Learn how to make bright pink beetroot pasta dough, so fun, vibrant and surprisingly easy to make. This is great for making tagliatelle, pappardelle, farfalle (bow ties) and so much more.
Add a little pink fun to your pasta dishes with beetroot pasta dough. This is such a simple recipe that anyone can make at home. Don't think you need a pasta machine, rolling it out is easy and doesn't require a lot of time either. I love making pink pasta for date nights, Valentine's day or even just because. Look how pretty it is!
I've been obsessing over beetroot pasta recently, I just love the colour and it's so fun and easy to make. You can't taste the beetroot itself, so don't worry if you're not a beetroot fan. It's purely for the bright pink, vibrant colour. I've been using it to make farfalle (which means butterflies in Italian). It's not traditionally a fresh pasta shape but it's one of the easiest shapes to make and they are so pretty.
The pasta dough is rolled out and cut into little rectangles with a crimped pasta cutter then pinched in the middle to make a butterfly or bow tie shape.
When rolling out the pasta using a rolling pin, you want to use half the dough (keep the other half wrapped in cling film) press it down into a rough rectangle shape and start to roll it out using as little flour as possible.
Turn it around so you're rolling out all edges, you want to get it as thin as you can without being see-through. Then cut into your desired shape and repeat with the other half of dough.
How to make beetroot pasta dough
Firstly I roast the beetroot wrapped in tin foil with a little salt and olive oil. It usually takes about an hour to roast in the oven until a knife can be inserted easily. The skin comes away very easily once it's roasted. I then chop the beetroot into quarters and let it cool before blitzing it using a handheld blender until smooth.
To make the pasta, add flour and a pinch of salt to a mixing bowl (you can also do this on a clean work surface) and make a well in the middle. Add one egg and the beetroot puree then using a fork beat the egg and beetroot whilst incorporating the flour.
Once it starts to come together, start using your hands and knead the dough for around 10 minutes until it's smooth and elastic. Test by cutting the dough in half, if you can see tiny air bubbles the pasta is done. Reshape it into a ball and cover with cling film until your ready to use it.
You might also like these pasta recipes
- Homemade Pasta Dough - How To Step By Step
- Spinach Pasta Dough (2 ingredient easy recipe)
- Farfalle pasta with pancetta, chili and garlic
- Penne pasta with ricotta, pancetta and tomato sauce
- Creamy butternut squash pasta
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Beetroot Pasta Dough
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/350F/gas mark 4. Drizzle the beetroot in a little olive oil and sprinkle with a little salt. Wrap in tin foil and roast in the oven on a tray for 1 hour or until a knife can be inserted easily. Remove the skin, cut into quarters and leave to cool. Once cooled add to a bowl and blitz to a smooth puree using a handheld blender.
- Add the flour and salt to a large mixing bowl (you can also do this on a clean work surface). Make a well in the middle and add the egg and beetroot puree. Beat the egg and beetroot with a fork whilst incorporating the flour.
- Once the dough starts to come together, start using your hands and knead the dough on a work surface for 10 minutes, use as less extra flour as possible.
- Cut the dough in half, if you can see tiny air bubbles the pasta is ready. Reshape into a ball and cover in cling film. Let it rest for at least 30 minutes before using or place in the fridge until you're ready to use it.
Notes
Nutrition
- I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise
- When I use canned or jarred tomatoes of any kind I always use Cirio or Mutti brands for the best results and flavour.
- All vegetables are medium sized unless stated otherwise
- All recipes are tested and developed using a fan (convection) oven
- Find out more about how nutrition is calculated.
- Check out our must have Italian Pantry Staples.
- You can also find all our Essential Kitchen Tools for Italian Cooking.
Lyndsey
I followed this method to the letter and my dough is a dull pink. What gives? Why didn't mine turn out that color?
Emily
Hi Lyndsey, before or after cooking? Coloured pasta always loses some colour when cooked.
Lyndsey
Before. Nothing I did could get my dough that color.
Dominique
Hello. Can I use this dough to make ravioli?
Emily
Absolutely!
karen connors
Can you use canned beets for this recipe?
Emily
As long as they are not pickled it should be ok. I'd puree them with an immersion blender to get them extra smooth.
Tanny
Hi, I made the beet puree to make this pasta. Can the dough be mixed with a dough mixing attachment in the electric mixer? I made a lot of puree so I think making the dough in the mixer would be less time consuming.
Inside the rustic kitchen
Hi Tanny, sure you can use a dough hook attachment on an electric mixer if it's easier.
Erin
Thanks for this wonderful recipe. I made it with my 4 yr old son. So delicious, everyone loved it!
Inside the rustic kitchen
Hi Erin, that's so nice to hear, I'm so happy you enjoyed it!
Lune
I don't like beets, but I sometimes get them in my box of "ugly" veggies. Your recipe help me use these not so love veggies and turned them into a beautiful pasta. Thank you for the inspiration!
Inside the rustic kitchen
Hi Lune, so happy you've found a way to use beetroot! Hope you enjoy the recipe.
Judy Solberg
What sauce do you suggest?
My grand daughters and I have a PINK Party every spring, but finding Pink savoury foods tends to be an issue and so everything tends to be sweet. This would be a great addition.
Inside the rustic kitchen
Hi Judy, that sounds like so much fun. If you want to keep the nice pink colour visible I'd go with a butter sauce like with these gnudi https://www.insidetherustickitchen.com/beetroot-gnudi-sage-butter-sauce/ or this herb butter sauce https://www.insidetherustickitchen.com/garlic-butter-pasta-sauce/. If you prefer a tomato sauce that would work well too. Let me know if you have any more questions!
cookilicious
What a recipe idea..love this homemade pasta dough with beets. What a color and I am sure that it must taste great as well. Have pinned this recipe.
Brandi
I haven't heard of beetroot pasta. This looks like an incredibly healthy option. I must try.
Bintu - Recipes From A Pantry
What a brilliant idea! My husband loves pasta, will try these out on him to get the extra veg into his diet and vitamins
Dannii
What a stunning colour this is! I never would have thought to use beetroot this way, but it's such a great idea.
Inside the rustic kitchen
Thanks Dannii, I love the colour too.
Monica | Nourish & Fete
Wow, this is so gorgeous! I always see and love the colorful dried pasta shapes at specialty stores, but had no idea how it was made. This looks outstanding. Thanks for sharing!
Inside the rustic kitchen
Thanks so much Monica!