In an effort to reduce food waste, we recently used the greens from some locally grown organic carrots to make this incredible vegan carrot top pesto. And my word, I’m glad we did!
Many root vegetables like beetroots and carrots naturally grow with gorgeous green leaves on top, but farmers often remove them to make transporting and packaging them easier.
Locally grown carrots are often sold with the greens still intact, because they don’t have the transportation issues that larger scale farmers do. If you can find some, you should take advantage, because those greens are like a free gift with your carrots - they’re delicious (they taste a little like parsley) and are extremely versatile - try them chopped up in your salads, saute them as a side dish, or make this incredible vegan carrot top pesto!
This pesto goes brilliantly simply stirred through pasta, drizzled over roasted carrots or new potatoes, spread on to bruschetta with tomatoes, or of course, you can just dip some chunky fresh bread straight into the jar as a quick snack as I’ve been doing!
In the spring, another variation of this pesto I love to make is using wild garlic you can forage yourself - check out the recipe here.
Carrot tops are particularly high in vitamin C (about six times the amount in the carrot root) as well as potassium, calcium and as with most bitter greens, they’re packed with phytonutrients and antioxidants, so you know they’re great for your health too.
Because carrots are often grown in loose soil, the carrot tops can be sandy, so wash them thoroughly in plenty of water before using them.
Vegan Carrot Top Pesto Recipe
Ingredients (serves 6):
80g walnuts
80g pinenuts
2 cloves garlic, minced
80g extra virgin olive oil
80g carrot top greens (tough stalks removed)
80g fresh basil (or mint or parsley)
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp apple juice concentrate (or maple syrup)
Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
Start by preparing your nuts (this step is optional but adds a beautiful depth of flavour to your carrot top pesto).
Roast the walnuts in your oven at 180C (360F) for 8-10 minutes until they start to become fragrant. Toast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan, tossing them frequently for a few minutes until they’re also golden and fragrant.
Now blitz the walnuts and pine nuts in a food processor until they are coarsely ground, as per the picture below. Then add all the other carrot top pesto ingredients to the processor, and whizz everything up, until you reach the desired consistency.
Taste a bit of the pesto and adjust the seasoning, adding more salt, pepper, lemon, apple juice concentrate or maple syrup, depending on how the flavours are balancing.
Stir a big dollop of this vegan carrot top pesto through some cooked pasta, use it to spread on bruschetta with fresh tomatoes, or just dip some chunky fresh bread in for a quick and delicious snack!
Nutrition (per serving):
Protein: 6.1g (Women: 12.2% / Men: 11.1%)
Iron: 2.1mg (Women: 14.2% / Men: 24.1%)
Calories: 310 (Women: 15.5% / Men: 12.4%)
Sugars: 2.1g (Women: 2.3% / Men: 1.8%)
Total Fats: 31.1g (Women: 44.4% / Men: 32.7%)
Saturated Fat: 3.2g (Women: 16.0% / Men: 10.7%)
Salt: 0.3g (Women: 5.0% / Men: 5.0%)
Fibre: 2.4g (Women: 8.0% / Men: 8.0%)
See the Nutrition Info page for more details on % of Dietary Reference Values for men and women.