Helllo lovelies.
It’s been a wonderful week and I’m feeling a little more balanced after such a strict month.
This was my last experiment of the 30 Day Challenge, and it was a success! My boyfriend has been experiencing some gut upsets, so I researched different vegetables that aid in a healthy gut and beets were one of them. I had picked some up from the market over the weekend and had some tomatoes chilling in my fridge that were on the verge of going bad so I figured hell, why not make a sauce! I didn’t find much when I did a Google search for “beet tomato sauce” so I took ideas from a couple and went to town!
It was a really light, summery sauce; perfect dinner for a hot summer day. I’ll admit that it took a bit more prep than I’m used to, but it was worth it!
So here you go, I hope you like it 🙂
Tomato Beet Sauce
you will need…
- 4-5 small beets
- 1 3/4 fresh tomatoes, or 1 15oz can organic no salt tomatoes, chopped
- 1 carrot, finely chopped
- 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 tbs dried/fresh parsley
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3tbs olive oil
- 2tbs fresh basil, chopped
- 2tbs prepared mustard
- S&P
- WW or gluten free pasta
what you do…
Place beets in a pot and fill with just enough water to cover beets, bring to a boil and let simmer for 20 minutes.
Chop carrots, onion and celery. Heat 2tbs of olive oil in a separate pot with a fitted lid. Add carrot, onion, celery and parsley. Coat with oil and reduce heat to low. Cover and let cook about 15-20 minutes, until soft.
Take beets out of water (you can reserve the beet water), and let cool.
Start cooking pasta
Add minced garlic to the vegetables and oil and bring up to medium heat, let cook for about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, basil and S&P and let simmer for 10 minutes.
As the tomato/ vegetable mixture cooks, peel skins from beets, chop and place in a blender. Add tomato mixture, mustard, 1tbs olive oil and some pasta water to blender with beets. Blend until smooth, adding more pasta water to thin sauce.
Mix with pasta, top with basil and enjoy!!
*Makes about 5 cups of sauce
I’ve never used beets before, or had any interest in them, but this sauce has changed my mind. A perfect vegetarian option full of yumminess (and you can’t deny that it looks stunning)!!
~Nicole
**if your curious which recipes I adapted from, here are the links:
http://www.blueberryoctopie.com/2012/07/penne-pasta-with-tomato-and-beet-sauce.html
http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/basic_tomato_sauce/
Progress Is Perfection 