This vegan pink pasta is so pretty and it's super impressive! When I think of Valentine's Day meals, I always think of decadence. For some, that might mean a steak dinner. For me, that almost always means fresh handmade pasta!
This recipe uses beetroot powder to create a beautiful pink marble effect!
What You’ll Need:
- 00 Flour (optional)
- All-purpose Flour
- Water
- Olive Oil
- Beetroot Powder
- Pasta Maker (optional)
- Rolling Pin (optional)
How to Make Pink Pasta:
While this recipe can be a little bit time consuming, it is well worth it and pretty simple overall!
First, Create the Pasta Dough
In a large bowl or on a clean countertop, combine 213 grams (roughly 1.5 cups) of 00 flour with an equal amount of all-purpose flour. If you don't have 00 flour, use 3 cups of all-purpose.
TIP: If you want a more pink pasta dough, sprinkle in a small amount of beetroot powder during this step.
Create a well in the middle of the flour pile.
Separately, combine ¾ cup of water with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Whisk this together so it combines as much as it can.
Slowly pour the oil and water mixture into the well, stirring in the flour slowly but frequently, as seen below.
Continue stirring (you will need to use your hands eventually) until you have reached a rough dough. If your dough is too rough and dry, add ½ tablespoon of water and combine. If you still need more, add another ½ tablespoon. You shouldn't need much more than that.
The dough should look like this:
Then, Let it Rest & Cut the Noodles
Once you've formed the dough, wrap it in plastic wrap and set it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
This step is important for gluten development and will help maintain the structure of the pasta dough.
After the 30 minutes (or longer), it is time to create the noodle shape. See below for instructions based on whether or not you choose to use a pasta machine.
Instructions if you're using a pasta machine:
Start by cutting the dough into quarters. Use one quarter first. Flatten it out by hand or with a rolling pin as much as you can. In the sheeter attachment, roll the dough through it, starting with the widest setting.
Once the dough has gone through the sheeter one time, sprinkle beetroot powder and fold the dough in half before running it through again on the same setting.
Repeat this step as many times as you need to get the desired pink hue.
Continue putting it through the sheeter until you've gone done two settings (I went from 7 to 5). Then, simply run it through the fettuccine cutter. Sprinkle with extra flour to prevent sticking.
Instructions if you're cutting the pasta by hand
Start by cutting the dough into quarters. Use one quarter first. Using a rolling pin, flatten the dough out to your desire thickness, making sure it is even throughout the dough.
Try, if possible, to keep the dough in as much of a rectangular shape as possible while doing this.
To create the pink marble, sprinkle the beetroot powder, fold the dough, and continue rolling until you reach the desired color.
To create the fettuccine shape, gently roll the dough over itself. Starting from one end, cut the width that you would like the pasta and continue until you reach the end.
For more detailed instructions on cutting pasta by hand, look here
Next, Cook the Pasta!
You've made it to the easy part! Yay!
Boil a large pot of water (more than you think you need!). Once it comes to a rolling boil, heavily salt the water. Coarse kosher salt is best, but anything will work!
Slowly drop in the pasta, making sure noodles aren't too tangled or stuck to one another. Immediately stir the noodles with a fork or spoon to prevent sticking.
Once the noodles float to the top, they are ready to enjoy. Drain the pasta, but reserve a bit of the pasta water for the sauce.
Finally, Add the Sauce
Feel free to get creative here and use any kind of sauce you'd like! I love creamy sauces like this pink sauce or a classic Alfredo (make it with cashew cream!)
I wanted to keep the sauce light to preserve the color of the pasta. For that, I simply tossed the pasta in a bit of butter, dried garlic-herb mix, pasta water, and almond milk and let that simmer until the garlic herb mix was re-hydrated.
Ingredient Substitutions:
If you can't get your hands on some 00 flour, all-purpose works just fine.
Instead of beetroot powder, many people opt to use pureed or juiced beets. Feel free to try that, however, be prepared to increase the flour amount as the juice or puree will add a significant amount of liquid to the dough.
📖 Recipe
Equipment
- Pasta Roller (optional)
- Rolling Pin
Ingredients
- 1½ cups 00 Flour (213g) or all-purpose
- 1½ cups All-Purpose Flour
- ¾ cup + 1 tbsp Water **See Notes**
- 2 tablespoon Olive oil
- pinch Beetroot powder
Instructions
- In a large bowl or on a clean countertop, combine 213 grams (roughly 1.5 cups) of 00 flour with an equal amount of all-purpose flour. If you don't have 00 flour, use 3 cups of all-purpose
- Create a well in the middle of the pile of flour
- Separately, combine ¾ cup of water with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Whisk this together so it combines as much as it can.
- Slowly pour the oil and water mixture into the well, stirring in the flour slowly but frequently
- Continue stirring (you will need to use your hands eventually) until you have reached a rough dough.
- Once you've formed the dough, wrap it in plastic wrap and set it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Instructions for Using a Pasta Roller
- Start by cutting the dough into quarters. Use one quarter first. Flatten it out by hand or with a rolling pin as much as you can. In the sheeter attachment, roll the dough through it, starting with the widest setting, descending incrementally by 2 settings. I started at setting 7 and ended at setting 5
- Once the dough has gone through the sheeter one time, sprinkle beetroot powder and fold the dough in half before running it through again on the same setting.
- Once you have the desired thickness and color, run the pasta through the fettuccine cutter
Instructions for Hand Cutting Pasta
- Start by cutting the dough into quarters. Use one quarter first. Using a rolling pin, flatten the dough out to your desire thickness, making sure it is even throughout the dough.
- To create the pink marble, sprinkle the beetroot powder, fold the dough, and continue rolling until you reach the desired color.
- To create the fettuccine shape, gently roll the dough over itself. Starting from one end, cut the width that you would like the pasta and continue until you reach the end.
Cooking the Pasta
- Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and heavily salt the water
- Slowly drop in the pasta, making sure the noodles aren't stuck together or too tangled
- Stir the noodles to avoid sticking or tangling
- Boil for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until the pasta floats at the top of the water
- Drain immediately (do NOT rinse), reserve some pasta water if needed
- Add your sauce of choice and serve!
Notes
- Regarding the extra tablespoon of water, if your dough is too rough and dry after step 5, add ½ tablespoon of water and combine. If you still need more, add another ½ tablespoon. You shouldn't need much more than that.
- These noodles will freeze very well. After cutting the noodle shape, dust with plenty of flour and put them in a freezer-safe container. They should remain good for quite some time since there is no egg, but at least 2 weeks.
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