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Roasted Beet Pesto with walnuts is a nutrient-dense take on pesto sauce that will rock your world! Use it anywhere a pesto can go! Pizzas, sandwiches, pasta, wraps, and more, will all benefit from this delicious superfood sauce.
I shared this Roasted Beet Pesto recipe way back in 2013, and it has been a reader favorite ever since!
Because the original post didn’t provide very in-depth information and the photos were in desperate need of updating, I figured I would give it a facelift and bring it to the forefront, leaving the original recipe completely intact.
The concept of beet pesto may sound odd, but it’s actually pretty miraculous.
Full to the brim with vibrant color and nutrients, it can be used in any way regular pesto sauce can be used (think: pasta, pizza, sauce for burgers, sandwiches, and more).
This isn’t the only time I’ve gotten wild and crazy with pesto on this site.
In fact, I’ve posted recipes for Spinach Pesto Sauce, Beet Green Pesto, Carrot Top Pesto, Broccoli Pesto, and more!
Traditional basil pesto sauce is made with basil, pine nuts, garlic, parmesan cheese, and olive oil.
We’re using a roasted beet instead of basil and walnuts instead of pine nuts, but keeping the parmesan cheese and garlic.
A splash of lemon juice adds a lovely counterbalance to the sweetness of the beet.
Let’s talk about the ingredients in detail!
Roasted Beet Pesto Ingredients:
Beets: Infusing the pesto with a powerful antioxidant punch, beets are famous for their cancer-fighting anti-inflammatory properties.
They are also a good source of potassium, Vitamin A and iron. Beets are also a great source of carbohydrate, as they contain a great deal of natural sugars plus the fiber to ensure they are slower burning.
Garlic: A natural antimicrobial and antiviral, garlic is just as huge in health benefits as it is in flavor. Physicians recommend eating a clove or two of raw garlic when you aren’t feeling well to fight pathogens and allow the good bacteria to take hold.
Of course you don’t have to be feeling ill in order to reap benefits from garlic, as it helps promote balance in your gut microbiome and is also a natural anti-inflammatory.
Walnuts: Replacing pine nuts with walnuts adds to the nutrient profile of this beet pesto even further. Walnuts are a good source of iron and magnesium, with a boost of folate, potassium, and calcium.
Parmesan Cheese: Bringing that iconic pesto vibe to the sauce, parmesan cheese adds a great deal of flavor to the sauce.
Olive Oil: Bringing all of the ingredients together into a sauce consistency, we use olive oil to add fat content and delicious texture.
Lemon Juice: For a slight acidic tang, lemon juice brings a needed counterbalance to the otherwise sweet sauce. The acidity is needed to round out the flavor.
Sea Salt: Add sea salt according to your personal taste. It brings out all of the flavors and makes the sauce taste like a dream, so don’t skip it!
Recipe Customizations:
- To make this recipe dairy-free or vegan, omit the parmesan cheese, add ½ cup of additional walnuts, and 2 to 3 tablespoons of nutritional yeast (to taste).
- If you prefer avocado oil or grapeseed oil, feel free to make the swap!
- Use cider vinegar or rice vinegar in place of lemon juice.
How to Make Roasted Beet Pesto:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Wash the beet well and chop it into ½-inch pieces (you can peel it if you’d like to do as I do and leave the peel on).
Place the chopped beet on a sheet of foil, then fold the foil over the beets, creating a foil packet.
Roast for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the beets are soft when poked with a fork. Allow the beets to cool to room temperature.
Add all of the ingredients for the pesto sauce to a food processor except for the olive oil.
Pulse until everything is well chopped.
Scrape the sides of the food processor and continue processing until a thick paste forms.
Leaving the food processor on, slowly stream the olive oil through the hole in the top until it is completely incorporated. The sauce should be thick and creamy with a little graininess to it.
Use roasted beet pesto in any recipe you would normally use basil pesto!
Store pesto in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for up to 10 days, or freeze it for up to 3 months.
Use this tasty sauce on your burgers, sandwiches, pastas, pizzas, and more!
Check out my Beet Pesto Pizza with Kale and Goat Cheese for a real good time!
Drop a comment below letting me know what you do with this magical sauce!
Roasted Beet Pesto
Ingredients
- 1 medium-sized red beet, chopped and roasted (about 1 cup)
- 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- ½ cup walnuts*
- 1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice***
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Wash and scrub the beet and pat it dry. Peel and chop it into ½” cubes and place the pieces on a large sheet of foil. Wrap the chopped beet in foil, making a foil packet. Place the packet on a baking sheet. Roast in the oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until beets are soft and juices are seeping out.
- Allow beets to cool completely.
- Add all of the ingredients except for the oil to a food processor or blender and pulse several times.
- Leaving the food processor (or blender) running, slowly add the olive oil until all ingredients are well combined. If the pesto is too thick for your blender to process, add a small amount of water until desired consistency is reached.
- Use the beet pesto sauce in pastas, on pizza, sandwiches, burgers, and more!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate and comment below!
Can this be frozen & saved for Thanksgiving ?
Hi Elizabeth! You can definitely freeze the pesto and break it out around Thanksgiving! Just be sure it’s in an air-tight container or freezer zip-locks and you’ll be good to go. When you’re ready to thaw it, I would recommend putting it in warm water or leaving it at room temperature (as opposed to microwaving it). Enjoy!
Is there a sub for the walnuts??
Hi Brenna, I’ve never tried the recipe using anything other than walnuts, but you could try using pine nuts or almonds. I’m not sure the exact amount you would want to substitute in, but it’s worth a try. Let me know how it turns out!
Where is a bunch of beets when you really NEED them?! This is happening…oh yes, mark my words…just as soon as I can get back to the market! I spotted some last weekend and thought my gut was telling me to get them, but I was like, “oh no gut…you already have two bunches of kale, zucchini, and half the tomato stand” (obviously I’m going through a severe seasonal denial period right now! ;)) Guess my gut knew what she was talking about! Lol
Oh and about that whole writer’s block thing? I could have used some Muse inspiration on Saturday night when it took me something like FOUR HOURS to type up a post about pancakes! Oy!
Yup, right around 4 hours is what it takes me when I have writer’s block. Especially when I divert myself to youtube for inspiration – post-writing can last a lifetime! So glad there are folks out there who can relate 😉 Let me know when you try the pesto!! 🙂
Hi, I’ve made regular pesto and last year did kale pesto. What would you put this one on or with? Thanks. Lisa
Funny, I ironically made a beet-inspired pesto just this afternoon! I added beets to a traditional pesto recipe I use, and the color turned out gorgeous. Now I’m curious to try a beet-only version!
Looks delicious. Thanks for sharing. I want to try it at home.
I so want this on my pasta, and I so want my pasta to be pink! Might have to do this when my man is on the road, but I will do it!
Really there is nothing on this earth right now that I want more than this pesto. The color is stunning, and it sounds delicious. (I have a major obsession with beets)
As for the writers block… I am not much of a writer, this is what I struggle with the most on my blog. I have writers block almost every single day! So yeah…I get it.
You know how much I love beet anything! beet pesto is my favorite pizza topping! great recipe lady!
Muse. Yes. F+TM. EVEN MORE YES. Girl crush on Florence, truth. Have you ever seen her MTV unplugged performance? Alex downloaded it one day and we watched it and OH BOY it was the best thing ever. You must find it.
Yeah, She’s insane! How do people even get that cool?
Beet pesto? ROASTED beet pesto?? Oh. My. Gosh. Where little odd one doesn’t like beets (or does her man), her daddy and I LUV the things. So, I need to make this pronto-tonto. I have a long list of things to make when you come to live with us. Starting with pimento cheese. 🙂
Ok, this pesto is just straight up gorgeous! I love roasted beet BIG time. I can’t believe I never thought about making a pesto like this…but, I’m sure glad you did 🙂
Oh, and writers block….it’s a regular thing over here. You’re not alone.
It’s so preeeetttty! Music gets me in the mood too…err..omg to write that is!! haha. This sounds so tasty, make my noodles all pretty in pink. WHy does everything I type sound so wrong lol!
haha! Everything you type sounds so right, Abs. It sounds so right 🙂
Yes, Julia – I am so totally a sauce person! And, I just love both beets and pesto, but honestly it never occurred to me to put the two together (in such a beautiful way)! This looks just delicious and is so creative – another slam-dunk! 😀
Here’s the deal: the greater the recipe is, the less I have to say about it. I don’t know why. When I have something so-so to post, I’m FULL of words. Sometimes, we just let the food photos do the talking? I feel ya.
I just made Heather Christo’s beet pesto and I’m in love! I have another jar in the fridge-hooray!
Oh MAN! I wish I had looked at Heather’s before making this! When I made it, I was all…mmmmkkaaaaaaaay, a little thisssss…a little thaaaat…wish someone like Heather Christo were here to be my beet pesto consultaaaant. Yeaaaah. I’m the same way, when I love a food stuff, I get all choked up about it…but when I’m just so-so about a recipe, I compensate with words. Should I be confessing this on my own food blog? Hmmmmm….
Beet root pesto? Not gonna lie this one is new to me. I am not the biggest beet root person, but I think that is only because I have only ever tried the canned one and it was just not good. I love pretty much every single veggie there is, so maybe with all the cheese, the walnuts and tossed with pasta I would love this too! I have to try it soon!
Oh and writers block? Happen all the time over here!
Ohhhhh girl….ooooooooooohhhhh giiiiiiiirl! You quit those canned beets, stat! Real roasted beets are a) much tastier, b) have more nutrition than canned, and c) you can make cool things with them, like pesto. Anywhoooo, the pesto isn’t very beet-y, so those who are beet averse will still enjoy it. Grrrenteed 😉
Had it on a pizza at a CSA night and it was everyones favorite. Almost sweet with the cheese, etc. Making it now!