Recipe: Pink Butterfly Beet Pasta for Kids

Samantha Barnes runs Kitchen Kid, a cooking camp for kids in Southern California. She likes to make a pasta dish with beets, which kids love because of the bright pink color. Keep reading for the recipe and hear her this Saturday on the Market Report…

Pink Butterfly Beet Pasta

3-4 medium beets, washed with greens removed

1 tsp lemon zest

¾ cup ricotta cheese

1 lb farfalle (bowtie) pasta

6 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 Tbsp poppy seeds

Parmesan cheese, grated, for serving

Salt and pepper to taste

• Cook the beats. To roast them, wrap in foil with 2 tbsp olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roast at 400º for about 1 hour. Alternatively, bring a saucepan of water to boil and add the beets. Cook until soft when pierced with a fork, about 40 minutes depending on their size.

• Cook the beats. To roast them, wrap in foil with 2 tbsp olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roast at 400º for about 1 hour. Alternatively, bring a saucepan of water to boil and add the beets. Cook until soft when pierced with a fork, about 40 minutes depending on their size.

• Allow beets to cool, then remove skins and quarter them.

• In the meantime, bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta according to box directions. Drain and reserve 1 cup pasta water. Return pasta to pot.

• In a food processor, pulse the beets until shredded. Add lemon zest, salt & pepper to taste, and ricotta. Pulse again to combine. If a thinner sauce is desired, slowly mix in reserved pasta water ¼ cup at a time.

• In a small sauté pan, melt butter until it’s foamy and brown and emits a nutty aroma. Sprinkle in poppy seeds and remove from heat.

• Toss pasta with the beet mixture. Transfer to serving fishes and top with browned butter and Parmesan, if desired. Season to taste.