Vibrantly pink, nutty, tart, and tasty, this Beet Pesto is absolutely delectable.
Beets are one of my favorite ingredients. You can eat them raw, boiled, roasted, or cooked. The color of beets is so bold and beautiful that adding it to any dish brightens up my table.
I wanted to highlight October for Breast Cancer Awareness month. In the last two months, I’ve known multiple family and friends who have been diagnosed with breast cancer and my heart goes out to each one of them. To honor these beautiful ladies, I created this beet pesto which not only is pink in color to honor Breast Cancer, it also has properties to help towards the cancer.
Let me explain. We all know that beets are a heart healthy vegetable but did you know they also help in repairing DNA? This helps make is a great anti-cancer vegetable. Studies have shown that beets “inhibit carcinogen formation and increase immune cells and body enzymes that help fight cancer development.” (I will link this reference and another peer reviewed journal article below for your further reading).
Can you believe it? Pretty cool huh? I thought so too. But here are a few other nutrient data on the beets that I love so much:
- Low in calorie
- 2 gm protein per 1 cup
- 20% of RDI Folate
- High in Fiber which can help control blood sugar levels, help maintain healthy weight, and lower blood cholesterol
- High concentration of Vit. A and C
When I was thinking of what I wanted to make for Breast Cancer Awareness month, I immediately thought beets. This beet pesto is different because it’s not just a salad or cooked or roasted and eaten. Once you make the pesto, eat it with pasta or on a toast for breakfast with avocado. It’s easy to make and definitely easy to eat.
Looking for more Beet recipes? Check out some of these:
Sweet Potato and Beet Hash with Fried Eggs
Vegan Poke Bowl
Farmer’s Market Crudites Platter with Hummus Two Ways
Here are the links for the research articles I referred to earlier:
Beetroot as a Potential Functional Food for Cancer Chemoprevention, a Narrative Review
This article is published by the National Institute of Health (NIH)
Are beets really nutritious?
This article is published by the American Institute for Cancer Research
Beet Pesto
Ingredients
- 2 med red beets, peeled, keep whole
- 1 c raw walnuts
- 1/2 c + 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 bulb garlic, stalk end trimmed
- 1 Parmesan cheese, grated
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp salt, divided
- 2 tsp pepper, divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Place peeled beets in a foil, drizzle with Olive Oil and season with 1 tsp each of salt and pepper. Fold the foil so the beets are covered into a ball.
- Repeat this process for the garlic. Place both on a baking sheet and bake for 60 minutes. Remove and let cool for 5 minutes before opening packet.
- While the beets and garlic are roasting, in a medium skillet, add walnuts and dry toast them until they are slightly golden red in color. Set aside.
- When the beets and garlic have cooled enought to handle, transfer the beets to your blender or food processor. Squeeze out the roasted garlic from the bulb and add that to the blender also. Finally add in the remaining ingredients - walnuts, parmesan cheese, lemon juice, and the remaining 1 tsp each of salt and pepper.
- Pulse a few times then open the lid and add olive oil slowly as it is blending.
- Transfer to an airtight jar and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Here are the tools I used for this recipe:
Looks amazing and tastes even better!