Instant Pot Beetroot (Beets) Pasta..Stovetop recipe included.

Hello everyone. Thanks for sticking around. I know it has been a (very, very) long time since my last post. Life got a little too busy for me after my second kid was born but I have no complains. I know these days won’t come back and I am cherishing each and every moment of it. 🙂

Speaking of not coming back, there is definitely something I truly wish wouldn’t come back ever again…COVID -19. The novel Coronavirus outbreak. 2020 has been a historical year for all of us. A year that has taught us to value the little things in life, to never take anything for granted. I just hope and wish we all come out of this pandemic safer and stronger.

And now coming on to the recipe I am sharing today. Instant Pot is my most loved and used kitchen appliance. I use it extensively to make Indian curries, daals, soups, rice, desserts, yogurt, meat and of course pasta. Once you make pasta in the instant pot, you will never make it any other way.  It practically makes itself and its ready sooner than the time it takes to boil the pasta. You can’t beat that. And the addition of Beets makes this not only healthy but also very pretty.

Lets make this Instant Pot Beetroot Pasta…

A video recipe of the pasta can be found on my You Tube Channel here

Ingredients:

Penne or Rotini Pasta – 2 cups

Olive Oil – 2 Tbsp

Garlic Cloves – 2, minced

Onion – 1 small, chopped fine

Uncooked Beets – 1 large, chopped fine (about 1 cup)

Dried Italian seasoning/Herbs – 1 tsp

Salt and pepper – to taste

Butter – 1 Tbsp

Water or broth – 2 cups

Cream Cheese – 1/4 cup

Milk – 1/2 cup

Shredded Cheddar Cheese – 1/2 cup

Parsley or Basil – Chopped, for garnish

Method:

1.  Turn your instant pot to sauté mode and wait till it displays hot. Once hot, add in the olive oil followed by the chopped garlic and onions.
2. Sautee for about 2 minutes and add in the chopped beets. Mix well and let it cook for another few minutes.
3. Add some water and deglaze the pan to make sure nothing is stuck to the bottom of the pot. This helps to prevent the dreaded BURN sign.
4.  Turn off the sauté mode and add in the pasta, water, salt, pepper and the Italian seasonings. Mix everything well.
5.  Close the lid. Make sure the sealing ring is well intact and set the valve to sealing mode. Pressure cook the pasta for 5 minutes followed by quick release.
6.  Open the lid carefully and add in the butter, cream cheese and the milk. Give it a good stir. Set the instant pot again on sauté mode. This will help to thicken up the pasta sauce.
7.  Finally add in the shredded cheese and give everything a good mix. Let it cook for a few minutes till you see a beautiful pink sauce coating the pasta.
8.  Turn off the pasta and serve immediately with some chopped parsley or basil.

 

Stovetop Version:

To make this on the stovetop, Cook beets and chop them finely. Boil pasta as per instructions. In a pan, heat oil and sauté garlic and onion for a few minutes. Add in the butter, cream cheese, milk, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Once everything comes to a boil, turn down the flame and add in the chopped cooked beets. Mix everything well to form a pretty pink sauce. Finally add in the cooked pasta and mix well. Throw in the shredded cheese and stir gently until the cheese is melted and the pasta is covered in beautiful pink sauce. Turn off the heat and serve immediately with chopped fresh herbs.

And that is how you make this pretty in pink pasta. I would love to know if you try this recipe. Thanks for stopping by.

Love,

Ritu.