For years I’ve been trying to convince folks that making fresh pasta at home is almost as easy as cooking boxed pasta with about a million times tastier results.
Hear me out: The first time you make pasta, you should be prepared that it’ll take awhile. You’ll need to get the hang of what the texture of the dough should feel like (thick play dough that isn’t sticky anymore) and you’ll have to get used to using pasta rollers. The learning curve is not very steep though and once you master these things, you’ll be able to make a batch of fresh fettuccine for four in about 20 minutes (plus resting time). And you’ll likely never turn back to the boxed pasta again.
That’s exactly how it happened for me. I was a grad student living in an itty-bitty kitchen and made homemade pasta weekly. Added bonus: it doubled as a little bit of therapy to get me through grad school. Also, when I started, I was using a hand-crank pasta roller and it took way more time.
When I finally got the KitchenAid® 3-Piece Pasta Roller & Cutter Set, pasta-making became a breeze! First, use the bowl with the dough hook to knead your pasta dough, then roll it through the Pasta Roller and various Cutters. It only takes about ten minutes to roll out a whole pound of pasta.
About a year into my pasta obsession, I discovered my gluten intolerance and had to stop cold turkey. For the next year, my closest girlfriend would complain that she never got to try my fresh homemade pasta. I missed pasta—the gluten-free options just weren’t cutting it.
So I set out to create a gluten-free recipe that would fill my craving. That’s how this chickpea pasta dough was created–it was also the very first gluten-free recipe I developed. Now I’ve got chestnut flour pasta and whole grain pasta in my recipe box and I’m back to making pasta regularly. Life is good.
This Gluten-Free Chickpea Beet Pasta is a variation on that very first recipe. I’ve roasted red beets and blended them up with the dough for a pasta that’s bright red and packed with nutrients and flavor. For those of you with kids: I speak from experience that the red color was a huge hit with the toddler crowd!
Brown butter makes the perfect topping for a simple pasta dish—it heats up quickly and evenly on the KitchenAid® Gas Convection Slide-In Range in the 10″ Skillet from the KitchenAid® Tri-Ply Copper 12-Piece Set. It’s so quick that you’re done before the pasta dough is even rolled out! A little goat cheese sprinkled on top brings out and balances the earthy beets.
While the pasta has a few extra steps than the original (roasting and puréeing beets), it’s still a very simple pasta to make! Here’s how:
Peel and cut the beets into eighths. With the beets wrapped in foil, roast them on a baking sheet in the Slide-In Range at 425° F until tender.
Let the beets cool. Purée the beets with the eggs and olive oil until completely smooth in the KitchenAid® Pro Line® Series 16-Cup Food Processor.
Whisk the chickpea flour, tapioca starch, sweet rice flour, xanthan gum, and salt in the bowl of the KitchenAid® Stand Mixer and pour in the puréed beets and eggs.
With the dough hook, mix on low speed until it binds together and starts to form dough. Increase the speed slowly to knead it into a smooth elastic dough. Wrap it up as a disk in plastic and let rest for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, brown the butter in the 10″ skillet from the Tri-Ply Copper 12-Piece Set over medium heat on the cooktop of the Slide-In Range.
After the dough is finished resting, divide it into eight pieces. Attach the Pasta Roller from the 3-Piece Pasta Roller & Cutter Set to the power hub of the Stand Mixer. Press one piece down at a time until they’re 1/4-inch thick, dust with chickpea flour, and roll it through setting one of the Pasta Roller, continuously dusting both sides with chickpea flour as you go.
Fold it and repeat until it feeds through smooth. Reduce the thickness to setting two and roll the pasta again. Attach the Fettuccine Cutter from the 3-Piece Pasta Roller & Cutter Set to the power hub of the Stand Mixer. Cut the pasta sheets into fettuccine by rolling it through the Fettuccine Cutter.
Roll the fettuccine noodles into nests as you go, sprinkling with more chickpea flour to keep them from sticking.
Bring salted water to a boil and drop in the pasta to cook for 4 minutes. Drain, toss with brown butter, sprinkle with goat cheese, salt, and pepper. Enjoy!
Share your take on this Gluten-Free Chickpea Beet Pasta on Instagram using #MadeWithKitchenAid for a chance to be featured.
Chickpea Beet Fettuccine with Brown Butter & Goat Cheese
Makes 4 servings
INGREDIENTS
For the fettuccine
2 small beets, peeled and sliced into eighths
2 3/4 cups + 1 tablespoons chickpea flour, plus more for rolling out pasta
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1/4 cup sweet rice flour (also called ‘glutinous rice flour’)
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon olive oil
Water, as needed
For the toppings
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
Salt and pepper, to taste
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the KitchenAid® Gas Convection Slide-In Range to 425° F. Wrap the beets in foil pouches and place them on a baking sheet. Roast for 40-55 minutes, until tender when pierced with a fork. Remove the beets from the oven and let cool.
Whisk the chickpea flour, tapioca starch, sweet rice flour, xanthan gum, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt in the bowl of the KitchenAid® Stand Mixer fitted with the dough hook. Set aside.
Place the eggs, olive oil, and roasted beets in the KitchenAid® Pro Line® Series 16-Cup Food Processor and pulse until completely smooth, scraping down the sides as needed.
Pour the puréed beets into the bowl of the Stand Mixer and mix on low speed until it begins to bind together. Increase the speed slowly to medium-high to knead until it forms a dough.
Pinch the dough. If the mixture feels too dry, add 1/2 teaspoon of water at a time while kneading. Knead until dough is smooth and elastic, but not very sticky. If you find that it’s too sticky, add another teaspoon of tapioca starch until it reaches the texture of firm play dough.
Roll the dough into a ball and lightly flatten into a disk. Wrap the dough in plastic and let rest for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, brown the butter in the 10″ Skillet from the KitchenAid® Tri-Ply Copper 12-Piece Set over medium heat on the cooktop of the Slide-In Range.
After the butter melts and foams, it will begin to turn golden brown with a nutty aroma. Stir frequently, watching carefully until it just browns. Pour the browned butter into a bowl and set aside.
Bring three quarts of water to a boil in a large pot with the remaining teaspoon of salt.
After the dough is finished resting, divide it into eight pieces. Attach the Pasta Roller from the KitchenAid® 3-Piece Pasta Roller & Cutter Set to the power hub of the Stand Mixer. Press one piece down at a time until they’re 1/4-inch thick, dust with chickpea flour, and roll it through setting one of the Pasta Roller, continuously dusting both sides with chickpea flour as you go.
Fold it and repeat until it feeds through smooth. Reduce the thickness to setting two and roll the pasta again. Attach the Fettuccine Cutter from the 3-Piece Pasta Roller & Cutter Set to the power hub of the Stand Mixer. Cut the pasta sheets into fettuccine by rolling it through the Fettuccine Cutter.
Drop the noodles into the boiling water and cook for four minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain the pasta in a colander and gently toss it with browned butter.
Sprinkle the goat cheese over the top and season with salt and pepper to taste.
*The Contributor of this post has been compensated by KitchenAid for this post, but this post represents the Contributor’s own opinion.*
