Recipe courtesy of Alex Guarnaschelli
Beet and Farfalle Pasta Salad
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- Level: Intermediate
- Total: 1 hr 45 min
- Active: 40 min
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 6 servings
- Calories
- 560
- Total Fat
- 26 g
- Saturated Fat
- 5 g
- Carbohydrates
- 66 g
- Dietary Fiber
- 5 g
- Sugar
- 8 g
- Protein
- 16 g
- Cholesterol
- 8 mg
- Sodium
- 449 mg
This is a remake of an old classic of mine, updated with many changes. It is an interesting recipe because I learned how my cooking and public tastes have changed. This has some serious umami with the pine nuts and Parmesan. Poppy seeds have great taste and texture with the cheese and grassy parsley. Serve this dish warm or chilled. The beet greens can be a great way to go “nose to tail” and use all of the vegetable. Otherwise, fold in some baby spinach or arugula instead. Farfalle is a great shape that traps the cheese and parsley and plays so nicely with the natural sweet, earthy beets. And…the salad looks cool, too. You will look so cool serving it! For best cheese results, buy a little piece of Parmesan and freshly shave with a peeler just before serving.
- Level: Intermediate
- Total: 1 hr 45 min
- Active: 40 min
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 6 servings
- Calories
- 560
- Total Fat
- 26 g
- Saturated Fat
- 5 g
- Carbohydrates
- 66 g
- Dietary Fiber
- 5 g
- Sugar
- 8 g
- Protein
- 16 g
- Cholesterol
- 8 mg
- Sodium
- 449 mg
Ingredients
Parsley Pesto:
Beet Vinaigrette:
Pasta:
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Directions
- For the parsley pesto: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Place the pine nuts on a baking sheet and toast until light brown, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove and cool.
- Bring a medium pot of water to a rolling boil over high heat and set up a bowl of ice water. Add a generous handful of salt to the boiling water; it should taste like seawater. Add the parsley and cook until darker green and slightly tender, about 2 minutes. Remove the parsley with a slotted spoon. Immediately plunge the leaves into an ice bath and cool, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain the leaves slightly, then put them in the blender with the olive oil. Blend until smooth. (If the mixture is too thick, add a splash of water to facilitate blending.) Taste for seasoning. Set aside in a bowl large enough to hold the pasta, and stir in the scallions.
- For the beet vinaigrette: Put the beets in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a rolling boil over medium heat, then simmer until the beets are tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the beets, then add the sugar to the cooking liquid and reduce until there is about 1/3 cup syrupy-ish liquid, 6 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, then whisk in the red wine vinegar and olive oil. Add the beets back to the vinaigrette. Keep at room temperature.
- For the pasta: In a large pot, bring 6 quarts water to a rolling boil. Add a generous amount of salt; the pasta water should taste like seawater. Add the pasta to the pot and stir so it doesn't stick to the bottom as it cooks. Cook the pasta until al dente (chewy but not hard or raw tasting), 10 to 12 minutes. Drain the pasta in a colander.
- Pour the hot pasta right into the bowl with the parsley pesto, along with the grated Parmesan and beet greens or spinach. Toss to combine. Add the beet vinaigrette and poppy seeds and toss to blend. Top with the shaved Parmesan and toasted pine nuts. Serve warm or refrigerate for a few hours and serve cold.
