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December 30, 2015Updated: March 3, 2020

Beet Tops Pesto

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beet greens pesto
beet greens pesto

Can you use beet greens in the kitchen? Yes! So, instead of tossing those beet greens learn how a few simple ingredients turn them into a delicious beet tops pesto that’s perfect with pasta.

beet tops pesto in a white bowl with a spoon

Beet Tops Pesto

Every time I buy beets I am amazed by how many greens are attached to them as I stuff them in my crisper drawer. Sadly, before this week, I always tossed the beet greens away never once thinking that maybe those greens could be used for something. That all ends here.

After my spinach and parsley pesto revelation (whaa? Pesto isn’t just for basil?) I’m more creative turning random green stuff into pesto and this beet tops pesto is such a quick and easy way to use up odds and ends. Some beet greens, some nuts, some cheese, some garlic, some olive oil, and poof! you got yourself a tasty sauce for some pasta.

Hello, easy weeknight dinner.

Photo collage of fresh beets and greens

Since I just shared a roasted beet salad I wanted to take advantage of the situation and show you how I used the beet greens. This recipe makes a good cup and a half of pesto – I tossed some of it with fusilli pasta and froze the rest. Pesto keeps great in the freezer (store it in small containers with a layer of olive oil on top), which means there’s always something to make for dinner as long as you have some kind of pasta on hand. There’s never a shortage of pasta in our house (I just counted and turns out we have 15 boxes of pasta!), but there’s always a need to have different types of sauces. This beet top pesto is a great one to have around.

Ways to Use Beet Tops Pesto

  • Toss it with pasta for pasta salads, side dishes, or main course.
  • Spread it on sandwiches.
  • Mix it with cream cheese and enjoy it with your morning bagel.
  • Top a piece of toast with it along with avocado and tomato slices.
  • Stir it into store-bought tomato sauce for an extra nutrition boost.
  • Spread it on pizza dough and top it with your favorite toppings for pizza night.

Happy pesto-making!

beet tops pesto with pasta in a white bowl

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Beet Tops Pesto

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★★★★★

4.9 from 10 reviews

Don’t toss those beet greens! Use them to make a flavorful pesto that’s perfect with pasta.

  • Author: April @ Girl Gone Gourmet
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 1 1/2 cups 1x
  • Category: Sauces
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale
  • 5–6 cups beet top greens (just the green leaves from approximately 2 bunches of beets)
  • 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • Juice and zest of 1/2 a lemon
  • 1/2 cup of olive oil
  • Salt, to taste

Instructions

  1. Toss the greens, walnuts, grated Parmesan cheese, garlic cloves, and lemon juice and zest in a blender or food processor. Blend them all together until everything is chopped up.
  2. With the blender or food processor running, slowly pour in the olive oil until the sauce is smooth. Season to taste with salt (start with a couple pinches).

Notes

Toss the pesto with pasta, slather some on sandwiches, top some toast with it, or stir it into store-bought tomato sauce for a nutrition kick.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1/4 cup
  • Calories: 257
  • Fat: 26.2g
  • Carbohydrates: 3.9g
  • Fiber: 1.9g
  • Protein: 4.6g

Keywords: beet tops pesto, beet green recipe, beet green pesto

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32 Comments

About April Anderson

I’m a passionate home cook, cookbook author, recipe developer, freelance writer, food photographer, and dog mom ❤ I garnish (almost) everything with parsley and believe you can make deliciously amazing dishes with everyday ingredients.

« Roasted Beet Salad with Walnuts
Roasted Shrimp Cocktail »

Comments

  1. Julia says

    June 16, 2022 at 12:47 pm

    Great way to use the whole beet – thanks for sharing this! I used less oil (little over 1/4 cup) and toasted pecans because I was out of walnuts. Added it to angel hair pasta and topped with some sliced Greek olives, crumbled feta and sliced cherry tomatoes- so good!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • April Anderson says

      June 16, 2022 at 4:31 pm

      That sounds so good!

      Reply
  2. Diane Asoyuf says

    August 15, 2021 at 3:00 pm

    I thinned my beets out in the garden and used these beet leaves, It is a little more liquidy than basil pesto, but still good

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • April Anderson says

      August 15, 2021 at 4:02 pm

      Glad you liked it!

      Reply
  3. Victoria Keir says

    July 21, 2021 at 2:35 am

    We’ve been growing our own beetroot and had been pickling that ready to be picked. Was about to put the leaves in the compost bin before I came across your recipe. It was super tasty, we enjoyed it so much I bottled some up for my brother to try. We ended up using pine nuts instead of walnuts as that’s what was available and used a little more than the recipe recommended. So thank you, it was nice being able to put the the whole plant to use!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • April Anderson says

      July 21, 2021 at 11:23 am

      So glad you enjoyed it!

      Reply
  4. Becky says

    July 6, 2021 at 9:23 am

    This recipe sounds delish! I started snipping both beet greens and swiss chard yesterday and would love to make this for Christmas gifts. Can this be canned to last longer?

    Reply
    • April Anderson says

      July 6, 2021 at 12:51 pm

      I haven’t tried canning this recipe so can’t say how that would work – sorry about that!

      Reply
  5. Amy says

    April 15, 2021 at 5:38 pm

    Flavor is yummy, but mine was watery in texture. I must have received really juicy beet greens! I added more walnuts to improve the texture.

    Reply
  6. chris says

    August 9, 2020 at 10:05 pm

    I normally use my beet leaves in my smoothies. It was hard to give them up for pesto but, worth the wonderful results! Can this be heated before use or best tossed with warm noodles? I am new to making pesto.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • April Anderson says

      August 10, 2020 at 7:32 am

      I usually just toss it with hot pasta – so glad you enjoyed it!

      Reply
  7. Kelly says

    April 14, 2020 at 3:17 pm

    How long do you recommend it keeps for?

    Reply
    • April Anderson says

      April 14, 2020 at 4:14 pm

      It will keep in the fridge for up to a week – you can also freeze it for a few months.

      Reply
      • Kristin says

        June 20, 2021 at 11:57 am

        Just a few months?

        Reply
        • April Anderson says

          June 20, 2021 at 7:31 pm

          Like anything frozen, it will lose some of its quality over time. I think it’s best within a few months. Hope that helps!

          Reply
  8. Anniebugz89@gmail.com says

    April 6, 2020 at 11:47 am

    What but would you recommend if one doesn’t have walnuts or pine nuts?

    Reply
    • April Anderson says

      April 6, 2020 at 11:52 am

      Almonds would work, too, but if you don’t have any nuts on hand you could just skip them – it will still be good just won’t have the nutty flavor and the texture will be thinner/smoother.

      Reply
  9. Kathy Polzin says

    April 5, 2020 at 8:59 pm

    I used 1+ cup of pine nuts, as my husband doesn’t like walnuts. I used lemon juice from a whole large lemon, and 7 lg garlic cloves – we LOVE garlic!! It was delicious!! We love beet greens, and this was another way to use them in a delicious way! Thank you for the inspiration to branch out!!

    ★★★★

    Reply
    • April Anderson says

      April 6, 2020 at 9:24 am

      Glad you enjoyed it!

      Reply
  10. Rebecca Hubbell says

    May 2, 2018 at 4:54 pm

    What a fantastic way to use up beet tops, normally I just toss them, but no more! Can’t wait to enjoy this recipe!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Carla says

      March 31, 2022 at 2:47 am

      First time making pesto. Had these beautiful beet greens and didn’t want to toss them. My daughter suggested pesto and I am grateful for your delicious recipe!

      Reply
      • April Anderson says

        March 31, 2022 at 10:09 am

        So glad you loved it!

        Reply
  11. Lane Patten says

    May 2, 2018 at 4:42 pm

    This is delicious and I LOVE the fact that it uses the WHOLE vegetable! Perfect!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  12. Karin A Crichton says

    April 8, 2018 at 5:24 pm

    WOWSERS!!! Last week I sautéed my beet greens. They were “ok”. Your Pesto is PHENOMENAL!!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • April says

      April 8, 2018 at 6:29 pm

      Oh that’s so great to hear! So glad you liked it 🙂

      Reply
  13. XavierMC says

    February 26, 2018 at 12:16 am

    Nice spread for a BLT. Easy to make too! I can’t wait to use it with pasta or with chips. Thank you!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • April says

      March 2, 2018 at 9:40 am

      I love that idea! Thank you for letting me know 🙂

      Reply
  14. Rosemary @anitalianinmykitchen says

    December 31, 2015 at 11:29 am

    Wow, what a great idea. Sounds delicious. Happy New Year to you and your family April.

    Reply
  15. Bridget Smith says

    December 30, 2015 at 4:51 pm

    that is so clever, i love it. bet it would be really good on a sandwich too..mozzarella, tomato , pesto panini?

    Reply
    • April says

      December 31, 2015 at 9:48 am

      I like the way you think! 🙂

      Reply
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