cook with ags: beetroot pesto pasta with marinated feta

This week’s #CookwithAGS is the perfect burst of colour for your weeknight dinner table - a perfectly, primary-hued beetroot pasta with flavourful feta. Unlike a traditional pesto, it’s made with pumpkin seeds and both smells and tastes divine thanks to its unexpected addition of smoked chilli flakes.

As always, if you make this please continue to share on Instagram with #CookwithAGS. We love watching you cook alongside us!

Beetroot pesto pasta with marinated feta

Serves 4-5

Pesto ingredients:

300g beetroot, washed

50g pumpkin seeds

25ml olive oil

1 garlic clove

1/4 tsp smoked chilli flakes

1/4 tsp cumin powder

1/2 tsp salt

500g pasta of your choice, preferably small, such as fusilli or penne

Marinated feta ingredients:

150g feta cheese

Zest & juice of 1 lemon

3 tbsp olive oil

10 sprigs fresh dill, finely chopped

A pinch of smoked chilli flakes

Method:

1. Start by making the feta - chop it into small cubes, and place in a bowl. Add the olive oil, zest and juice of the lemon, the chopped dill, smoked chilli flakes and mix carefully to coat each piece. Allow the flavours to infuse while you make the pesto.
2. Wrap the beetroot individually in aluminium foil, place on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 200° for about 45 minutes, until tender when pierced with a fork.
3. Unwrap the beetroot and, while still hot, peel off the skin and chop roughly into small cubes.
4. Place the beetroot, pumpkin seeds, olive oil, garlic clove, chilli flakes, cumin powder and salt in a food processor and blitz into a smooth paste. Adjust the seasoning to taste.
5. Boil the pasta in salted water according to the instructions on the box, drain and reserve about half a cup of the remaining water.
6. Return the empty pot to the stove over a medium heat, and add the beetroot pesto to warm through, slowly adding some of the reserved pasta water to thin it out.
7. Add the pasta to the pot and mix thoroughly until well coated.
8. Serve the pasta in bowls with a few tablespoons of the marinated feta and its juices. Enjoy!