Roasted Golden Beet & Kale Pasta with Chickpeas

Oh hi.  How's it goin'?  How 'bout a food post?  Ya know, just to throw ya for a non-kid related loop.

The pictures aren't great, but the pasta was delicious, so figured I'd throw it out there.

I found the golden beets at a produce place I stop into every time we go to our doctor's office.

I couldn't come home without them.

The kids love beets. Normally.  

They didn't like these.  They said they taste different.  

I think they're full of it.  

I think because they look more like squash than beets, they lost the mind over matter game.

They all hate squash.

Whatever, they liked everything else and ate around the beets.

More for The Dad and I.

To make this meal come together really quickly, I roasted the beets early in the day.

You can just throw them in a pan whole, drizzle with some olive oil, cover with foil, and roast for about an hour if they're big.  Poke 'em with a knife to check for doneness.

Once they're cool enough to handle, the peels will slip right off with some thumb and finger action.

I'm not great at writing recipes from my head after the fact, but I'll give it my best shot.

Roasted Golden Beet & Kale Pasta With Chickpeas

Printable Recipe

(This makes a ton, so feel free to cut the recipe in half if you're not feeding a family of 12.  We ended up with leftovers for lunches for the kids and The Dad.)

3 large beets, roasted, peeled, and cubed

1 large bunch of kale, washed and chopped (any greens would be delicious - we're super fans of chard and beet greens)

2 cans of garbanzo beans, rinsed

Minced garlic to taste, I used 5 cloves

Crumbled feta (goat cheese or Parm would be yummy, too)

Lemon juice, fresh or bottled

Balsamic vinegar 

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Red pepper flakes

1 pound cooked pasta + 1 cup cooking water

Add about 1/8 C olive oil to a large saute pan.  

Add garlic and red pepper flakes, to taste, and saute until fragrant.

Add in your chopped kale, season with salt and pepper, and stir occasionally until wilted, about 10 minutes.

Stir in garbanzo beans and beets, and cook until heated through.

Squeeze in the juice from one lemon (or lime), or a couple splashes of bottled lemon juice.

Add pasta and toss to combine.

Add pasta cooking water, 1/4 C at a time, until everyone is glistening a bit.

Season with salt and pepper, stir in cheese, and drizzle everyone with olive oil and balsamic.

Dig in.

We had ours with salad and bread.

Here's dinner on my plate:

Good stuff.