Pasta with Roasted Beets, Bleu Cheese and Walnut Sauce

Several years ago I made a similar recipe using these same ingredients, but I could not find that original anywhere.

I used rotini pasta for this dish, because that is all I had on hand.

1 small (15 oz) can quartered beets, rinsed and very well drained
olive oil, divided
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 t dried basil, rubbed, plus extra for serving
2 T balsamic vinegar (I used raspberry blush)
3 oz bleu cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 cups pasta (I used rotini)
freshly grated parmesan for serving
Preheat oven to 400°.

Spread beets on a baking pan and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast just til sizzling. Remove from oven and set aside.http://media-files.gather.com/images/d151/d367/d745/d224/d96/f3/full.jpg
Meanwhile, heat a large saucepan drizzled with a little olive oil over medium heat. Add the walnuts and toss til they are lightly toasted, about 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove walnuts. To walnut oil in pan, whisk in vinegar, basil and additional salt. Bring to a quick simmer. Whisk in cheese and cream, mixing til cheese is melted and mixture is smooth. Stir in walnuts.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and return to cook pot to keep warm. Toss pasta with walnut sauce. Fold in beets.

I served this with parmesan and an additional pinch of basil.http://media-files.gather.com/images/d149/d367/d745/d224/d96/f3/full.jpg

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