A delicious, gluten free and hearty brown rice pasta dish with beet marinara sauce served with basil and pine nuts.
It’s that time of year! February is in full swing, and whether you celebrate Valentine’s Day or not, this month is a great way to celebrate love in general – from self-love, loving others, loving our community, loving our bodies, and doing all the things that bring joy and happiness into our lives. Whatever it may look like to you, it should be celebrated! Why don’t we start with showing our body some extra love with this Beet Marinara with Brown Rice Pasta recipe made with antioxidant-packed beets, tomato sauce, fiber, and extra protein? Read on for the details on this beautiful and healthy dish!
I’ve shared my love-dislike relationship (we won’t call it hate but strong dislike) with beets. I LOVE their health benefits and think they’re a nutrition powerhouse, yet I’m not a huge fan of the taste. Herein lies the story of my endless yet successful attempts to create nutrient dense, simple, and most importantly delicious recipes using beets! If you haven’t read why I love beets and recommend why everyone should incorporate them – read up here.
I personally make this pasta dish using brown rice pasta because it’s gluten free since gluten and I don’t digestively mix well. But always remember that every recipe I share on here is all about YOUR lifestyle, so if you enjoy whole wheat, please go ahead and use an organic whole wheat based pasta. Same goes for the toppings – if you enjoy dairy, add organic (preferably grass-fed) cheese if that’s your fancy. Otherwise, I urge you to try it out with this fiber rich brown rice pasta and top it off with hemp seeds that are rich in omega-3 fats, protein, and nutritional yeast which is packed with protein and B vitamins galore!
My boyfriend and I love cooking together and I’ve made this recipe about 5 times already this past month and he loves it. It’s always a win win whenever you’re trying to squeeze some extra nutrition into someone you love! Regardless of cooking this one for someone else, you can still enjoy this for an entire week solo, using the batch cooking method I teach: on the weekend make the sauce, store it in an airtight glass container, and then when you’re ready to eat cook the pasta in real time which takes under 10 minutes and you’re set for a quick, simple, and healthy dinner for about 6 days if you make it to the recipe instructions. You may even have a little extra sauce leftover, in that case try it as a dip with roasted veggies, toss on cooked quinoa, or have it with eggs – trust me that last recommendation is a good one!
- 12 ounces/ 1 lb. bag brown rice pasta
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1, 25 ounce jar of organic marinara sauce
- 3 large beets, quartered
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- Garnish options: 1/4 cup roasted pine nuts, fresh basil, black pepper and red pepper flakes to taste, a sprinkle of both hemp seeds and nutritional yeast to taste.
- Cook brown rice pasta to package directions, typically 6-7 minutes or until al dente.
- In the meantime, in a small saucepan, add 1 jar of marinara sauce with olive oill, garlic, and quartered beets. Cook for 10 minutes or until the beets are tender.
- Transfer hot marinara sauce, carefully, into a blender. Tightly close the lid and blend until the beets are combined with the sauce- you can keep it chunky or blend completely smooth here.
- In a large serving dish, top the cooked pasta with the beet sauce gently stir to coat the pasta. Add optional garnishes upon serving.
- If saving sauce for leftovers or serving the dish the next day, store the sauce in an airtight glass container and reheat on the stove- make pasta upon serving.
Ingredients I used for this recipe you may also enjoy: brown rice pasta, organic marinara sauce (or from good ole’ Trader Joes), hemp seeds, nutritional yeast, and pine nuts
Here are additional nutrient dense beet recipes that are ALSO tasty!
- Through the Garden Smoothie
- Raw Beet Marinara with Zucchini Noodles
- Beet Blueberry Muffins
- Beet Hummus from the NS Society
- Deconstructed Beet Bourguignon with Pilaf
- Beetroot Coconut Sugar Cookies
DO YOU…
…love beets? Tell me a little bit about your relationship with this earthy nutrient-dense veggie. Am I the only one who’s not a huge fan? If you make this at home, be sure to share your thoughts in the comments or by leaving a review which helps me make these recipes better for you. And when you make this recipe, share a pic on Instagram with #nutritionstripped so I can see!
xx McKel
