Pink Spaghetti With Beet & Ricotta Sauce

Serves 4 to 6

Beets lend a rosy tint to spaghetti in this recipe from food blogger Elettra Wiedemann and is featured in the debut cookbook, “Cherry Bombe: The Cookbook,” from women-centric food magazine Cherry Bombe.

Kosher salt 2 red beets, the size of tennis balls 2 tablespoons plus ¼ cup olive oil 2 cups part-skim ricotta 1 pound dried spaghetti ¼ cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese ½ cup chopped fresh basil ¼ cup chopped toasted walnuts Zest of 2 lemons Instructions:

Fill a large pot with water and several large pinches of salt and bring to a boil.

Peel the beets, then shred them in a food processor, using a shredding blade, or on the large holes of a box grater. You’ll have about 4 cups shredded beets.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the grated beets and a pinch of salt and saute, stirring frequently, for 3 to 4 minutes. Once the beets have softened, add ½ cup boiling water and cook for 3 minutes more.

Transfer the beets to a food processor, add the remaining ¼ cup olive oil and puree into a smooth paste. Add the ricotta and 1½ teaspoons salt. Puree again until very smooth. Set aside.

Cook the spaghetti in the pot of boiling water according to the package instructions. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water and drain the spaghetti.

In a large bowl, quickly combine the hot pasta with ¾ of the beet-ricotta sauce and mix together well. If the sauce is too thick, add the reserved pasta water 1 tablespoon at a time. Add more sauce and/or water if necessary. Any extra sauce will keep in the refrigerator for a few days. (Wiedemann also suggests using any extra as a dip for vegetables or as a sandwich spread.)

Twirl a serving of pasta onto a plate or into a bowl and sprinkle with some Parmigiano Reggiano, basil, walnuts and lemon zest. Repeat with the remaining pasta. Serve immediately.