Beet Pesto Spaghetti Recipe – aka Purple Spaghetti

This beet pesto spaghetti recipe has a natural, brilliant purple color from pureed beets. Garlic and Parmesan cheese add a delicious flavor combination my kids enjoy.

My parents have a good-sized garden and bring us lots of veggies in the spring and summer. Some of those vegetables are ones that I don’t normally buy, like cabbage, turnips, or beets. I’ve had to turn to Pinterest to find good recipes using these vegetables.

About 4 years ago, I was inspired by this beet pesto pasta recipe published on Eat Live Run, and I have been making a variation of it every summer since. Please don’t ask me what pesto actually is, because I really have no idea. But I love this beet pesto spaghetti recipe, and, better yet, my kids love it too!

At first glance, you might think these are noodles made from beets, but they are not. They are regular spaghetti noodles (mine are whole wheat) coated in a pesto sauce made with pureed beets that turn the noodles purple. The sauce includes garlic and Parmesan cheese to make this spaghetti really yummy.

We call this “purple spaghetti” or simply “purple scetti” in my house. My kids get excited when I ask on a Saturday morning during the summer, “Do you want purple scetti for lunch?”

Now, when my parents bring me beets from their garden each summer, I immediately puree them, freeze the extra beet puree, and use it to make this beet pesto spaghetti recipe.

Make Beet Puree

1. Wash beets and cut off the tops and bottoms.
2. Boil beets until the skin peels off easily, about 20-30 minutes.
3. Dice cooked beets and use a blender to puree.
4. Pour into freezer containers in 1 or 2-cup portions. I use 2-cup portions and then make a double batch of the beet pesto (recipe below).

If you have an infant who is ready for solid foods, you could stop right here and serve the beet puree as baby food. But if you want to be wowed, continue on to turn that beet puree into beet pesto spaghetti.

Beet Pesto Spaghetti Recipe

Beet Pesto Spaghetti

Dawn

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients

  

• 1 cup pureed beets about 3-4 beets
• 1/2 cup shelled walnuts
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese
• 3/4 lb to 1 lb dry whole wheat spaghetti noodles

Instructions

 

• To puree beets: wash and cut off tops and bottoms, boil 20-30 minutes or until skin can be removed easily, dice cooked beets, and blend to puree.
• Finely crush walnuts using a food processor.
• Cook and drain spaghetti noodles according to directions. Don't overcook.
• Mix pureed beets, crushed walnuts, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic powder, and Parmesan cheese in a mixing bowl until evenly blended.
• Pour beet pesto over cooked noodles.
• Use a pasta fork to mix beet pesto into noodles until noodles are evenly coated.

Looking for more garden veggie tips? Check out my beginner tutorials on how to freeze corn and how to freeze tomatoes.

Have you ever made purple spaghetti?