You'll Never Want Plain Noodles Again After Making This Colorful Rainbow Pasta

Once we realized we could make a few standard meals rainbow (like this rainbow grilled cheese, for example), we've been having a hard time eating anything that isn't bright and colorful. Another case in point: this homemade rainbow pasta! Adding some color to foods has been a popular trend for a while, but a lot of those recipes also use food coloring and artificial dyes. To put a healthier spin on things, we thought we'd make one that's just as colorful using all-natural ingredients instead . . . and the result was delicious! This does take a little time to prepare, but the final dish is so worth it. Plus, we've added a delicious butter sauce that complements the pasta perfectly. After one bite you'll want to lick the bowl clean!

Rainbow PastaFrom Skylar Thomson, POPSUGAR Food

Ingredients

1. For the parmesan tuile:
   
   4 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
   
   Non-stick cooking spray

1. For the pasta:
   
   4 baby beetroot bulbs, quartered
   
   1 2-inch piece of turmeric, grated
   
   1 red cabbage, roughly chopped
   
   1 teaspoon baking soda
   
   Water
   
   1 pound dry spaghetti, cooked 2 minutes below the recommended cooking time

1. For sauce:
   
   6 tablespoons unsalted butter
   
   3 garlic cloves, smashed
   
   1 shallot, roughly chopped
   
   2 tablespoons fresh chives, roughly chopped
   
   3 sprigs fresh thyme
   
   1 teaspoon lemon zest
   
   2 tablespoons lemon juice
   
   Kosher salt to taste

1. Parmesan cheese, for garnish

Directions

1. For parmesan tuiles: Arrange the parmesan cheese into 4 piles on a greased 10-inch skillet. Turn the heat to medium and allow the cheese to melt and turn golden brown around the edges, about 4-6 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the parmesan tuiles to cool in the pan before transferring to a paper towel lined plate. Repeat with more cheese if desired.


2. For pasta: Add the beets to the bowl of a food processor and pulse about 10 times until coarsely chopped. Add the beet mixture to a small saucepan and add enough water to just cover the beets (about 2 cups). Simmer on medium for about 5 minutes until the water becomes a deep and vibrant pink color. Strain the liquid through a cheesecloth lined strainer into a small bowl and set aside to cool. Discard or store any leftover beet pulp.


3. In a clean saucepan, add the turmeric and 3 cups of water. Bring to a simmer for 5 minutes, strain through a cheesecloth-lined strainer into a small bowl and set aside to cool. The mixture will look slightly yellow/orange.


4. Lastly, add the cabbage to a large, heavy-bottom stock pot and just barely cover with water (about 5 cups). Bring the water to a boil over high heat, then lower the temperature to medium-low and simmer for about 8 minutes until the water becomes a deep purple color. Strain the liquid through a cheesecloth-lined strainer, evenly into 2 small bowls and set aside to cool. Add the baking soda to one of the bowls containing the cabbage liquid and delicately stir. The liquid will turn from purple to vibrant blue right before your eyes.


5. In another small bowl, combine equal parts blue and yellow dye to create a green shade. You should now have 5 natural food colors to dye the spaghetti with.


6. Divide cooked pasta into 5 1-gallon resealable bags. Add each dye to the bag of spaghetti you'd like to color. The dye shoul