What exactly is fuchsia fun sauce? It’s just an easy roasted beet sauce. But I prefer my name for it because, after all, it’s fuchsia, it’s fun, and it’s a sauce!
What makes it fuchsia?
One red beet is what creates the magic here. When that beet is roasted, the color can’t be beat! That gorgeous deep pink color is thanks to beet’s naturally-occurring pigments called betalains. These pigments also offer nutritional benefits, including anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects.
How to make this sauce
First, you’ll want to roast a beet. Go to the Notes section below the recipe to see how I do that. You can do this a day in advance as a time-saver. (Hint: You can use a packaged pre-roasted beet, but the color of the sauce won’t be as vivid.)
Next, toss everything in a blender: roasted beet, unsweetened peppermint or green tea, extra-virgin olive oil, tahini or almond butter, lemon juice, basil leaves, sea salt, and black pepper. Then simply purée until velvety smooth.
Do err on the side of blending longer than you think you need to assure your fuchsia fun sauce is super velvety! Once blended, your sauce it ready to use—warm or cool. But if you’re not ready, no worries. Transfer it to a jar and stash it in the fridge for up to 5 days.
How to use this sauce
Now for the fun part! I’ve kept flavors simple to make this fuchsia fun sauce really versatile. My favorite way to use it is as a gorgeous sauce for pan-fried cauliflower gnocchi. I know, that’s highly specific … but it’s sooo good! You’ll also adore this sauce tossed with pasta, dolloped over practically anything grilled, and enjoyed as a dip, veggie burger condiment, or a grain bowl drizzle sauce.
See the Notes section below for a few simple variations, such as easily transforming this fuchsia fun sauce into a salad dressing or a salsa.
And be sure to tag me on social @jackienewgent to share your pics of how you use this eye-appealing recipe!
What exactly is fuchsia fun sauce? It’s just an easy roasted beet sauce. But I prefer my name for it because, after all, it’s fuchsia, it’s fun, and it’s a sauce!
Ingredients
Scale
1 medium-large (10-ounce) organic red beet, roasted*, peeled and sliced
3 tablespoons unsweetened peppermint or green tea, or as needed
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons tahini or almond butter
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
8 large fresh basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Purée all ingredients in a blender until velvety smooth. Enjoy as a sauce now (warm or cool)–or store in a jar in the fridge up to 5 days for later.
Delicious tossed with freshly-prepared gnocchi or pasta; dolloped over practically anything grilled; and enjoyed as a dip, veggie burger condiment, or a grain bowl drizzle sauce. Or see Notes below for delightful variations.
*TO ROAST A MEDIUM-LARGE BEET: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Wrap the beet in recycled aluminum foil. Roast until cooked through, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Set aside for 15 minutes (or chill in the fridge overnight). Then carefully remove foil and scrape off the beet skin with a paring knife.
RECIPE VARIATIONS: Try these ideas with part of or the entire sauce recipe.
1) Whisk in a big splash of balsamic vinegar and serve as a salad dressing.
2) Whisk in a generous squirt of lime juice to enjoy as salsa. Tip: If you plan to use the entire recipe in a Mexican preparation, you can swap a handful of fresh cilantro in place of the basil in the main recipe.
3) Blend in some avocado and/or chickpeas to create a thick and creamy dip.
For any variation, you can always make a thinner consistency with additional unsweetened tea or add more taste by adding a pinch or two of extra salt.
Prep Time:10
Category:Sauce
Cuisine:Mediterranean, American
Nutrition
Serving Size:1/4 cup
Calories:110
Sugar:4g includes 0g added sugars
Sodium:280mg
Fat:9g
Saturated Fat:1g
Trans Fat:0g
Carbohydrates:7g
Fiber:1g
Protein:2g
Cholesterol:0mg
For other recipes featuring red beets, try my red beet baba ghanoush (HERE), beet, greens and goat cheese linguine (HERE), lemony beet “hummus” with poached pistachios (HERE), easy roasted beet dip (HERE), four layer hummus jars (HERE), beet “pesto” cauliflower pizza with greens (HERE), or red rice & beet stuffed grape leaves (HERE).
