are roasting, grate the parmesan and set aside.
- When the vegetables have 10 minutes of roasting time left, bring a pot of water to a boil and salt it like the sea. Cook your pasta to al dente, drain and reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water.
- In a large blender, add the beets and garlic and a splash of pasta water. Blend until smooth. I recommend doing this in a blender where you can ventilate the top, to avoid any pressure build-up as you blend. Add pasta water as needed, you want this sauce to feel like a very think purée.
- Keep the pasta in the pot you boiled it in, add a generous splash of pasta water, the beet sauce and a handful of the parmesan. Stir until glossy. Continue to add handfuls of parmesan and splashes of water until you reach your desired sauce thickness and texture. Reserve at least 1/4 cup parmesan for topping.
- Plate and top with leftover parmesan, salt and pepper. Enjoy immediately :)