The Easiest Roasted Beet Pesto Recipe Ever

If you would have asked me to try roasted beet pesto when I was a kid, I probably would have given you the side eye. But if you would have served me pasta this gorgeous vibrant pink and didn’t mention what was in it, I’d likely have dug into it face first.

Obviously my palate has matured since I was a kid. In fact, I now have a strong belief that you could turn just about anything into a pesto and it will be awesome.

And beets are no exception. They make one mean roasted beet pesto recipe, and it comes together with only 15 minutes of actual work!

What This Roasted Beet Pesto Recipe Tastes Like

Roasting beets brings out their sugar and provides a sweet, caramelized, and earthy flavor. You can really taste that in this roasted beet pesto, but it’s not overbearingly sweet thanks to the zip from a lot of lemon.

The walnuts and Parmesan cheese go really well with the earthiness of this pesto with roast beets. When added to pasta, it’ll turn the whole thing this vibrant pink that is super fun to plate. But you can still taste the sweet umami from the beets, nuts, and cheese.

What to Serve With This Roast Beet Pesto

Obviously from the pictures I think it goes well pasta, but if you really want to pump up the flavors, roast some fennel at the same time you roast the beets and serve them on the side. The caramelized sweetness of the fennel goes really well with this beet pesto recipe.

If you want to do something besides pasta, why not:

Serve this on toasted bread with burrata and lemon zest
Put it in a bowl and serve as a crudité dip
Add it to this easy oven roasted risotto instead of nasturtiums

Substitutions for This Pesto With Roast Beets

The beauty of pesto is you can really play around and use what you have on hand. For example, if you don’t have walnuts, swap another nut. Instead of Parmesan cheese, use Pecorino Romano. Don’t have parsley? No problem! Garnish it with reserved fennel fronds from your roasted fennel.

The Roasted Beet Pesto Recipe

Serves 4 | Active 15 minutes | 60 minutes total

Ingredients:

1 lb. beets, tops removed
12 oz. pasta of your choice (I used rotini)
1/2 small garlic clove, smashed
1/3 cup halved walnuts
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Juice from half a lemon
Salt & pepper to taste
Chopped parsley for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Wrap the beets in foil (skin on) and bake for 60 minutes, or until a fork slides into the beet easily. Let the beets cool and then peel the skin (I use an inside-out plastic bag to peel without dying my hands). Set aside.
Meanwhile, bring pot of water to a boil. Season generously with salt once boiling and add pasta, cooking until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid and then drain. Return to the pot and set aside.
Add the garlic and walnuts to the food process. Pulse until finely chopped. Add the beets and drizzle in the extra virgin olive oil as you run the motor. Add the lemon juice, Parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper to taste. Continue processing until it’s the desired consistency, adding water 1 Tbsp. at a time as needed.
Mix the beet pesto with the pasta. Add some of the pasta cooking liquid as you mix until it’s the desired consistency. Garnish with the parsley if desired and serve. Enjoy!

Nutritional Facts Disclaimer: I am not a registered nutritionist and therefore these numbers are approximate. I researched the serving sizes and facts for each ingredient in this recipe (mostly using the manufacturer labels and this site), but slight variations in things like seasoning, garnishes, and substitutions can change the nutritional information. Use this information only as a general indication of your nutritional intake.