Who would have thought beetroot would make an excellent sauce for pasta! This easy recipe is scrumptious and a healthier option compared to the regular tomato, or white sauce! I love creating fusion recipes that combine the best of both worlds into one. The Indian signature spice garam masala and beetroot combo with the Italian pasta creates a one-of-a-kind recipe to share with your loved ones.

I never used to like beetroot, until I found out it was a decent source of iron. As a vegetarian, and as a woman, it is essential to have enough on a daily basis. 100g of beetroot accounts for 0.8mg of iron (according to the NHS, the daily requirement for women ages 19-50 is 14.8mg per day, and women over 50 is 8.7mg per day). I would definitely say that we never eat enough foods rich in iron everyday, but we can at least be mindful of it, and incorporate it through yummy cooking!

This dish actually is quite iron rich. It includes broccoli (0.7mg of iron per 100g) and spinach (2.6mg of iron per 100g), along with some micro-greens from Common Farms.

Serves 2 | 30 minutes |

Ingredients: 

• ¼ shredded beetroot, with the water drained out
• 50ml of hot water 
• 1 tsp of dried thyme
• 1 tsp of dried oregano
• 1 tsp of dried chili flakes 
• ½ tsp of dried sage
• ½ tsp of salt
• ½ tsp of garam masala 
• ¼ of an onion, diced 
• 2 cloves of garlic, shredded 
• 3-4 tbsps of olive oil
• 50ml of non-GMO soya cooking cream
• ¼ of a broccoli, florets cut out and washed
• 2 cups of boiled macaroni 

Method:

1. In a medium sized pan, heat up the olive oil on high heat 
2. Add the onions and stir until fragrant and golden
3. In a blender, add the beetroot and hot water. Blend until the mixture becomes a thick juice. Keep aside. 
4. Back on the pan, add the garlic and stir constantly
5. Add the thyme, oregano, chilli flakes and sage. Stir until fragrant.
6. Pour the beetroot mixture into the pan, and lower the heat down to a simmer fo 5 minutes. Stir in the spices into the beet sauce. 
7. Once most of the water from the beetroot has evaporated, stir in the cooking cream.
8. Mix in the garam masala and salt
9. Gently fold in the macaroni to the mixture until the macaroni turns bright pink.
10. Place the macaroni onto a plate and keep aside. 
11. Using the same pan, heat up the same amount of olive oil. 
12. Add the broccoli, and sprinkle salt and pepper to taste
13. Stir the broccoli until bright green and slightly charred. 
14. Place the broccoli onto the macaroni plate, and garnish with feta or roasted pine nuts.