I first made this pesto when we went to a New Year’s Eve party of friends’ who I knew loved beets. This was when I came up with Belgian Endive Boats with Beet Pesto, Persimmons and Crispy Sage. The appetizers were a hit and the pesto is so versatile. Serve it over pasta, use as salad dressing, spread over roasted veggies or coat some cooked shrimp in it. This is not just a delicious and flavorful recipe, but nutrient-packed and nourishing. Sesame Seeds are high in calcium and contain many other beneficial vitamins and minerals, which is one of the reasons I added them here. I like to embrace this by sprinkling some additional sesame seeds on my beet pesto dishes!
Beet Pesto with Pecans and Sesame Seeds
This beet pesto is packed with nutrient rich ingredients, such as sesame seeds and parsley and is absolutely delicious! Try it in Belgian endive boats with beet pesto, persimmons and crispy sage for a gorgeous appetizer.
15
minutes45
minutesKeep the screen of your device on
Ingredients
1 lb beets, trimmed and scrubbed
1/2 cup pecans
2 Tbsp sesame seeds
1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
juice of 1/2 lemon (about 2 tsp)
1 cup parsley, lightly packed and chopped*
3/4 tsp fine sea salt
a few cracks of black pepper
1/2 cup grated pecorino, lightly packed
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Directions
- To cook the beets, add about 2 inches of water to a pot with a steamer basket. Set the basket on top and add the trimmed and scrubbed beets. If they are quite large, cut them in half, otherwise leave them whole. Cover the pot and bring the water to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer, steaming the beets for about 45 minutes or until a paring knife inserted into a beet slides out easily. Once they are cool enough to handle, remove the skin, which will slide off easily and cut into 1- to 2-inch chunks.
- To make the beet pesto, add the pecans to a food processor fitted with the s-shaped blade and briefly pulse to reach a medium fine chop. Add the steamed beet chunks and, again, pulse a few times until the beets are well chopped. Add the sesame seeds, garlic, lemon juice, parsley,* fine sea salt and cracked black pepper. Process until the texture begins to become smooth. Add the pecorino. With the food processor on low speed, slowly drizzle in the extra virgin olive oil and continue to process until the mixture is very smooth. Transfer to an airtight glass jar and store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Notes
- *If using leaves and stems, chop the stems more finely before adding them to the food processor, as they will likely not get fully chopped otherwise and may remain somewhat stringy. Feel free to just use the leaves here and reserve the stems for a later use (such as a green juice).
So creative and out of this world good. Beets are a favorite in our house, and this pesto is very versatile.
It looks beautiful when served.
This is another winner from Our Kitchen Bond.
Thank you so much! I am so glad you liked this recipe!