Pecan Beet Pesto Farfalle with Cauliflower Bake

Why should basil pesto get all the lovin’?

Some of my FAVORITE pestos are not basil-based. Arugula, cilantro and parsley pesto are amongst the best, in my eyes. Sure, basil is awesome, but it’s overplayed. But beet pesto? Well, it just may take top spot in my foodie heart.

I’ve still got a lot of CSA money to spend at our farm, and their shelves are piled high with squashes, carrots and beets right now. Generally, I just use beets for juicing, but I adore them roasted. Problem is, it’s kind of blah to just eat roasted beets or atop a salad. And so, my beet pesto was born. I also had some pecans and sauteed garlic leftover from a big batch of brussels sprouts I had roasted for my class (which went AMAZING, thank you for asking!) so I used those in this pesto rather than your typical pine nuts or walnuts.

I love this stuff! It’s very earthy, but super fragrant and sweet, too. I used it over farfalle and some crispy baked cauliflower and it made for a superb autumn dish. I also had to tie in a Dreena Burton recipe as I closed out Vegan MoFo, and she is one of my absolute favorite vegan blogger/authors. Enjoy!

1 lb organic farfalle, cooked

BEET PESTO

About 2 medium beets, sliced

1/2 cup pecans

1/2 cup olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp nutritional yeast

2 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

ALMOND BAKED CAULIFLOWER

1 head cauliflower, broken into florets

3 tbsp almond meal (raw almonds finely ground)

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp nutritional yeast

Salt and pepper to taste

*I also added in some caramelized onion and wilted some spinach with it, just to add more flavor and color 🙂

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees
• Toss beets in 1 tbsp oil, salt and pepper
• Lay on a greased baking sheet and roast at 375 degrees for 45 minutes, turning halfway through
• When roasted, set aside to cool
• Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees
• Toss cauliflower with 2 tbsp oil, salt and pepper
• Lay on a baking sheet with parchment paper and roast at 425 degrees for 20 minutes
• After 20 minutes, toss with nutritional yeast and almond meal and bake for 10-15 more minutes
• When beets have cooled, pulse in food processor with pecans, garlic, nutritional yeast and lemon juice for 1 minute
• Slowly, pour in olive oil and continue pulsing and scarping down the sides of the processor until creamy
• Toss farfalle with pesto (I almost used the whole batch of pesto, but use as much as you want) and serve with cauliflower