Beet and Mushroom Pasta

Beet and mushrooms with pasta? An unlikely combination! But it does work astounding well. It is immensely satisfying. It is filled with healthy veggie components. And it looks pretty darn good. Let me start by saying there is a lot of chopping involved, so use a food processor for best results.  A whole raw beet is pulsed along with its verdant green top. Garbanzo beans give the sauce building blocks. Cremini mushrooms become a quiet base. Lots of garlic adds flavor. Then you add that umami touch...miso paste. Voila, an amalgam of earthiness that gives any pasta a unique brightness and complexity.

BEET AND MUSHROOM PASTA

Serves 4

1 Beet with greens

1/4 white Onion

6-7  Cremini Mushrooms

6 Garlic cloves

1/2 cup cooked Garbanzo beans

1 teaspoon Chili Powder

2 tablespoons Miso Paste

2+2 tablespoons Olive Oil

1 teaspoon Butter

1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt

1/2 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper

8-10 oz Pasta

Romano Cheese

Clean mushrooms. Quarter them and add to food processor bowl. Pulse till chopped. 

Scrape mushrooms into a bowl.

Wash and scrub beet well. Trim root end and cut into 1/2 inch slices. Cut greens as well.

Drop into bowl of food processor. 

Add 3 garlic cloves and onion to beets. 

Pulse till beets are finely shredded.

Scrape beets into bowl with mushrooms. 

Add garbanzo beans to food processor. Pulse till you get a rough paste. Scrape beans into bowl with beets and mushrooms.

Add chili powder and 1 tablespoon of miso paste to veggies. Stir to mix. It doesn't matter if the miso stays solid. It will melt when you saute the veggies.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a nonstick pan. 

Spoon veggies into oil and saute till water has evaporated. Keep stirring till the bottom of veggies turns light brown anywhere between 8-10 minutes.

Push the veggies outward in the saucepan. 

Add remaining olive oil and butter to the center of pan. 

Slice remaining 3 garlic cloves thinly. 

Add them to the center of the pan along with miso paste. Stir till garlic starts browning. Mix it into the veggies. Keep aside till pasta is ready.

Heat 4-5 cups of water till boiling. 

Season with salt and add pasta to water. 

Cook till done. Save 1 cup of pasta water. Drain pasta and return to pan.

Heat veggies over a low flame. Add pasta water to veggies along with salt and pepper. 

Let sauce simmer for 2-3 minutes, them pour over cooked pasta. Toss well. 

Serve with plenty of Romano cheese. 

A bowl of red delicious pasta needs only a fork and good appetite!

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