Author: This easy carrot top pesto recipe is a vibrant, no-waste dish that turns often-overlooked carrot greens into something amazing! Packed with spinach, pine nuts, and garlic, this pesto is full of flavor! Use your favorite pasta shape and enjoy this as a wonderful make-ahead option for picnics, potlucks, or light lunches.
I’ve always loved carrots… in fact, when I was two, I turned orange from too many carrots, but my mom didn’t realize that was the cause and took me to the doctor! His prompt response was “feed this girl a green bean once in a while and she’ll be fine!” Ha! I
And I still love carrots! We grow carrots by the figurative ton, pressure can carrots for enjoying all year, and eat as much fresh carrot raisin salad as we can manage! But with all the lovely greens produced from each carrot, I also like to make sure that those don’t go to waste either.
We dry many of the carrot greens for use in tea blends and soups, but I also like to process some of the fresh greens into this carrot top pesto!
Carrot Top Pesto Recipe
While you can use this carrot top pesto in all sorts of ways, I like to use it for a delicious pasta dish! You can serve this warm or cold, making it a great make-ahead option for potlucks! Plus, it gives you a wonderful option for using carrot greens that might otherwise go to waste.
Freeze any extra pesto (no pasta) to enjoy all year long!
Ingredients
No basil is required for this carrot top pesto recipe! Instead, this recipe uses baby spinach to complement the carrot greens and pine nuts. The full measurements for each ingredient can be found in the printable recipe card at the end of the post.
- Pasta – Use any sort of pasta you prefer. Smaller pasta allows for a better pesto-to-pasta ratio, but use what you enjoy best.
- Carrot Tops – Fresh carrot greens work best, dried or frozen do not yield the same taste or texture.
- Baby Spinach – This helps fill out the bulk of the pesto body and balances out the flavor of the carrot greens. You can use basil instead, if you have it on hand.
- Garlic – Fresh garlic is a must here! Powdered or pre-minced garlic will not result in the same finished flavor or texture.
- Pine Nuts – Cashews can be used instead, but pine nuts are a classic pesto ingredient.
- Salt and Pepper – Adjust to your tastes.
- Olive Oil – a high-quality olive oil makes all the difference! A low-quality, or old, olive oil will result in a more bitter finished flavor.
Instructions
This pesto comes together so fast, it will be ready before the pasta! We often like to use our homemade einkorn pasta with this recipe, but use whatever pasta you like best!
- Boil – Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the pasta. Boil for 6-10 minutes, or until the pasta is to your desired level of doneness.
- Prep – Meanwhile, wash the carrot greens thoroughly, making sure to remove any dirt. Dry them with a towel and then remove the green leaves from the stems. Discard any yellow or dry, brittle parts.
- Blend – Place the carrot top greens, baby spinach, chopped garlic, pine nuts, salt, and pepper in a food processor. Pulse several times, scraping the sides down with a wooden spoon before moving on. Try not to overblend—the mix should not be smooth yet.
- Add – With the food processor running, slowly add in the olive oil and continue blending until it reaches your preferred level of smoothness. I still like some larger pieces of nuts in mine, but customize the texture to your desires.
- Serve – Drain the pasta and toss with the finished pesto. Serve warm, or chill for at least one hour in the fridge and enjoy it cold.
More Recipes for Your Carrots
Here are a few of our favorite ways to use up our fresh or canned carrots!
Carrot Top Pesto Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Food Processor
Ingredients
- 12 oz dried pasta
- 1 cup packed carrot top greens tough stems removed
- 1 cup packed baby spinach
- 1 large garlic bulb roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup pine nuts
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup olive oil
Instructions
- Boil – Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the pasta. Boil for 6-10 minutes, or until the pasta is to your desired level of doneness.
- Prep – Meanwhile, wash the carrot greens thoroughly, making sure to remove any dirt. Dry them with a towel and then remove the green leaves from the stems. Discard any yellow or dry, brittle parts.
- Blend – Place the carrot top greens, baby spinach, chopped garlic, pine nuts, salt, and pepper in a food processor. Pulse several times, scraping the sides down with a wooden spoon before moving on. Try not to overblend—the mix should not be smooth yet.
- Add – With the food processor running, slowly add in the olive oil and continue blending until it reaches your preferred level of smoothness. I still like some larger pieces of nuts in mine, but customize the texture to your desires.
- Serve – Drain the pasta and toss with the finished pesto. Serve warm, or chill for at least one hour in the fridge and enjoy it cold.
Notes
Ingredients & Substitutions
No basil is required for this carrot top pesto recipe! Instead, this recipe uses baby spinach to complement the carrot greens and pine nuts.- Pasta – Use any sort of pasta you prefer. Smaller pasta allows for a better pesto-to-pasta ratio, but use what you enjoy best.
- Carrot Tops – Fresh carrot greens work best, dried or frozen do not yield the same taste or texture.
- Baby Spinach – This helps fill out the bulk of the pesto body, and balances out the flavor of the carrot greens. You can use basil instead, if you have it on hand.
- Garlic – Fresh garlic is a must here! Powdered or pre-minced garlic will not result in the same finished flavor or texture.
- Pine Nuts – Cashews can be used instead, but pine nuts are a classic pesto ingredient.
- Salt and Pepper – Adjust to your tastes.
- Olive Oil – a high-quality olive oil makes all the difference! A low-quality, or old, olive oil will result in a more bitter finished flavor.
Nutrition
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