This post is sponsored by Paderno. The opinions on this blog, as always, are my own. You can follow Paderno on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for more cooking inspiration. Thank you for supporting the brands that keep me cooking!

Hello friends! It’s been a long time since I’ve shared a savoury recipe with ya, and I am so pumped about this one. I am thrilled to be working with Paderno again this Spring, and am featuring their Variable Speed Immersion Blender in this post. I love that they’re a Canadian brand, their products are so well made, and the price point is so reasonable!

Now I know that most people immediately think about soup when they hear the words “immersion blender”, and I can’t wait to show you a few new ways to utilize one! It can be hard to justify buying a new kitchen appliance unless you know it’s versatile, so I hope you find some inspiration as I share some fun recipes in the next few months! One of my favourite features of the Paderno Variable Speed Immersion Blender is that it has 10 speed settings, which gives you perfect control for whatever job you have it tackle.

Anyway, first up is the roasted beet pesto. It is SO GOOD. And so so easy. The toughest part is waiting for the beets to be done cooking. Ha! After that, all you have to do is toss everything together and puree it up with the Paderno Immersion Blender until it’s nice and smooth. Now, I’ve never really used beets that much in my cooking, but my roommate does. One day she cooked up a beet pesto pizza for dinner….and my mind was blown. It was so delish (no dirt taste here!), and so stinkin’ beautiful with it’s hot pink hue.

So, I decided to put my own spin on it, and included my simple recipe for using it on mini pizzas. You can get real fancy and make your own pizza dough, but I really love using naan bread. It makes this meal nice and easy, especially if you have the pesto made up in the fridge already! Feel free to mix up what kind of toppings you want, and make it your own. My go-to's are sauteed onion, kale, mozza, and goat cheese, but anything goes really!

Beet Pesto Pizza

recipe: Kelsey Siemens

Yields: 4-6 mini pizzas

ingredients

pre-cooked pizza dough, pita bread, or naan

1 cup roasted beet pesto (recipe below)

1 large onion - sauteed with 1 tablespoon oil and a sprinkle of brown sugar

1 large bunch of kale, chopped into bite-sized pieces

1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/4 cup goat cheese

directions

Begin by sauteeing the onion if desired. I used about a tablespoon of oil, and sprinkled it with a bit of brown sugar. Keep the heat low, and stir often. Ideally this process will take about 34 minutes to really caramelize your onion, you won’t regret it!

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place the pizza base of your choice (naan is my favourite), onto your baking sheets, (I could fit 2 per pan) and spread a generous amount of beet pesto on top. Add the sauteed onion and kale, and then top with cheese as you see fit.

Bake for 5-10 minutes, until the cheese is melted, and the kale has crisped up. Remove from oven and serve immediately.

Roasted Beet Pesto

ingredients

2 medium beets (about 3 cups chopped)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

salt and pepper

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3 garlic cloves

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1/2 cup toasted almonds*

juice of 1 lemon

1/3 cup water

optional: large handful of basil

*sub with walnuts or pine nuts

Roast the Beets

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a baking sheet and set aside. Peel beets, and chop into 1/2 inch cubes. Toss with 1 tablespoon of oil, and season with salt and pepper. Roast until soft when pierced with a fork, about 40-50 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.

Prepare the Pesto

Combine the roasted beets, vegetable oil, garlic cloves, parmesan, toasted almonds, lemon juice, water, and basil leaves (if using), into a tall, narrow container. The Paderno Immersion Blender comes with the perfect vessel, which even has measurements along the side. Use the Paderno Immersion Blender on low speed to start pureeing the pesto ingredients. Slowly increase speed, and blend until smooth.

Tip: Add more water 1 tablespoon at a time if needed.

Store in the fridge in an airtight container until ready to use. The pesto will last for about a week in the fridge, and a few months in the freezer.

Note: I prefer to make the beet pesto the day before I plan to use it, just to save time!