Return of the beets. I think we all saw it coming!
Truth be told, I had no intention of making beet pesto this weekend. Then again, I also had no intention of drinking half a bottle of wine on Friday night before my long run on Saturday morning. So you know, you can’t always control where life takes you. Anyway, on Friday night I found myself at home after work with a big container of basil and a ton of leftover beet puree… and this happened.
Then a lot of wine happened.
On Saturday, we had friends over for dinner. And I made more beet pesto.
And we drank more wine.
And then finally, on Sunday, I faced facts that this beet pesto was going to have to go on the blog. So round number three happened.
But no wine. Please. no. more. wine.
It just so happens that beet pesto goes very well with red wine.
Three batches of this stuff in one weekend?! Yup. On Friday night we had beet pesto pizza topped with kale and parmesan. On Saturday night it was polenta with grilled asparagus and pesto. I liked it both ways, but really, I just kept wishing the veggies would go away so I could concentrate on the flavor of the pesto. That’s not something I wish for frequently! So on Sunday – third time’s the charm – we had this pesto in its simplest form: just spread on toast.
I’ve been informed that toast is the hot new thing. Can someone who lives in a real city please confirm or deny? Do you have toast bars near where you live? Now that I think about it, there is a hipster bakery near us that has a toast menu. Hmmm. Toast is great, but I think we’re all capable of making it at home… case in point.
Totally capable of spreading things on toast myself, thank you very much. As long as you pour me some wine to go with it.
The fresh flavors of this beet pesto really shine when it’s simply spread on toast and topped with a sprinkle of parmesan and a few leaves of arugula. Really, though, the parmesan and arugula are optional. Well, I guess everything is optional… but you know what I mean. If you want to keep it as simple as possible, that works. And the pesto is vegan if you skip the parm on top.
This pesto has just a handful of ingredients (cause it’s pesto, ya know), and if you roast and puree your beets ahead of time, it can be blended up in a jiffy. Then, it can be spread on every piece of toast in sight, and then some.
And then promptly devoured.
OK, fine… please pass the wine!
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 cup raw almonds
- 1 1/4 cups roasted pureed beets
- 6 oz fresh basil leaves
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- whole grain baguette or other bread of choice, sliced and toasted
- shaved parmesan cheese
- baby arugula
- In the bowl of a food processor, whiz the garlic cloves until minced.
- Preheat oven to 350. (I like to use my toaster oven.) Spread almonds on a baking sheet and toast lightly. (Using pre-roasted almonds works, too.) Remove from oven and add straight to food processor with garlic. Process into crumbs.
- Add the remaining pesto ingredients to the food processor and puree until your desired texture is reached. I like mine somewhat chunky. Taste and adjust salt and pepper to your liking. Don't be afraid to use a fair amount of salt!
- Spread pesto on toast. Top with parmesan and arugula. Serve and enjoy!
Oh yes, the ‘I had no intention of running with a hangover, but the wine called.’ – I’ve been there, only in my case it was sangria… Those 9 miles are etched in memory.
However, I did not have a delicious and addictive beet pesto pizza to soak it up. I want to spread this on everything and eat it. Crackers, toast, broccoli (am I getting too healthy with that one?) anything. It takes a little while for food trends to percolate down here to Brisbane Australia so I have yet to see a restaurant with a toast menu. I’m perfectly capable of making my own. And I don’t have to wear make-up/pants/socially acceptable face in order to get it….
Can’t wait to make this one for our family Easter dinner appetizer :)
Morning Erica :D
This recipe looks elegant. Somehow though, I thought about your carrot puree with this recipe. But I’ll give beets a shot. I still need to try that beet chocolate cake.
Toast is the “it” foodie product, eh? Great! Gives me an excuse to buy more sliced French loaf from the store. :)
What a great appetizer, I have done something kind of like this with fresh peas and it was delicious. I bet this is amazing.
Such a gorgeous color!
These photos are gorgeous! And I’m so intrigued by this idea that I might just have to try it :)
Toast is not a thing here in Amsterdam, but I bet Beet Pesto would be :) Looks awesome.
Woohoo!!! I love beet pesto. We like to call it besto because it’s the best! Paired with all your wine and I know you had a fantastic weekend (even if a 10 mile run was involved!)
No more wine?!?! Balderdash! Never! Hehehe… I am a huge lover of beets but the hubs is not. I could totally make this and have enough leftovers for lunch. AMAZING!
I LOVE that the color of the beets is so strong that the green doesn’t turn it brown — is that a weird thing to notice? Anyway, so pretty, and so easy — I never thought to mix beets and basil, but oh man. Definitely this is becoming a flatbread with arugula and mozzarella. Thank you so much for sharing!
It is so cruel… long runs MUST take place on the weekend. Wine consumption MUST take place on the weekend. And yet, the two are so mismatched…
Anyway… the beet pesto looks wonderful. Can’t wait to try!!
SO cruel!
Hahaha! When I read “I also had no intention of drinking half a bottle of wine on Friday night before my long run on Saturday morning.” I actually laughed out loud, because that’s happened to me so many times at this point I have lost track ;)
Beets + pesto sounds like a match made in heaven! I can’t wait to grow more basil this summer, it was amazing having a steady supply last year.
Hi there ! I live in Paris and confirm that toasts is the new thing. Well, it started like a year ago or so. But we do have toast bars :) I work for a cheese you put on bagels (hum hum) and we had this cool toast bar installed in some spots in Paris. This recipe looks amazing and I hope I’ll try it very soon.
Love from Paris !
Oh man, I am so behind the times! Thanks for the comment, Samia :)
Oh, it’s the same over here in Amsterdam! They have it everywhere.. and they are actually really, really good! This recipe looks delicious. I love beets and I’m definitely going to try this one out!
I have some rye crackers waiting to be used up! This beet pesto looks just the right spread I am looking for. Excellent!
Wow, this pesto looks soo good. I love beets, but never thought of beet pesto. Great idea! Hubby gonna hate me, he doesn’t like beets. Haha
I just saw this on tastespotting and it sounds really fantastic! I always run out of ideas for beets and therefore I almost never buy them. (Honestly, you had me at wine.) I think I’ll have to buy beets and wine now. Serving it with polenta and asparagus also sounds really nice.
These look awesome and I love the colors!
Wow, Erica. This looks amazing. Thank you for sharing. Just found your blog and fell in love already. Your pictures look so yummy. All the best, Alina
Thanks Alina, you’re so sweet! Appreciate your comment :)
Love this recipe! We tried putting sun-dried tomatos and it worked!