Pasta with beetroot yoghurt sauce, feta & walnuts

This beautifully pink pasta with beetroot yoghurt sauce is delicious topped with feta, walnuts, fresh parsley, and lemon.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Yield: 2 very hearty portions, or 3 if you're reasonable/don't want seconds

Ingredients

250 g dried pasta (I use whole wheat penne)

1 cup/40 g fresh parsley, coarsely chopped

4 oz/125 g feta, crumbled

fresh lemon juice, for serving

For the sauce

2 raw beets, peeled & grated (about 2 cups)

250 g/1 1/2 cups Greek yoghurt

1 tsp dried ground cumin

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tbsp olive oil

dried chile flakes, optional

salt & pepper to taste

For the walnut topping

1/2 cup raw, unsalted walnuts, chopped finely

1/4 cup olive oil

zest of two lemons

Instructions

For the sauce

1. Blend all ingredients for the sauce together, and then set aside.

For the walnut topping

1. In a pan over a medium-high heat, heat up the olive oil. Once it's hot, add the chopped walnuts and the lemon zest.

2. Toast until the walnuts have deepened in colour - about 5-7 minutes. Do keep a watchful eye on this as the nuts can easily burn.

3. Remove from the heat and set aside until ready to serve.

For assembly/serving

1. Once the pasta is cooked, drain it well and let it cool for 1-2 minutes.

2. Add the pasta to the yoghurt sauce in small increments. Start with just a few pieces and stir, then repeat once or twice. The sauce will then have warmed up and you will be able to dump the rest of the pasta in without curdling the yoghurt.

3. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Divide the pasta into bowls (see my note on yield at the top of this recipe card!) and top each serving with some feta, some of the walnuts and olive oil, and fresh parsley.

5. Finish off with a crack of black pepper and a good squeeze of lemon juice, and enjoy!

Originally featured on feastwithsophie.com