Carrot top pesto is a great way to extend how your garden feeds you. Sure there are times that I will give the meat rabbits or the chickens these garden delights; but once you eat carrot top pesto you may never do it again! That’s right…move over basil, carrot top pesto is coming!
Carrot tops are a nutritious green with a bit of a bitter flavor. Like their root they should offer you vitamins A, B6, C and K, folate, manganese, niacin, potassium and thiamine. And your carrots will store longer when you remove the greens so that all the energy from the carrot isn’t going in to keeping the greens vibrant for seeds.
This recipe is super easy, super delicious and should be made with fresh carrot tops. How should you use your carrot top pesto? Ah, let me count the ways:
- Over pasta
- Baked into bread
- Mixed into dips
- Licked of the spoon (or is that just me?)
- Make a salad dressing from it
- Spread it on your next sandwich
- Put in on your meat before cooking for amazing flavor – can you say Pesto Meatloaf?
Need more ideas? See 50 Things to Make with Pesto! No matter what you choose to do with your carrot top pesto is it going to be delicious.
Now let’s get to making some carrot top pesto my friends.
Print the Carrot Top Pesto Recipe Here
Carrot Top Pesto – Ingredients 
- 2 Cups of Fresh, Washed Carrot Top Greens, stems removed
- 1/3 Cup of Toasted Almonds (or you can use toasted walnuts, pine nuts or pretty much any nut you prefer)
If you can’t find your nuts toasted just preheat your oven to 350, put your nuts on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 5 – 10 minutes until they are slightly browned and smell, well toasted. - 2 Large Garlic Cloves, peel removed
- 1/2 Teaspoon of Sea Salt
- 1/2 Teaspoon of Black Pepper (optional)
- 2/3 Cup of Olive Oil
- 1/2 Cup of Freshly grated Asiago or Parmesan Cheese
- Food Processor (this is the one I use)
- Jar for Storing (like this with these lids)
Carrot Top Pesto – Directions
- Add your toasted almonds and garlic, pulse a bit
- Add the carrot top greens, pulse again
- Add your Asiago or Parmesan cheese, quick 2 or 3 pulses
- Now turn your food processor on and slowly begin adding your olive oil
- Stop and scrape the sides of the processor as needed to make sure everything is getting well incorporated
- Add in your sea salt and black pepper
- Process until your carrot top pesto is smooth or at your desired consistency
- Store in your jars in the fridge for up to a week or put in the freezer for up to a year. If you don’t eat it all WAY before that year is up, you are a stronger person than I am!
- Now find all sorts of wondrous ways to use your garden delight.
You say you STILL have healthy carrot tops to use and you don’t want any more pesto. Well let me share some other ideas for those beauties.
- Feed them to your rabbits, chickens or other poultry
- Compost them (as long as they haven’t gone to seed you’re all good)
- Replace your normal garnish (if you garnish) with a pretty bit of carrot top
- Put them in your salad
- Make a carrot top chimichurri – see Love & Lemons’ Recipe
Print the Carrot Top Pesto Recipe Here
