This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This pink pasta sauce is the perfect dinner recipe when you are short on both time and patience. It’s one of my family’s most loved recipes. Not only is it quick to throw together, and very easy to make. Its vibrant colour means that nine times out of ten my little ones devour their dinner. No refusals or requests for alternatives. Just a straightforward, quick and easy family meal when bedtime is fast approaching.
This pink pasta sauce is made using ingredients that I almost always have to hand. It can be easily adapted if I need to swap out one thing or another. No goats cheese, use cream cheese, or even creme fraiche instead. No pine nuts, use cashews or almonds. Adaptable and quick. You can add extra veg, or you can keep it plain and simple. This pink pasta sauce is really perfect thrown over any type of pasta. You can go small, large or stringy depending on your dinner time audience, and the age of your children. While its packed full of flavour it is also packed full of nutrition. The veg is well blended, and the beetroot makes for the most amazing pink pasta sauce!
Welcome to Hennys Recipe Book
Now that we have a family I am experimenting in the kitchen more than ever before. My focus is on healthy, whole foods. More often than not my recipes can be made in bulk, for future use. Or store in the freezer for the postpartum snacks.
I grew up surrounded by home cooks. Influenced heavily by my mum, grandma and aunties, my recipes are family focused.
I feel very privileged to have a collection of recipes passed on my by late Grandmother. Hand typed on her type writer. She travel widely for a single Mum of her era. Therefore my inherited recipe book is a collection of recipes from family and friends from all over the world.
Now with a young family of my own, I’m sharing, adapting and creating more recipes to add to her collection. Recipes that will hopefully continue to be passed down the generations.
I hope that you find your own inspiration from our recipes. Most of them can be adapted to suit all tastes and families. Know all the recipes are ones that I use regularly for my own loved ones. They have been created with love and care. I hope that you and your family enjoy them as much as mine. If you would like to stay up to date with our weekly recipes join our newsletter here.
How this recipe makes the perfect pink pasta sauce!
Beetroot is fantastic vegetable. It’s packed with vitamins and minerals. While this sauce looks simple, and is quick to make, it is filled with health benefits. Beetroot is not something that you might find yourself regularly putting on your child’s plate. But you should. As it’s so nutrient dense. The great thing about this pink pasta sauce, is that by blending the beetroot with other flavours, you make it very palatable for little ones. It’s a silky smooth sauce. And of course it’s bright pink! Again, thanks to the beetroot. As soon as the pasta and sauce are heated together the pasta takes on the vibrant pink colour. That’s what makes this sauce so fun and appealing to kids. I like to add a cup of peas for the last few minutes of the cooking time. This provides some contrast to the pink pasta (as well as more veg). Peas are a staple that I know my kids will eat too. And they make the pasta look even more fun!
Ingredients you will need for Pink Pasta Sauce!
Here’s a look at the ingredients you need to make this recipe. Most of our ingredients are things you will likely already have in your fridge or pantry. Missing something? Don’t worry, we’ve suggested some ingredient swaps and tricks that might help. Don’t let one missing ingredient prevent you from making a delicious from-scratch meal, snack or dessert for your family.
- Beetroot – high in nitrates, beetroot is excellent for heart health. In general beetroot is nutrient dense, packed full of vitamins, antioxidants and minerals. It’s a natural source of folate (great if you are pregnant). As well as potassium, manganese and vitamins A, C and K.
- Dried Orzo Pasta – pasta is often considered unhealthy. But pasta is a staple in the Mediterranean diet, which is one of the healthiest. Pasta is filling, easy to cook as well as sustaining. Eating pasta as part of a nutrient rich meal is healthy and satisfying. I like to make fresh egg pasta whenever I can, but that’s just not practical when wanting a pasta shape like Orzo. When possible buy organic, as most pastas use wheat flour. Non-organic wheat flour is often heavily sprayed with pesticides.
- Garlic – is filled with allicin, a bio-active compound which is meant to support both heart and immune health. Garlic is considered a fantastic antimicrobial and antioxidant. It is also an anti-inflammatory. Garlic has a lot of excellent health benefits, most stemming from its high allicin property.
- Lemon juice – is known for being high in vitamin-C. Vitamin-c is essential for the immune system, and great when you are feeling under the weather. Lemon juice is also high in citric acid. Citric acid is thought to help aid digestion (stimulating gastric juices), as well as suppressing appetite.
- Parsley (fresh or dried) – is a great source of folate, iron as well as vitamins A, C and K. Like black pepper corns it is a great antioxidant, which helps to clean up free radicals in the body.
- Goat’s cheese – generally considered more easily digestible for people who struggle with cow’s cheese. If you are sensitive to dairy try to pick milk products from animals with the A2 gene. You should find it more easily digestible. Goats cheese is also filled with healthy fats, protein, vitamins and minerals. If you’re worried about calories (you shouldn’t be) then you’ll be pleased to know it tends to have fewer calories than cow’s cheese. Its also filled with essential nutrients like calcium, phosphorus and vitamins A and B2.
- Good quality salt – such as Celtic sea salt have high mineral contents. This makes it a much better choice than table salt. Salt is necessary for your body to function. Salt supports a healthy electrolyte balance, aids digestion and helps to regulate blood pressure.
- Black pepper – is high in Piperine and antioxidants. Piperine is thought to naturally aid in weight management as well as improving brain function through focus and memory. Black peppers high antioxidant properties help to clean up free radicals in the body.
- Pine nuts – similar to seeds nuts are a super food. They are filled with healthy fats, fiber, vitamins and minerals. (Technically pine nuts are actually seeds… but you get the gist!)
- Olive Oil – use any type that you have, my preference is Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO).
Equipment you will need for pretty pink pasta sauce
Our recipes rarely require any fancy tools. We don’t use a microwave to heat our food, so everything can be made either on the hob or in the oven. (Or in an Instant Pot if you have one!) Conversions for gas, electric, fan and Celsius and Fahrenheit are included in each recipe.
See my list of most used toddler and baby meal prep tools here.
Find my list of non-toxic kitchen tools here.
- Blender
- Knife
- Chopping board
- Wooden spoon
- Medium pan
- Sieve or colander
Step-by-step instructions for Pink Pasta Sauce
Tips For Success For Pink Pasta Sauce
- Tip One: When my youngest daughter was smaller, around 6 months. I would make this pasta with Orzo rather than the curly pasta tubes I use now. Now a little older, she is much more independent at dinner time. She likes to feed herself! These curly pasta tubes are great, as she can easily grasp them in her hand. Yes it’s very messy! The orzo was excellent when she was younger and being spoon fed. The orzo is so small I felt it presented no choking risk. Swap out the pasta type as your child ages.
- Tip Two: This pink pasta sauce can be made ahead of time and frozen. I like to freeze just the sauce in large ice cube trays. The each cube equates to about 1/2 a cup of sauce. It makes it easy to heat from frozen, and you can swap the pasta type to suit your audience.
- Tip Three: If freezing the sauce and pasta together (think leftovers), then orzo is a really great option. It’s easy to fill muffin or large ice cube trays as its so small. Freezing the pasta and sauce in such small portions is perfect if you will be using it again to feed just your toddler. It also makes it quick to heat up in a pan from frozen. Store the cubes in an airtight container to avoid freezer burn.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long can I store this meal in the fridge?
As this pink pasta sauce contains dairy it is best used within 3 to 4 days when stored in the fridge. Make sure you store the pink pasta sauce in an air tight container.
How long will this meal store in the freezer?
This pink pasta sauce will store for 3 to 6 months in the freezer. It is much easier to store the sauce in small portions. I use very large silicone ice cube trays.
How do I heat this meal up from frozen?
I don’t use a microwave. If cooking from frozen I put the cube of frozen sauce or pasta and sauce in a small pan with a splash of water. Then heat gently on medium for 5 to 10 minutes. Add the cooked pasta if not frozen with the sauce, as well as peas is using. Then heat for another 5 minutes until thoroughly warmed through. Keep adding a tablespoon of water at a time if the sauce starts to stick.
Please comment and rate the recipe below if you make it. I’d love to know what your family thinks and your feedback helps us continue to improve our recipes.
Pink Pasta Sauce, Perfect Quick 15 Minute Beetroot Pasta
Equipment
- 1 Blender
- 1 Knife
- 1 Chopping board
- 1 Spoon
- 1 Pan
- 1 Sieve or colander
Ingredients
- 150 g Dried Orzo Pasta
- 125 g Cooked Beetroot (half a pack)
- 1 tsp Garlic powder (or 1/3 fresh garlic clove)
- 1-2 tbsp Lemon Juice (to taste)
- ½ tsp Good Quality Salt
- ¼ tsp Black Pepper
- 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 60 g Soft Goats Cheese or Cream Cheese
- 30 g Pine Nuts (Swap with cashews or peeled almonds)
- 1 tsp Dried Parsley (Swap with Basil or Oregano)
Instructions
- Add the orzo to a pan with double the amount of water to pasta. Add a splash of olive oil and place on a medium heat on the hob with the lid on. Stir occasionally to ensure the water doesn't over boil. The orzo will take about 10-12 minutes to cook. The pasta wants to be soft, not al dente when feeding your little ones.
- Add all the other ingredients to your blender or bullet blender.
- Blitz your ingredients until you have a smooth sauce. If the sauce seems a little too thick, add 2 tbsp of pasta water at a time to the blender. Blitz again until you have a smooth and glossy thick pasta sauce.
- Remove your orzo from the hob and drain any excess water (if needed).
- Add your sauce to the pasta pan along with the orzo.
- Gently heat until the orzo has taken on the beautifully rich pink colour of the sauce, and the sauce is warmed through.
- Serve warm to your toddler or newly weaned baby with a small spoon. If too hot (and in a hurry), add a little more goats or cream cheese to cool.
Notes
That’s a wrap for now…
Thanks for reading. Join our newsletter if you would like to receive my next recipe Homemade Electrolyte Drink for Home Birth Prep!
For more recipes like this one, check out our collection of toddler dinners recipes here.
If you would like to discuss a collaboration or have any questions about our content then please get in touch here.
About the author – Olivia Henny
Olivia Henny is a wife and mother to two young daughters. She is now pregnant with their third child. She lives with her husband in the North East of the UK. Their home is nestled in the British countryside, but not too far from a neighbouring city. Olivia writes from her own motherhood experience. As well as drawing from the experience and advice of other families and Mums, who she has interviewed for certain blog posts. Olivia loves being a mother and wife, and enjoys learning from the experience of other Mums online. Feeling that the online motherhood community has helped her so much in her own parenting journey. She would now like to give something back. Hoping that other Mums will find solidarity, inspiration, laughter and information from her motherhood and homemaking blogs.
Olivia is passionate about food and the health of her family. She already has decades of experience experimenting in the kitchen alongside her late Grandmother. Taking that experience and desire to create wholesome food, she is now sharing her family recipes here. She hopes to inspire other young families to cook from-scratch whole food. She feels that the kitchen is the heart of any home. Food having the power to make memories and bring people together.
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.