Beet Green Pesto With Toasted Walnuts

I’ve never been a winter person. I’ve always been able to appreciate the darkness that crawls over summer’s end and drags us into the dead of the season, but winter itself can bugger off. Not that I can complain; I’m a Canadian-born gal living in the South. Sure, North Carolina gets “winter”, but nothing like the savage winters I experienced in Southern Ontario.

Albeit Southern Ontario hasn’t had much winter this year either. But, you know, global warming isn’t a thing. (Eye roll.)

Regardless of how mild of a winter it’s been, I am oh-so-ready to welcome Spring — and with that, March’s theme for the blog is a whole lot of green; vibrance and rejuvenation.

I’m a little embarrassed to admit this, but it wasn’t until this past year I learned that beet greens can be put to use — in addition to carrot tops, turnip greens, radish greens, etc. Who knew.

When it comes to pesto, I’ve come to notice that there are two types of pesto lovers out there:

1. those who love an herbaceous pesto, and
2. those who love a garlicky and nutty pesto

I fall into the latter group; I’m a bit of a garlic fiend. Luckily my husband is too, so we just stink in unison.

I didn’t include any fresh herbs in this pesto, but you can absolutely add a handful of basil, parsley or cilantro if you prefer an herbaceous pesto. You could also switch things up by using pine nuts instead of walnuts, and you don’t have to toast your walnuts, but I recommend it. Toasty walnuts > non-toasty walnuts, you know?

This stuff is fantastic with crackers, spread over toast, tossed with pasta and slathered atop a fillet of fish.

Print Pin

Beet Green Pesto With Toasted Walnuts

Stop tossing your beet greens into the trash; put them to use with this nutty, garlicky beet green pesto instead!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Author Killing Thyme

Ingredients

• 5 cups beet greens stems removed
• 1/2 cup toasted walnuts
• 3 cloves of garlic roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup shaved parmesan or romano
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Handful of herbs (basil, parsley, cilantro) optional

Instructions

• Add all of the ingredients, minus the olive oil, to a high power blender. Begin to blend on low (to avoid a puree), and slowly add the olive oil until the mixture is well blended.

  Transfer to an air tight container and keep in the fridge for up to three weeks.

  Serve over pasta, with pita chips, smeared over toast or slathered on a fillet of fish.

Notes

Adapted from B. Britnell