This delicious Roasted Beet Pumpkin Seed Pesto is a delicious alternative to a classic basil pesto and is made with roasted beets, toasted pumpkin seeds, parmesan cheese, garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil. Perfect as a sauce on pasta or pizza or as a tapenade on crackers or veggies!
A few years ago, I made this pretty beet pesto pink pasta and it was SO good! And now that I have kids, I’m going back into my recipe archives to pull some recipes to make for the twins to try different foods, tastes, and textures! Originally, I made my beet pesto pink pasta using a walnut based pesto, but this time I wanted to try something nut-free, so I used pumpkin seeds to make this Roasted Beet Pumpkin Seed Pesto and it is delicious!
Roasted Beet Pumpkin Seed Pesto Recipe
This beet pumpkin seed pesto can be used as a sauce on pasta or pizza, a tapenade for dipping crackers, pita chips, or veggies, or pile it atop some toasted bread to make a crostini. Right now, I’m using it as a tapenade-style spread on toast for my kiddos’ snacks as well as a sauce on their pasta.
The full printable recipe is below, but here’s a quick list of the needed ingredients:
- Roasted or steamed beets
- Roasted or toasted pumpkin seeds (no shells)
- Garlic
- Olive oil
- White balsamic vinegar
- Parmesan cheese
- Lemon
- Salt
- Pepper
Instead of roasting the beets and toasting the pumpkin seeds, I picked up some steamed beets from Trader Joe’s along with their roasted pumpkin seeds and it made this recipe super quick and easy to make! I’m a mom now and I don’t have time to roast beets or toast pumpkin seeds.
So basically, if you purchase the beets pre-cooked and the pumpkin seeds roasted, then you just have to measure everything out, grate some parmesan cheese, and combine everything into a blender! Super easy!
I use my Ninja blender for everything: pesto sauces, milkshakes, muffin mixes, etc. It’s great! It’s not a top of the line juicing blender that costs an arm and a leg, but it also isn’t a crappy blender that’s going to fall apart in 2 weeks. I use it as a cross between a blender and food processor. I highly recommend it if you’re looking for a new blender.
My only tip is to hand wash it. I believe it says it’s dishwasher safe, but our first pitcher cracked when we put it in the dishwasher. Since hand washing only, our replacement pitcher has lasted us a couple years now.
Here’s the recipe:
Beet Pumpkin Seed Pesto
Ingredients
- 2 cups roasted or steamed beets
- 1 cup roasted or toasted pumpkin seeds (no shells)
- 3 cloves garlic
- 4 TB olive oil
- 1 TB while balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- juice of half a lemon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- Combine everything in a blender or food processor.
- Add more olive oil if needed for a thinner consistency.
- Use as a sauce on pasta or pizza, a tapenade for dipping crackers, pita chips, or veggies, or pile it atop some toasted bread to make a crostini.
I’ll be using beet pumpkin seed pesto as a pizza sauce in a recipe very soon! How would you use it? Let me know in a comment below!