Golden Beet Noodles with Beet Greens and Cilantro Tahini Sauce

A one pan “pasta” featuring golden beet noodles and their greens tossed in a spicy and creamy cilantro sauce.

I always enjoy finding different ways to use up the forgotten part of a vegetable; it’s like getting two for the price of one.  Carrot tops go into pesto, broccoli stems are thinly sliced and quickly sautéed, in this case its beet greens.

Beets and their greens are a natural pairing and an excellent way to get the full nutritional benefit out of the vegetable.

Why Use Beet Greens?

With a texture similar to chard and a mild flavor akin to spinach, the greens are delicious in their own right but often get overlooked and are automatically discarded when you buy them at the market.  So the next time you’re out shopping, if a vendor asks if you want the tops on say yes!  In fact you can probably get some extra tops for free if you ask since they’ll probably have plenty leftover.

This root to leaf dish uses both the beet roots and their green tops for a simple spin on pasta.  At first glance you might guess it could be a mound of spaghetti noodles, but if you look closer you’ll see the extra sunny yellow hue of the golden beets that lets you know these aren’t ordinary noodles.

How to Make Beet Noodles:

Here’s the idea, you quickly whiz up the sauce in the food processor or blender. Then breakout your spiralizer and within a few minutes you have a nice mound of curly noodles.  Next you wilt the beet greens in a pan with some olive oil and garlic.  Add the noodles, a little water and pop the lid on for a few minutes to soften everything.  Once the beets and greens are nice and tender, you pour the cilantro tahini sauce into the pan and toss to coat.

That’s it, you’re done.  Dinner is served.  Easy right?  Oh and if you have any leftover, I should tell you that they are terrific cold out of the fridge the next day as well.

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Yield: 2-4 Servings

Golden Beet Noodles with Beet Greens and Cilantro Tahini Sauce

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

A one pan “pasta” featuring golden beet noodles and their greens tossed in a spicy and creamy cilantro sauce.

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Ingredients

For the Cilantro Tahini Sauce:

• ½ bunch cilantro
• 1 Tablespoon/15ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 Tablespoon/15g tahini paste
• 2 Tablespoons/30ml extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 small garlic clove, finely minced
• ½-1 small fresh chili pepper, seeds removed (depending on how hot you want it)
• 2 Tablespoons/30ml filtered water

For the Golden Beet Pasta:

• 1 bunch medium sized golden beets with beet leaves attached
• 1 Tablespoon/15ml extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small clove of garlic, finely minced
• Pinch of sea salt
• ¼ cup filtered water (plus more if needed)

Instructions

Make the Cilantro Tahini Sauce:

1. Combine all ingredients in a high speed blender and pulse until smooth adding more water as necessary to thin if necessary. Set aside.

Make the Golden Beet Pasta:

1. Cut tops from beets and trim stems. Coarsely chop beet greens; and rinse in cold water until clean and water is clear. Drain, set aside.
2. Peel beets and make into thin noodles using a spiralizer . Set aside.
3. In a medium sauté pan heat oil and garlic over medium-low heat until garlic is fragrant but not browned. Add beet greens (still wet) and salt and toss with the oil and garlic using tongs. Cook tossing constantly with the tongs for 1-2 minutes until just wilted.
4. Add spiralized beet noodles and the water. Toss to combine and cover and cook another 2-3 minutes until the beet noodles are softened but still holding their shape and mixture is heated through.
5. Remove pan from heat and add cilantro tahini sauce. Toss to combine and serve immediately.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 193Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 191mgCarbohydrates: 5gFiber: 1gSugar: 3gProtein: 1g

Nutritional information for recipes contained on this website, such as calories, fat, carbs, etc. are only estimates and are not guaranteed to be accurate.

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Sylvie

Sylvie Shirazi is the recipe developer and food photographer behind Gourmande in the Kitchen. For the last 10 years she's been making eating more healthfully easy and accessible with gluten-free, grain-free, paleo and vegan recipes that are free from processed ingredients.