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Small bowl of pesto with parmesan cheese.

Carrot Top Pesto

This carrot top pesto recipe makes perfect use of leftover carrot tops and leaves you with a fresh, savory, and garlic pesto sauce that's great in sandwiches, with pasta, or atop pizza.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings: 1.5 cups
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups Carrot tops chopped, blanched & drained (yields about 1 cup after blanching)
  • 1/4 cup Extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 cloves Garlic
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated can be swapped with nutritional yeast for vegan option
  • 1/4 cup Pine nuts can substitute with walnuts
  • 2 tbsp Fresh lemon juice
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Equipment

  • 1 Food processor
  • Measuring cups
  • 1 Saucepan
  • 1 Strainer
  • Knife and cutting board

Method
 

To blanch the carrot tops
  1. Fill a saucepan with enough water to cover 2 inches above the bottom of the pan. While this is boiling, remove and discard the bottom 4-5 inches of carrot top stems.
  2. Once the water is boiling, add your carrot tops and cover with the lid. Allow to cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the greens are vibrant in color.
  3. Strain the carrot tops and run cold water over them to stop the cooking process. Set aside.
For the pesto
  1. In your food processor, combine all of your ingredients and pulse until combined. The pesto should be fully blended but still chunky.
  2. Taste, adjust seasonings if necssary, then serve as desired.