Beet Pasta Salad

A cold pasta salad with beets was on my list to make for the last couple of months but I didn’t get around to making it for one reason or another. Usually it was because of the weather being cold so when we had pasta it was warm. Now that it is cold and it has been on my list to share I figured I better get around to doing that. I may or may not have always eaten the beets before I had a chance to make it, what can I say I love beets! Flipping through a food magazine while sitting at the cabin a few months ago I came across a beet pasta that was warm but looked so good and reminded me I had to make my beet salad! The one in the magazine had ricotta cheese which I had bought to make lasagna that had been requested but I decided to use it on this cold beet pasta as I wasn’t sure I would get to the lasagna with the weeks busy schedule ahead. Again this was written months ago and yesterday I finally got the chance to make lasagna! Only 4 months later and it is a dairy free vegan version so good thing I didn’t keep that cheese around to make it. The salad was a hit, except for with A as she decided she isn’t a fan of beets this week and didn’t care for the cheese. She is pretty picky with her cheese, only liking a few different kinds like havarti and gouda. Not a cheese person, or wanting a vegan version, you can omit it or you can replace it with a dairy free cheese or even avocado.

I just have to work on getting these past recipes and posts I have written posted, maybe adding in an extra post here and there. I only have 6, I think, that were written over 3 months ago (some more than 6) and it might be a little odd to be talking about the sunny nice weather when there is snow on the ground. They just keep getting trumped or I think I need to save them for a “rainy day”.  Crazy to think I use to post daily and often it was things that I made, photographed, and wrote up the night before. Or really crazy when I made something and posted the same day!

Beet Pasta Salad
Makes 4 servings
10oz pasta of choice (used Garofalo gluten free Corn, Quinoa, Rice, and Fiber Penne Pasta)
4-5 small/medium cooked, cooled, and peeled beets (used an 8.8oz package of Love Beets)
2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
2 TBSP red wine vinegar
1/2 small red onion thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, finely grated
1/2c fresh basil leaves, torn or chopped
1/2c ricotta cheese, could also use feta cheese or omit cheese and add avocado
fresh ground pepper and sea salt

Bring a large pot of water, generously salted as you would cooking your pasta, to a boil. In the meantime in a small bowl whisk together extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, and grated garlic. Cut beets into wedges or chunks, I cut ours into 8ths. Cook pasta according to your pastas package instructions. When the pasta is done, drain and rinse with cold water. Place pasta in a large bowl and toss with the olive oil vinegar mixture to coat. Toss pasta with beets, red onions, and basil. Plate or place into a bowl and top with dallops of ricotta cheese. Season with sea salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!