Love is in the air and all that jazz. While we might not be the biggest Valentine’s Day fanatics in this house, I couldn’t ignore the holiday entirely. And my “Valentine’s-day-is-a-hallmark-holiday-damn-the-establishment” husband actually surprised me with flowers, tulips, in fact, my absolute favorite spring flower. (There may have been heavy hinting on my part, but who doesn’t want fresh flowers to brighten up a rainy London day.)

So for my contribution to this heart-filled, chocolate-covered holiday, I made pink pasta! This dish is so quick and easy and delicious. It cooks up in as long as it takes to boil the pasta. Plus it’s vegetarian… Plus it’s cheap… Well I guess the goat cheese can add a little bit to the bottom line. But not if you have a husband like mine who works crazy hours so he’s allowed to hit up the firm cafeteria, where they sell boucheron by the slice. Yummy.

Start by sautéing garlic, beets, and fresh thyme. In my local grocery store, I can get cooked beets, so the hard work is done for me. But you can always get beets and roast them, skin on, at 350˚F for about 45 minutes (until tender).

Add a little white wine and simmer.

Then make a bed of the arugula (rocket to my UK readers), goat cheese, and walnuts on top of the beets. This will make it a bit easier to mix the pasta with all the yummy ingredients.

Toss well and serve topped with more goat cheese and toasty walnuts.

Beet and Goat Cheese Pasta

Serves 4

12 oz. dried tagliatelle

1 tsp. olive oil

2 garlic cloves, chopped

8 oz. roasted beets, diced

1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped

½ cup white wine

6 oz. arugula

3 oz. crumbled goat cheese

3 oz. chopped walnuts, toasted

Salt and Pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook for about 8 minutes, until al dente.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Sauté the garlic for 2 minutes. Add the beets and thyme. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 3 more minutes. Add the white wine and simmer for 5 minutes.

Once the pasta is cooked, add the arugula, half the goat cheese, and half the walnuts to the skillet. Toss with the pasta, adding about ¼ cup of the pasta water if necessary.

Divide among 4 pasta bowls and top with the remaining goat cheese and walnuts.