This site uses only a few technical cookies necessary for its operation. By continuing to browse, you accept their use.
To find out more...
To find out more...
Beet leaf pesto
Here's a pesto recipe made with beet leaves, where the pine nuts are replaced by roasted walnuts.
The result is a highly original pesto, with an astonishing pinkish-green color and a delicious little bitterness.
The result is a highly original pesto, with an astonishing pinkish-green color and a delicious little bitterness.
5,186 5/5 (1 reviews)
20 min.
Easy
250 g
8 IngredientsLast modified on: June 4th 2025
50 g walnuts
150 g beet tops
1 
50 g Parmesan (Parmigiano Reggiano)
2 pinches 
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 15 min.
Cooking: 5 min.
All in all: 20 min.
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time
Step by step recipe
Stage 1 - 1 min.
Place 50 g walnuts in a small frying pan over medium heat...
Stage 2 - 5 min.
Stage 3 - 5 min.
Wash then spin-dry 150 g beet tops, keeping only the leaves.
Stage 4 - 1 min.
Place the leaves in a food processor, sprinkle with half the 1 lemon juice, and blend for a few seconds.
If necessary, process the beet leaves in batches - we just want to reduce their volume a little.
If necessary, process the beet leaves in batches - we just want to reduce their volume a little.
Stage 5 - 2 min.
Add the rest of the lemon juice, the zest of half the lemon, the walnuts, 2 pinches vitamin C if necessary (to avoid oxidation and keep a nice color), salt, pepper and a little olive oil.
Stage 6 - 3 min.
Stage 7 - 3 min.
Place in a jar, pour a film of oil over the top, close tightly and store in the fridge.
Remarks
We don't use the stems, just the leaves, so there's no need to blanch.
The proportions are only indicative, so feel free to adapt them to the beet tops you have and your own taste.
The proportions are only indicative, so feel free to adapt them to the beet tops you have and your own taste.
Keeping: Several days in a closed jar in the fridge.
Source: Home made.
Nutritional information
| Proteins (gr) | Carbohydrates (gr) | Fats (gr) | Energy value (in k-calories) | Energy value (in k-joules) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole recipe | 30 RDI=10 % | 30 RDI=3 % | 40 RDI=6 % | 580 RDI=30 % | 2,420 RDI: 30 % |
| Per 100 g | 8 RDI=3 % | 7 RDI=1 % | 10 RDI=2 % | 150 RDI=8 % | 640 RDI: 8 % |
How much will it cost?
- For 250 g : 1.70 €
Change currency: 
Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
This recipe uses (among others)
Beet tops
Like these other recipes: Tenderloin steak with beetroot tops and mushrooms, "Au vert" beef, Gratin of beet tops and potatoes, Polenta with beetroot tops, ... See them all 4
Parmesan (Parmigiano Reggiano)
Like these other recipes: Roast cabbage with lemon, Soft Croque-monsieur with 3 cheeses, Curried prawn risotto, Spaghetti Carbonara, Zucchini ripiene, ... See them all 60
Walnuts
Like these other recipes: Caramelised walnuts, Jura bread, Bistro-style endive salad, Poitevin twist, ... See them all 4
Lemon
Like these other recipes: Little lemon biscuits, Spaghetti with smoked salmon, Fruit coulis (fruit purée), Santiago Cake, Apple macaronade, ... See them all 124
Other recipes you may also like
Spaghetti Carbonara
A very famous Italian pasta recipe: egg yolks, cream, bacon, Parmesan and lemon juice.February 21th 2011342 K 24.8 25 min.
Cornmeal baps for Anne
These small round baps are made with a mix of wheat flour and fine cornmeal. The dominant corn gives a moist and very yellow crumb.October 24th 2017265 K4.3 5 hours 55 min.
Exotic fruit tart
An exotic fruit tart (bananas, kiwi and pineapple), with crisp pastry and almond cream which are cooked beforehand. It's a rather simple recipe, but the final result will impress your guests.May 27th 2020326 K5 2 hours 25 min.
Crème brulée
Crème brûlée (burned cream) is quite easy to prepare: it's a simple egg-cream dessert. The only difficulty is in making the delicious crunchy caramel layer on top. The perfect crème brulée (for me) is a cold and soft cream, with on top a nice hot caramel crust. This is a completely new version...December 31th 20111.67 M 74.3 4 hours 40 min.
Finger biscuits
These small biscuits, that look a bit like savoy biscuits, are delicious alone or with Champagne, but are also the base for charlottes or Tiramisu.July 30th 2021348 K5 50 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2025-07-27)
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Post a comment or question
Follow this recipe
If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.