Homemade Beetroot Pasta with Roquefort Cream Sauce

Fresh homemade pasta, a rich and tangy blue cheese cream sauce, and crunchy toasted hazelnuts. What’s not to love?

Sometimes, a restaurant meal inspires you to get into your own kitchen and see if you can recreate the magic. That’s exactly what happened with this recipe!

I had beetroot pasta with Gorgonzola cream sauce and hazelnuts at one of my favorite restaurants in Bluffton, South Carolina. It was delicious, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Naturally, I decided I had to try making it at home.

I even dusted off my Philips pasta maker, which had been collecting dust in my pantry, and put it to good use!

The result? Homemade beetroot pasta paired with a creamy Roquefort cheese sauce and topped with toasted hazelnuts. It was absolutely delicious, and Hubs loved it, too!

Was it perfect? Well, not quite. But that’s part of the fun of cooking from scratch.

Making Beetroot Pasta from Scratch

For this recipe, I used beetroot powder to give the pasta its gorgeous red color. I combined organic all-purpose flour and semolina flour in equal proportions for my first attempt.

The pasta looked beautifully vibrant before cooking, but I was disappointed when some of that lovely red color disappeared during boiling. Instead of the deep red I was hoping for, the cooked pasta turned a rather unusual pinkish color. Let’s just say it reminded me of pink chopped meat! 😂

I did a little research afterward and decided that next time I would change the flour ratio, using more all-purpose flour and less semolina. I may also experiment with adding a little lemon juice to the dough.

Since this was my first attempt at beetroot pasta, I was figuring things out as I went along. I may have added a little extra water because the mixture looked too dry, too. When using a Philips pasta maker, the mixture should resemble coarse, slightly damp sand rather than a smooth ball of dough.

The good news? Despite my color disappointment, the pasta tasted wonderful, and I would absolutely make it again!

The Roquefort Cream Sauce

Let’s talk about the sauce, because this is where things get really good.

I made a simple cream sauce with butter, garlic, flour, heavy cream, and Roquefort cheese. Roquefort is a tangy, salty blue cheese that adds plenty of flavor to the rich cream.

The sauce was smooth, velvety, and full of character. I rubbed a peeled garlic clove around the bottom of the saucepan before mincing it and adding it to the melted butter. It’s a little technique I enjoy using to build flavor right from the beginning.

Once the cream sauce thickened, I whisked in the blue cheese until everything was smooth and creamy.

And then came the toasted hazelnuts.

Toasting the hazelnuts in a dry pan brings out their nutty flavor and gives them a lovely crunch. Sprinkled over the creamy pasta, they add another layer of texture that makes this dish feel extra special.

You’ve got earthy beetroot, rich cream, tangy and salty blue cheese, and crunchy toasted hazelnuts. Every bite has something going on!

A Special Dinner Worth Making

This pasta has enough flavor that I didn’t serve it with anything else. It was satisfying on its own, and I didn’t want to overwhelm the combination of flavors.

I’m already thinking this would make a wonderful Valentine’s Day dinner. Yes, I know we’re months away, but sometimes you have to plan ahead when a dish turns out this good!

It would also be lovely for a dinner party when you want to serve something a little different from the usual pasta dishes.

And don’t worry if you don’t have a pasta machine. You can make fresh pasta by hand if you prefer. If making pasta from scratch isn’t your thing, you can also use a good-quality store-bought pasta.

I prefer organic pasta or Italian pasta made with simple ingredients, rather than pasta made with enriched flour. Check the ingredient list so you know exactly what you’re buying.

I’ll be sharing some of my favorite pasta options in my Amazon storefront at the bottom of this post.

My Final Thoughts

I’m so happy I tried recreating this restaurant dish at home. Was my plating as beautiful as the restaurant’s? Absolutely not! That’s something I’ll keep working on. 😂

But the flavor? Fabulous!

It wasn’t an exact copy of the original because I used Roquefort instead of Gorgonzola, which gave the sauce its own distinctive flavor. Still, it was every bit as delicious in its own way.

My only real disappointment was losing some of that gorgeous beetroot color during cooking. I’ll keep experimenting with the flour ratio and the dough until I get closer to the vibrant red pasta I envisioned.

That’s the beauty of cooking from scratch. Sometimes you nail it on the first try, and sometimes you learn something new along the way.

Would I make this again? You bet!

If you’re feeling adventurous, give this homemade beetroot pasta with Roquefort cream sauce and toasted hazelnuts a try. It’s a little different, a little indulgent, and a whole lot of delicious.

From my kitchen in the Lowcountry to yours, happy cooking!

Homemade Beetroot Pasta with Roquefort Cream Sauce and Toasted Hazelnuts

Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes
Servings: 6–8
Pasta equipment: Philips pasta maker with your preferred extrusion disc

Times are estimates and may vary depending on your pasta maker and preparation speed.

Ingredients

For the beetroot pasta

500 g, (according to the pasta maker’s recipe measurement) combined organic all-purpose flour and semolina flour
2 large eggs, beaten
Water, added to the beaten eggs to make a total liquid measurement of 190 mL
¼ cup beetroot powder

My flour tip: I used a 50/50 combination of all-purpose flour and semolina for my first attempt. Next time, I’ll try 75% all-purpose flour and 25% cup semolina, adjusting the quantities to meet my pasta maker’s specified flour weight. This is an experiment to see whether the color holds better, not a guaranteed fix.

For the Roquefort cream sauce

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 garlic clove, peeled
¼ cup organic all-purpose flour
2 cups heavy cream
½ cup Roquefort cheese, crumbled
Sea salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the topping

½ cup hazelnuts, roughly chopped or crushed

Instructions

1. Make the beetroot pasta

Select your desired extrusion disc and set up your Philips pasta maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Add the flour mixture and beetroot powder to the machine.
Start the machine and slowly pour the beaten eggs and water mixture along the full length of the opening, following the manufacturer’s directions.
Allow the machine to mix and extrude the pasta. The mixture should resemble coarse, slightly damp sand. If it appears too dry, check your machine’s instructions before adding any additional liquid.
Cut the extruded pasta to your desired length as it comes out of the machine.
Arrange the pasta into loose nests and dust lightly with flour to prevent sticking. Set aside until ready to cook.

2. Toast the hazelnuts

Place the chopped hazelnuts in a dry skillet over medium-low heat.
Toast, stirring frequently, until fragrant and lightly golden.
Watch them carefully so they don’t burn. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

3. Prepare the Roquefort cream sauce

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat.
Rub the peeled garlic clove around the bottom of the pan to impart a little garlic flavor.
Mince the garlic clove and add it to the melted butter. Cook for about one minute, stirring continuously. Do not allow the garlic to brown.
Sprinkle in the flour and whisk continuously for a few minutes until the mixture is lightly golden and the raw flour taste has cooked off.
Gradually pour in the heavy cream, whisking constantly to prevent lumps from forming.
Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.
Add the crumbled Roquefort and whisk until melted and smooth.
Remove from the heat and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Remember that Roquefort is already quite salty, so taste before adding much salt.

4. Cook the fresh pasta

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Add the fresh beetroot pasta and cook for approximately two minutes, checking for doneness. The exact time will depend on the thickness of your pasta.
Drain the pasta, reserving a little pasta water in case you need to loosen the sauce.

5. Bring everything together

Add the drained pasta to the Roquefort cream sauce.
Toss gently until every strand is coated. If the sauce is too thick, add a small splash of reserved pasta water.
Divide among serving plates.
Spoon a little extra sauce over each portion and finish with the toasted hazelnuts.

Serve immediately and enjoy!

Recipe Notes and Tips

The color: Beetroot pasta may lose some of its vibrant color during cooking. I plan to experiment with a higher proportion of all-purpose flour and possibly a little lemon juice in the dough. Neither adjustment is guaranteed to prevent color loss.
The dough texture: For a Philips pasta maker, aim for a coarse, damp-sand consistency rather than a smooth dough ball. Follow your specific model’s instructions for the flour and liquid ratio.
The cheese: Roquefort gives this sauce a pronounced tang and salty flavor. Gorgonzola is a good alternative if you want to get closer to the dish that inspired my recipe.
The hazelnuts: Don’t skip toasting them! It brings out their flavor and adds a lovely crunch.
Make it easier: You can use good-quality store-bought pasta if you don’t have a pasta maker or want to save time.
Serving: This dish is rich and flavorful, so I served it on its own. A simple green salad would also work if you’d like a lighter accompaniment.

A note on measurements: Philips pasta makers can have model-specific flour and liquid requirements. Check your machine’s manual, particularly before changing the flour ratio or adding extra liquid. The stated yield of 6–8 servings will also depend on portion size.

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