This roasted chestnut and arugula pesto sauce provides an interesting pungent twist and is a cheaper alternative to the traditional pesto Genovese.
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Arugula Chestnut Pesto
Pesto is such a versatile sauce which can be used in so many recipes. Most people will know the traditional version, ‘pesto alla genovese’ with pine nuts, basil, garlic, olive oil and parmesan cheese. However, pesto can also be made with a variety of green herbs and different types of nuts. With this lemon arugula pesto you can make the most delicious quick and easy arugula lemon pesto pasta.
Furthermore, homemade pesto is so easy and fast to prepare and tastes so much better than the pesto you buy ready made. It’s also great for making no-waste recipes. Replace basil or arugula for radish greens to make a delicious no waste pesto sauce.
Which ingredients to use
Note: All the exact quantities of the ingredients can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Roasted chestnuts: Pesto is traditionally made with pine nuts. In other recipes you may find variations with walnuts, almonds, brazil nuts or pecans. Since I really love eating roasted chestnuts (in Autumn) I came up with the idea to use them in a pesto. And it turned out really delicious. I would advise roasting the chestnuts before using them in the pesto, since it brings out the rich sweet taste of the nut.
- Parmesan cheese: I have used parmesan cheese in this recipe. However, other cheeses like Grana Padano or Pecorino can be used as well.
- Rocket leaves (or Arugula leaves): Rocket leaves have a beautiful pungent and peppery taste which provides a great twist to the more known basil pesto. If the flavor is too strong to your liking, a mix of an equal quantity of basil and rocket leaves can be used.
- Garlic: Look for fresh garlic cloves with a strong pungent taste. Add more or less garlic according to personal taste. As pesto is traditionally made with fresh garlic clove, I would not recommend to use garlic powder. The taste of garlic powder is less strong and intense.
How to make chestnut pesto
I like pesto to still have a bit of a bite and a more coarse texture. In order not to make it too liquid I use a food chopper to blend. If you like a smoother consistency, feel free to use a blender or food processor and give it a good mix. To get a less smooth consistency with a food processor, just give it some pulses instead of blending, to control the texture.
If you don’t have a food processor or chopper available, no worries, pesto can also be made by hand. Use a very sharp chopping knife or mezzaluna and chop the herbs, chestnuts, garlic and cheese very fine. Mix with olive oil and seasoning and your pesto is ready with of course a more coarse structure. Making the pesto with a pestle and mortar is also possible, but then you need to use coarse sea salt in order to crush the ingredients to a nice blend.
Recommended uses for pesto
Pesto can be used either as a pasta sauce, to make a delicious pasta Portofino, a bread spread, a salsa dip with crackers or nachos or salad dressing
Pesto works well as a spread in a wrap or on puff pastry for making pinwheels, such as red pepper pesto pinwheels or pesto prosciutto pinwheels.
Interested in more fall recipes?
- French tartiflette recipe
- Oven roasted fennel and carrots
- Gorgonzola and pear salad
- French apple cider chicken
- Apple cider pork chops
More chestnut recipes to try
- Chestnut hummus
- Cauliflower and chestnut soup
- How to roast chestnuts at home
- Roasted chestnut soup with mushrooms
Did you make this recipe? I’d love to hear how it turned out! Leave a comment with rating below and share a picture with the hashtag #thetastychilli and tag me on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter.
Roasted chestnut and Arugula Pesto Sauce
Ingredients
- 3½ ounces (or 100 grams) Rocket leaves
- ½ cup chestnuts roasted and peeled
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ⅓ cup parmezan cheese
- 3 tablespoons olive oil extra virgin
- 1 teaspoon seasalt
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- ½ tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Use a pairing knife to make a small cut in the round end of the chestnut.
- In a dry frying pan, add the chestnuts on medium heat and roasted for 10 minutes until soft.
- Peel the chestnuts when cooled down.
- Add the peeled chestnuts, parmezan cheese, garlic, rucola leaves, salt, pepper and half the olive oil in a chopper and mix until you get a coarse texture.
- Add extra lemon juice and olive oil if the pesto is still too dry. Season with salt and pepper.
Notes
- Use a food processor for a smooth consistency and texture.
- Use fresh garlic cloves over garlic powder for optimal taste.
Inspired to prepare this recipe? Don’t forget to pin it to your Pinterest board for later.
I love that this pesto isn’t completely smooth: I like mine with a bit of texture. I’m also a big fan of the departures with arugula/rocket and chestnuts.
I LOVE pesto and love that you opted for chestnuts instead of the usual pine nuts. Makes this very unique and just a HINT of something different.
I always forget how good nuts make a pesto — and chestnuts have that brilliant hearty, comforting flavor!
That looks like an easy, yet delicious pesto to have around.. perfect with pasta or stuffed breads !
I just had pesto last night and now I feel like I need to remake it, this time with chestnuts ! Sounds like it would be the perfect addition to add to my more traditional recipe