Have you ever eaten pink pasta? It’s very simple to make, in fact, you just need to add one particular ingredient that will give it the pink color. It’s beetroot: combined with other ingredients it will make your dishes pink, with a flavor I love that goes with almost everything. In this recipe, we’ll see how to make a very creamy pasta with zucchini cooked in an air fryer, beetroot, and robiola. This main course is incredibly simple, and with few steps, you’ll get a pasta worthy of a chef! Everyone at home will want seconds (so cook plenty) and will compliment you. Try it to believe it!
This pasta has a delicate, delicious, and magical taste. Everyone will love it! We can cook the zucchini in an air fryer with just a drop of EVO oil, or alternatively, in a pan. Another ingredient I love is basil, which pairs perfectly with these ingredients.
The pink pasta is perfect both hot and cold! So you can also cook it in advance and eat it later. Let’s see how to prepare this easy and quick pink pasta.
Also check out these creamy main course recipes that are very simple to make:
- Pasta with Ricotta Cream, Lemon, and Confit Tomatoes in an Air Fryer
- Spaghetti with Burrata Cream, Zucchini, and Crispy Guanciale
- Spaghetti with Red Shrimp, Tomatoes, and Stracciatella
- Spaghetti with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream, Ricotta, and Taggiasca Olives
- Creamy Spaghetti with Zucchini and Crispy Pancetta
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 2
- Cooking methods: Air Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
Ingredients
- 7 oz pasta of choice
- 2 cooked, boiled red beets (7 oz)
- 1.75 oz robiola
- 1 zucchini
- to taste fresh basil
- 3.5 oz water
- 1/2 lemon (juice)
- 2 tbsps grated Parmesan cheese
- to taste salt
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- 1.75 oz robiola
- to taste water
Tools
- Air Fryer
Steps
Slice one zucchini and transfer them to the basket of the air fryer. Add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt; cook them at 360 degrees Fahrenheit for about 13-15 minutes (depending on thickness), turning halfway through cooking.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta in plenty of salted water.
Prepare the pink sauce by putting the cooked beets cut into pieces, the zucchini (reserve a few slices), the robiola (1.75 oz), basil if you like, the juice of half a lemon, the grated Parmesan, and water in a tall container. Blend with an immersion blender to obtain a smooth cream. If necessary, add more water until the right consistency is achieved.
Drain the pasta keeping aside some cooking water if needed. Place it in a bowl, add the pink cream, and mix well. The pasta should be super creamy, so if necessary, add some cooking water.
Now proceed by creating the white cream to put on top. Take the robiola (1.75 oz), place it in a small (preferably non-stick) saucepan, and turn on the heat very low. Add a few drops of water at a time, stirring continuously until the robiola melts. Be careful, do not add too much water at once, otherwise, you’ll get watered-down robiola.
Plate by placing the pink pasta, reserved zucchini, some basil leaves, and finally the white cream.
Enjoy it both hot and cold: this pasta is great either way. Bon appétit.
Tips for you
✔ Always keep the cooking water aside: it may be needed to achieve the right creaminess.
✔ For even “pinker” pasta, you can also choose not to blend the zucchini and basil; this way with the red of the beets and the white of the robiola, you’ll get a lovely light pink cream similar to Barbie’s. In that case, add the zucchini slices to the pasta, and the same goes for the basil (if you like it).
✔ It is necessary to cook the zucchini directly in the basket of the air fryer without trays or parchment paper: this way they will cook thanks to the air that passes 360 degrees from bottom to top, allowing for ideal air frying. Trays or parchment paper in this case would be an obstacle as they would block the air circulating in the air fryer.
✔ I recommend using the BBQ mesh to insert directly into the non-stick basket of your air fryer: the mesh protects the non-stick surface of the basket (which will remain like new) and allows food to cook evenly, letting air pass through 360 degrees. You can find it on Amazon by clicking here.
✔ Alternatively, you can use perforated parchment paper, which allows air to pass from bottom to top. You can find it on Amazon by clicking here: link.
✔ You can also use the oil spray, available in supermarkets. I recommend one of these because their spray is truly nebulizing and controlled, as well as being really excellent. You can find some by clicking here. Alternatively, you can purchase the spray bottle that you can fill yourself with the oil of your choice. I leave you the link to an excellent sprayer here.
✔ For this recipe, I used the air fryer COSORI 5.5 which you can find on Amazon here: link
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