Pink Pasta (Barbie Pasta)

This Pink Pasta not only looks incredible, but it tastes SO good too. You might have seen this dish on TikTok, because this viral Barbie Pasta is everywhere! My version only requires a handful of ingredients and is super simple to make.

The colour of this pasta is simply beautiful. It comes from the roasted beetroot that's then blended with roasted garlic, feta, vegetable stock, black pepper, and water. This pink pasta sauce is one of the best pasta sauces I've ever made. I hope you like it!

If you want to make some more easy pasta recipes, why not try out my Baked Mozzarella Pasta, Honey Harissa Chicken & Chickpea Pasta, or my Tahini Chilli Oil Spaghetti.

Another great one is my Lemon Boursin Pasta, it's super zesty, creamy, and delicious.

A super simple one tray baked pasta recipe is my Roasted Tomato Feta Bucatini which has been one of my go-to's recently!

WHY YOU'LL LOVE THIS PINK PASTA

• Only uses a handful of ingredients - all you need for this Barbie pasta sauce is beetroot, garlic, feta, black pepper, and vegetable stock. A very similar recipe I love is my sweet potato pasta sauce, it only requires a handful of ingredients and is simply divine.
• No fuss - simply place the beetroot and garlic into the oven or air fryer, then blend up with the rest of the sauce ingredients and mix it with the pasta, easy! Another no-fuss recipe I adore is my avocado pesto served with pasta or on toast, such a great one!
• Barbie!! - yes, the reason this pink pasta is so popular is because of the new Barbie film. It's not just a pretty pasta, it tastes delicious too!

If you're looking for something to serve this with, take a look at my Air Fryer Greek Yogurt Chicken, it's so perfect for a bit of extra protein for this recipe!

INGREDIENTS

• Beetroot - you want to find some raw beetroot from your local farmer's market or supermarket. This is what brings the gorgeous colour to your pink pasta sauce. Roasting it then gives it this lovely sweetness too.
• Garlic - a whole bulb of garlic is roasted until the garlic is oozing. The garlic isn't overpowering at all, it adds a slight sweetness and a huge depth of flavour.
• Feta - I've used a whole block of Greek feta. This adds the salty flavour. So don't add anymore salt to the sauce.
• Vegetable stock - Once again, not only does this vegetable stock add salt, but it also adds umami which just enriches this sauce even more.
• Black pepper - To balance out the sweet and salt, adding 1 teaspoon of black pepper completes the flavour of the pink pasta sauce.
• Dill - A little bit of greenery looks great on this dish. But the flavour of the dill goes really well with it too. It's optional, but I'd highly recommend it.

HOW TO MAKE PINK PASTA (BARBIE PASTA) - STEP BY STEP

STEP 1 - ROAST YOUR BEETROOT & GARLIC

• Preheat your oven to 180C (fan) or you can use your airfryer at 200C.
• Begin by peeling and slicing off the tips of your beetroot. Then, slice them into chunky cubes and place them onto some tin foil. Drizzle with olive oil and pepper, wrap it all up in the foil, then place in the oven or air fryer for 30 minutes.
• Get your garlic bulb and slice 1cm off the top of your bulb so that the garlic is slightly revealed. Once again, place on some tin foil and drizzle with olive oil and pepper. Wrap up the garlic so it's completely wrapped in foil, then place in the oven or air fryer for 30 minutes.

STEP 2 - COOK YOUR PASTA

• Cook your pasta 5 minutes before your beetroot and garlic are ready, in salted boiling water according to package instructions. Once cooked, drain and set aside with a drizzle of olive oil (this is so the pasta doesn't stick together).

STEP 3 - BLEND YOUR PINK PASTA SAUCE

• Once your beetroot and garlic are soft, remove them from their skins and add them into a blender with your feta, vegetable stock, black pepper, and 125ml of cold water. Blend until smooth.

STEP 4 - COMBINE & ENJOY

• Using the same pot that your pasta was cooked in, add in your sauce and your cooked pasta. Place on low heat and combine everything until your pasta is coated in your pink pasta sauce and it's hot.
• Serve up with a sprinkling of dill and enjoy!

VARIATIONS & SUBSTITUTIONS

• Make it vegan - if you'd like to make this dish plant-based, simply sub out the feta cheese with silken tofu and ½ tablespoon of nutritional yeast. Once blended, season to taste.
• Pasta shape- I've served this dish with tagliatelle, but feel free to use any pasta type you like from linguine to gnocchi.
• Roasting in an oven - if you'd like to roast your vegetables in the oven, preheat it to 180C fan. Place the wrapped beetroot and garlic on a tray, and place in the oven for 30 minutes or until soft and squidgy.
• Roasting in an air fryer - place the beetroot and garlic (that are wrapped in tin foil) into the air fryer and click on the roast setting. Roast for 30 minutes at 200C.

FAQ FOR BARBIE PASTA

MORE QUICK & EASY DINNER RECIPES

• Butter bean & spinach curry - This is my super simple butter bean and spinach curry that only uses a handful of spices and a few other ingredients. It takes less than 30 minutes to make and is a perfect weeknight dinner!
• Wagamama pad thai recipe - Make one of the most popular Wagamama noodle dishes at home with my super easy Wagamama Pad Thai recipe. After lots of research, testing, and eating, I've created the best copycat recipe that tastes just as good as the original Wagamama recipe.
• Spam Ramen - Low-effort and delicious, this spam, eggs, and ramen noodle combination come together so quickly.
• I absolutely adore my Zhoug-Inspired Rigatoni. It's a dish that lands somewhere in-between Italy and the Middle East!