Wondering what to do with carrot tops? Make the pesto! If you’ve made this before and thought “hmm, that’s resourceful, but I won’t make it again,” we urge you to try this version! Thanks for a little help from fresh basil, that’s right lightly Clay and worthy of saving in your recipe box!
It adds herby brightness to pasta, quinoa, roasted carrots, potatoes, chicken and more. Bonus? It’s dairy-free and just comes together 5 minutes In a food processor or blender. Let’s make pesto!
Adapted from our Easy Vegan Pesto, this carrot top version brings enough basil on board to balance the earthiness of the carrot top. Pine nuts add richness, lemon juice brightens, garlic adds a little kick, and sea salt rounds it out.
Whirl it all in a food processor or blender with olive oil for saucy and water to keep it from getting too heavy while stirring the mixture. The result is Creamy, dippable Pesto that adds instant flavor to your meals!
We can’t wait for you to try this Carrot Top Pesto! This is:
lively
Herbie
Zesty
lemon
& very tasty!
The next time you have carrot tops around, make Carrot Top Pesto and you’ll be doing your part to change the world with your contribution. Waste free Way 🙌! Bonus? It tastes good and goes well with anything from pasta to quinoa, roasted carrots, potatoes, chicken and more!
More herbie dips and sauces
Let us know if you try this recipe! Leave a comment, rate it and don’t forget to tag a photo @minimalistbaker on Instagram Cheers, friends!
serving 6 (~2 Tablespoons serving)
- 1 Cups are loosely packed Carrot tops, tough stems removed (~1 small or 1/2 medium bunch yields ~1 cup or 20 grams)
- 1 ½ the cup Tightly packed fresh basil leaves, large stems removed
- 1/3 the cup pine nuts (or sub walnuts, pistachios, or cashews)
- 2 table spoon lemon juice
- 2 Medium cloves Garlic, peeled
- 1/2 teaspoon Sea salt
- 2 table spoon Extra virgin olive oil (more as needed)
- 1-2 table spoon the water (more as needed)
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Remove the carrot greens from the carrot bunch, wash and pick the freshest looking greens. Discard the rest (or save them for the rabbits – they love them!).
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Add all of your pesto ingredients except the water to a food processor (or small blender) and process until it breaks down into a chunky mixture. Add water 1 tablespoon (15 ml) at a time until creamy and dipable, remember that water will dilute the flavor, so avoid adding too much (we used 2 tablespoons total).
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Taste and adjust as needed, adding more olive oil for richness, lemon juice for brightness, basil if too thin, or water to reach desired consistency.
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Enjoy with roasted carrots, potatoes, pasta and more! Leftover pesto will keep in the refrigerator for 4-5 days, but will lose some of its bright green color.
*Loosely adapted from our Easy Vegan Pesto.
Worship: 1 (two tablespoons) serving Calories: 106 Sugars: 3.5 g Protein: 1.3 g Fat: 9.1 g Saturated Fat: 1.3 g Polyunsaturated Fats: 2.4 g Monounsaturated fats: 5 g Trans fats: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 211 mg Potassium: 120 mg Fiber: 1.3 g Sugar: 0.8 g Vitamin A: 983 IU Vitamin C: 4.8 mg Calcium: 20 mg Iron: 0.6 mg