beet and goat cheese pasta

Ingredients

3 medium-large sized beets washed, peeled, and quartered

4 oz goat cheese

1 clove garlic

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp pistachios toasted and chopped

fresh mint leaves for garnish

kosher salt

1 pinch cayenne pepper

1 lb rigatoni

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400. Transfer beets to a baking dish, toss with a tbsp of olive oil, salt and pepper. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool.

2. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions.

3. Combine cooked beets, 3 tbsp goat cheese, garlic, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp pasta water, a pinch of salt and a pinch of cayenne in a blender. Blend until smooth.

4. Drain pasta, reserving some of the pasta water. Toss with the blended sauce. Add additional pasta water if needed. Taste and season with salt if needed.

5. Plate and top with more goat cheese, chopped pistachios, and fresh mint.