Beet Top Pasta with Goat Cheese and Dill
Well, Farmer John sent back some young and tender beet tops this time. Actually, he was going to compost them to make room for a new crop, but they were to beautiful to waste. Boy am I glad Carol, his Mom, rescued them before they hit the compost bin!
I was never a lover of beets. To me, well… they tasted like dirt. Farmers John’s organic varieties have changed my mind, red, orange, pink, candy cane strip they are delicious. The tops taste wonderful, more like a green than beets. I immediately thought of my grandmother’s beet soup; beets, beet tops, a little onion, garlic, dill and sour cream. I was thinking, maybe I can make pasta dish just using the tops? Some of the tops had a marble size beet attached to the greens. I peeled and sliced them thin and added them with the onions to cook. You know nothing goes to waste at my house. Also you may notice I use a “broken dried cayenne”. I dry cayenne peppers whole in the summer, we’ll do that later and use them throughout the year. The more you crush or break the pepper the hotter the dish will be. In chilies and soups I may leave it whole, break it in half for a little more heat or crush for the hottest heat. Remember to fish out the whole or half of pepper or someone will get a really, really hot bite!
The pasta turned out to be a quick dish, pretty and very yummy! My husband said he would order this again and again at a restaurant! Maybe I will grow beets just for the tops, they are very nutritious and delicious. Don’t think you can find beet tops? Check out the local farm markets, talk to the farmer or grow them yourself. Greens are an early spring crop; they like it cool and can be planted again in late summer for a fall crop. Any type of green tastes better after a light frost, they become sweeter. This dish is so worth it! Oh, I have noticed the beets at the market are beautiful! The tops look tender and has wonderful big beets! If that’s the case, you get two dishes with one product! Use the tops for this pasta and you will have the beets for another dish. What a bargain.
Beet Top Pasta with Goat cheese and Dill
8 ounces tender beet tops, cleaned
8 ounces fusilli pasta
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 dried cayenne broken or red pepper flakes
¼ cup minced onion
1 large garlic clove, minced
Salt & pepper
½ cup goat cheese
½ cup chopped fresh dill or “fresh from the freezer”
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
Bring a large pot of unsalted water to a boil over high heat. When water is at a rapid boil, drop beet tops in, stir and bring to a boil for 1 minute to blanch. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add one teaspoon of salt to the beet water, bring to a boil, add pasta and cook according to package directions, reserving pasta water. I like to use whole grain pasta or use your favorite.
While pasta is cooking; slice beet tops into large 1 inch pieces; set aside.
Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, when hot add olive oil, broken cayenne, onion and sliced baby beets if any. Sauté 2-3 minutes until onions are softened. Add garlic and beet tops, sauté stirring occasionally until tender 3-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, remove piece of cayenne if using. This is also good as a side vegetable without the pasta.
Place goat cheese in a large serving bowl, add hot pasta and a ladle of pasta water; toss until cheese melts and noodles are completely coated; adding more pasta water as needed. Add beet top mixture, dill and vinegar; toss until thoroughly mixed. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. It’s pretty and pink! Every little girl will love it…because it’s PINK!
Serves: 3-4 as a main dish and 6 for a side dish.
Menu ideas: I served it with grilled chicken breast. It was plenty for the 2 of us (we are big eaters) and we had a serving left so I would say it serves 4. Any other seasoned grilled meat would go well, steak, pork or fish. For a meatless meal serve the pasta and make a salad to go with it. Add some beans or nuts to your salad for additional protein.
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2 Responses to “Beet Top Pasta with Goat Cheese and Dill”
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If your not a “fan” of goat cheese, how do you think ricotta would be?
Hmmm….you can try it. but it would need some more flavor, goat cheese has a tartness to it. Might have to add more vinegar and maybe a parm/ricotta mix. Remember I told you I tried lemon and it DID NOT taste good. are you going to try it! we love it, I’ve made it twice with leftovers! Carol keeps raving about it too, she is also not a beet lover, but loves our beet soup.