Beetroot and goat’s cheese is an age-old combination. And for a good reason: the strong tang and almost nuttiness of ripened goat’s cheese complements the sweet and earthy beetroot flavour so well. The creamy, yet healthy-tasting filling of this girasoli is undoubtedly one of our favourites! What is more, we added some fresh tarragon for another layer of flavour to our Beetroot and Goat’s Cheese pasta dish.
Before going to any restaurant I always like to think about what I feel like eating in advance (surprise surprise, merely thinking about food gets me extremely excited). And when it comes to my perfect starter, it has to be a goat’s cheese and beetroot tartlet. There is something about the combination that keeps me wanting it again and again. And if I find this on a menu, it is sure to get ordered.
I personally would have never thought of using beetroot as a pasta filling. Confession time: we have ripped off the base flavour combination from our favourite shop-bought filled pasta – Dell-UGO Beetroot & Goat’s Cheese Fiorelli (available from Ocado in the UK). It was simply the best shop-bought pasta we have ever had and, since we love making fresh pasta here at Somebody Feed Seb, I was on a mission to replicate it at home.
It wasn’t difficult to do. Anything that contains goat’s cheese simply cannot taste bad, in my opinion. However, I’ll go as far as to say that I think my version tastes even better. I decided to make the girasoli stronger-tasting by using ripened goat’s cheese and added fresh tarragon for an extra burst of flavour.
There are no two ways about it. Making your own pasta is a process that requires time. But if you don’t see cooking as a tedious chore, fresh pasta is one of the most rewarding things when you get it right. It stands head and shoulders above the shop-bought pasta both in terms of flavours and texture.
How to Make Beetroot & Goat’s Cheese Filled Pasta?
Make Pasta Dough:
Place the flour onto a kitchen surface and make a well in the centre. Crack the egg into it and gradually mix with your hands. Knead the dough until the dough is soft, elastic and pliable. This will take about 10 minutes. If your dough is too dry, add a tbsp of water. If it’s too wet and sticky, add a bit of flour.
Wrap a ball of dough in clingfilm and leave the pasta to rest for 30-60 minutes at room temperature.
Divide the pasta dough into 4. One piece at a time (keeping other pieces wrapped to avoid drying out) roll out the pasta into a long thin strip about 1mm in thickness.
To Make the Beetroot Puree:
Add the chopped beetroot, parmesan, tarragon and cream cheese to a food processor and blitz to a paste. I like some bits of beetroot remaining for texture but you may choose to have it completely smooth.
Assemble & Cook:
Spray your pasta sheets with a little water. Place rounds of thinly sliced boat’s cheese spacing them out by 5-6cm. Then add a generous tsp of beetroot mixture on top.
Place the other strip directly on top draping the dough sheet into space between filling to make sure not much air is trapped in between. Press down between the mounds of filling to seal. Using a cookie cutter (we used 6cm) or a girasoli stamp, cut even sized circles with the filling in the middle. Place them on a lightly dusted board/ tray (we use semolina flour for dusting).
Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil. Carefully drop the girasoli into the pan. Shake the pan by the handles gently to ensure the pasta doesn’t stick to the bottom or each other. Cook for about 3-4 minutes.
To make a sauce, melt the butter in a small saucepan, add the tarragon and some salt.
Serve the girasolis with a generous drizzle of tarragon butter on top.
We love love love home-made pasta. If you are looking for other ideas for your next pasta extravaganza, have a look at our favourite recipes below:
- Smoked Salmon Mezzaluna with Dill Sauce
- Spinach & Cream Cheese Ravioli with Lemon Butter
- Butternut Squash Cappelletti with Sage Butter
Beetroot and Goat’s Cheese Pasta
Equipment
- Pasta Machine
- Food Processor
- Girasoli Stamp, Cookie Cutter or a Pastry Ring
Ingredients
For the Dough:
- 100 g 00 flour or semolina flour
- 1 large egg
For the Filling:
- 120 g goat's cheese log sliced into thin rounds
- 100 g cooked beetroot roughly chopped
- 20 g parmesan finely grated
- 1 sprig of tarragon finely chopped
- 1 tbsp cream cheese
For Tarragon Sauce:
- 25 g unsalted butter
- 1 sprig of tarragon finely chopped
- a pinch of salt
Instructions
Make Pasta Dough:
- Place the flour onto a kitchen surface and make a well in the centre. Crack the egg into it and gradually mix with your hands. Knead the dough until the dough is soft, elastic and pliable. This will take about 10 minutes. If your dough is too dry, add a tbsp of water. If it's too wet and sticky, add a bit of flour.
- Wrap a ball of dough in clingfilm and leave the pasta to rest for 30-60 minutes at room temperature.
- Divide the pasta dough into 4. One piece at a time (keeping other pieces wrapped to avoid drying out) roll out the pasta into a long thin strip about 1mm in thickness. Cut the strip in half to make it more manageable.
To Make the Beetroot Puree:
- Add the chopped beetroot, parmesan, tarragon and cream cheese to a food processor and blitz to a paste. I like some bits of beetroot remaining for texture but you may choose to have it completely smooth.
Assemble & Cook:
- Spray your pasta sheets with a little water. Place rounds of thinly sliced boat's cheese spacing them out by 5-6cm. Then add a generous tsp of beetroot mixture on top.
- Place the other strip directly on top draping the dough sheet into space between filling to make sure not much air is trapped in between. Press down between the mounds of filling to seal. Using a cookie cutter (we used 6cm) or girasoli stamp, cut even sized circles with the filling in the middle. Place them on a lightly dusted board/ tray (we use semolina flour for dusting).
- Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil. Carefully drop the girasoli into the pan. Shake the pan by the handles gently to ensure pasta doesn't stick to the bottom or each orther. Cook for about 3-4 minutes.
- To make a sauce, melt the butter in a small saucepan, add the tarragon and some salt.
- Serve the girasolis with a generous drizzle of tarragon butter on top.
Nutrition
