Dishing Up the Dirt

Balsamic Roasted Beet & Walnut Pasta

The fact that my husband loves beets as much as I do still makes my heart flutter.  And when he requests beets for dinner after a somewhat stressful day at the farm I’m totally on it!

I’d be lying if I said it’s been an awesome week at Tumbleweed Farm. The truth is, it’s been completely lousy. We lost 10 baby chicks to a GIANT rat (I’ll spare you the gory details but it was awful to wake up to the scene) and a few other unpleasant events have occupied our time. Needless to say, it’s been an emotional roller coaster of a week and the workload just keeps getting heavier. We decided the best way to cope with the stress of the past week was to tuck the farm in for the evening and relax with a few glasses of wine and this nourishing pasta.

I’m not sure if I’ve ever given you all the rundown on how mealtime at the farm works but here’s what typically happens. I run in from the fields around 4:30pm so I can whip up dinner, snap a few photos (it’s important to me that they’re captured in natural daylight) and then I keep our food warm on the stove while I head back out to help Taylor finish the evening chores. Sometimes we eat right away if we’re caught up, but more often than not we eat our meal a few hours after I’ve prepared/photographed it. This has worked out great for the past couple of years. It’s also nice to have dinner already prepared when the day is “officially” over.  By the time we actually sit down to eat it’s been dark outside for a while and that’s why I like capturing the photos when the lighting is perfect. With that being said, here is a picture of what the above photos looked like on our dinner table 2 + hours after those original shots.

Poor lighting but to be honest, this is my favorite shot because it’s real. The only thing missing is the photo of us in our “still” dirty farm clothes and messy hair. Date nights at our house are obviously very casual!

Anyhow, I hope wherever this post finds you that you are able to unwind after a stressful day/week with someone you love. Pour a glass of wine, make whatever comforting food hits the spot for you and enjoy a quiet evening before the chaos starts all over again! Cheers.

Balsamic Roasted Beet & Walnut Pasta

Prep Time: 15 minutes    Cook Time: 30 minutes    Serves: 4

  • 4 medium sized beets, washed and sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
  • fine sea salt and pepper
  • 8 ounces Rigatoni pasta (or pasta of choice)
  • 4 ounces arugula
  • 1/3 cup toasted walnuts
  • 2 ounces organic goat cheese (optional but recommended)
  • Sprinkle of organic Parmesan Cheese (optional but recommended)
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

  1. Preheat the oven to 425F
  2. Toss the chopped beets with 2 Tablespoons olive oil. Place on a prepared baking sheet and roast in the oven until fork tender and lightly browned. About 20-25 minutes. Toss beets halfway through cooking.
  3. Whisk together the balsamic vinegar, remaining olive oil, dijon mustard, salt and pepper. Set aside.
  4. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain pasta and set aside.
  5. Place the walnuts in a small skillet over medium heat and toast, shaking the pan often, until they're lightly browned. About 3 minutes.
  6. Toss the warm pasta with the cooked beets, arugula, toasted walnuts, cheese and drizzle with the dressing. Toss until well combined.
  7. Divide the pasta between plates and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Notes

*Use this recipe as a guide. *Adjust measurements and ingredients as necessary. *Cooking times will vary from kitchen to kitchen. *Have fun and make this your own.


Leave a Reply

19 thoughts on “Balsamic Roasted Beet & Walnut Pasta

  1. Karolyn says:

    I love this post! So cute that you and your man both love beets. I love your “before and after” pics too. You TOTALLY inspired me to give beets a try, and while I don’t love them (yet), they’re growing on me! Can’t wait to try this pasta recipe!

  2. Cori says:

    This sounds delicious, I look forward to trying it! I also love the bowls used in the evening shot, I have been on the lookout for something just like that to match our existing set and was wondering if you could share where they are from? Thank you for all of the delicious recipes!

  3. Genny says:

    Looks like fabulous and creative comfort food! Here’s hoping that next week is much better than this one – hang in there!

  4. At least I see a bottle of wine on the table! You deserve it!

    I will be making this delicious pasta dish w/ my garden fresh beets.

    Stacey

  5. Sarah says:

    I’m so sorry to hear about your baby chicks:-( You have such a great outlook, though. It’s inspiring to read about how you persevere through unforeseen challenges on the farm. I also love beets and am growing some of my own in the garden this year. I’ll have to get some beets from the Farmer’s Market or grocery store to enjoy this recipe, but I can’t wait to make some of your other amazing beet creations once it’s time to harvest mine!

  6. Beets are a big favorite at our house too. Just reading this recipe, I can taste it. I liked it so much, I made it today’s recipe of the day on a Facebook page I curate called Cooking with Whole Grains & Whole Foods.

    Thank you, and thank you for everything you and your husband do to grow healthy, local food for your community.

  7. Susan says:

    So sorry to hear about your baby chicks! Sounds like you guys have a great routine for meal prep/finishing the day’s work. Glad to see a bottle of wine on the table! This sounds delicious and I have the beets to make it this week!

  8. Jennifer says:

    Oh no! So sorry about the babies! Hope you have a great weekend to make up for a tough week!

  9. Beth says:

    Made tonight, with, per your suggestions, tweaks. Added a can of great white northern beans and served with a dollap of puréed roasted carrots and red lentils for a protein boost. Thanks for the inspiration!

  10. Sadie says:

    The joys and heartbreak of living on a farm.

  11. RUTH BITUNGI says:

    I love your recipes do you have a restaurant where you train people who ate interested in cooking? Thanks

  12. Elena says:

    This recipe is delicious. Didn’t have arugula or goat cheese so I left that out but otherwise OMG! This is the second time I am making it and I tossed in asparagus as well to pair with the beets.

    1. Andrea says:

      So happy you loved it too!

  13. Mama22 says:

    This recipe is a keeper. We really enjoyed it. I used feta, as I didnt have goat cheese. Also didnt have arugula. Still turned out amazing. Thanks so much!

  14. Mary says:

    Delicious! I subbed almonds as I didn’t have walnuts, and it was so good.

  15. Ella says:

    We loved this recipe. I added caramelized onions to it. But everything else was the exact recipe!

    Thank you for this!

    1. Andrea says:

      Awesome!

  16. Karen says:

    This was a winner at our house! I couldn’t face coming up with another wonderful dinner after so many meals during
    “this time”… I had golden beets and my daughter wanted pasta. After a google search of beets and pasta, this wonderful recipe appeared. We were blown away at how tasty and satisfying it was. This will be among our go-to recipes in the future…plus, all of the ingredients were in the house!

    1. Andrea says:

      so happy to hear!!

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