Carrot top pesto
Ingredients
Method
- Wash the carrot tops thoroughly in several changes of cold water. Remove the thick stalks and dry the leaves well.
- For a milder flavour and a brighter colour, plunge the carrot tops into boiling water for 20 to 30 seconds, then into a bowl of iced water. Squeeze them very well.
- Dry-toast the sunflower seeds in a frying pan for 2 to 3 minutes, then leave them to cool.
- Blend the seeds with the garlic and a pinch of salt. Add the carrot tops, basil and lemon juice, then pulse while gradually pouring in the oil.
- Add the Parmesan, blend for a few seconds, taste and adjust the seasoning.
Notes
Carrot top pesto is the ultimate zero-waste recipe. With the green leaves we usually throw away, a little garlic, Parmesan, olive oil and a few seeds, you can make a vibrant green sauce in five minutes, with a fresh, slightly herbal flavour close to parsley. Perfect on pasta, on toast or with roasted vegetables. Here is our recipe, our tips for mellowing the flavour and all the ways to use it.
Why make pesto with carrot tops?
A bunch of new carrots often comes with a big bouquet of green leaves for just a few roots. These leaves, the carrot tops, are perfectly edible. In fact, they were commonly cooked in the past, before carrots started being sold without their leaves.
Pesto is the best way to use them. Blending them with olive oil captures all their fragrance, and the cheese and seeds soften their natural slight bitterness. The result is a tasty sauce that costs next to nothing, since its main ingredient was destined for the bin.
What does carrot top pesto taste like?
Carrot tops have a strong, green flavour reminiscent of flat-leaf parsley and chervil, with a touch of carrot and a slight bitterness. The resulting pesto is more herbal and less sweet than basil pesto. Many people love it precisely for that fresh, lively character. If you find the flavour too pronounced, our tips below will help you mellow it.
Preparing the carrot tops
- Choose fresh tops, bright green, with no yellowing. The tops of new carrots, in spring and summer, are the most tender.
- Wash them thoroughly in several changes of cold water: soil hides at the base of the stalks.
- Dry them well in a salad spinner and then in a tea towel. Water dilutes the pesto and makes it spoil more quickly.
- Keep only the leaves and thin stems. The thick stalks are fibrous and stringy once blended; they can be used to flavour a stock.
Our tips for mellowing the flavour
Blanch the carrot tops
Plunge the carrot tops into a pan of boiling water for 20 to 30 seconds, then straight into a bowl of iced water. Squeeze them well. This quick blanching tones down the bitterness and sets the green colour: the pesto will stay bright green for longer.
Mix with basil
Replace a third of the carrot tops with fresh basil. The pesto keeps its originality but becomes milder and more fragrant. Flat-leaf parsley also works very well.
Toast the seeds
Dry-toast the seeds (sunflower, pumpkin or almonds) in a frying pan for a few minutes. Their nutty flavour rounds out the carrot tops. We chose sunflower seeds for our recipe because they are inexpensive and go very well with carrot.
A squeeze of lemon
A little lemon juice adds freshness and balances the bitterness.
How to use carrot top pesto
- With pasta: the simplest way. Loosen the pesto with a spoonful of the pasta cooking water and stir it through off the heat.
- With roasted carrots: the perfect pairing, since you eat the whole vegetable. Roast the carrots in the oven with a drizzle of olive oil, then spoon the pesto over them.
- On toast, with soft cheese, soft-boiled eggs or tomatoes.
- In a potato salad, instead of mayonnaise.
- With grilled fish or chicken, as a green sauce.
- In soup, as a finishing touch, like a Provençal pistou.
- As a dip with drinks, mixed with a little Greek yoghurt.
Variations
Vegan carrot top pesto
Replace the Parmesan with two tablespoons of nutritional yeast flakes and a pinch of salt. It stays tasty, with a slightly cheesy flavour.
Carrot top and walnut pesto
Replace the sunflower seeds with walnut halves. The pesto takes on a more autumnal flavour, delicious with gnocchi or fresh pasta.
Carrot top and turmeric pesto
Add half a teaspoon of turmeric and a twist of black pepper. Turmeric and carrot both belong to the family of warm, earthy flavours, so they get on very well. To learn more about the golden spice, read our article on the health benefits of turmeric.
Mixed vegetable top pesto
Mix carrot tops, radish leaves and turnip tops. Each leaf brings its own flavour: peppery for radish, milder for turnip.
Storage
Carrot top pesto keeps for about 5 days in the fridge in a small clean jar, covered with a thin layer of olive oil to protect it from the air. After each use, smooth the surface and add a little more oil.
To keep it longer, freeze it in portions in an ice cube tray. Once frozen, pop out the cubes and store them in a freezer bag: they keep for about 3 months. One cube is enough for a serving of pasta.
One bunch of carrots, three recipes
Carrot top pesto is the ideal starting point for cooking a whole bunch of carrots. The leaves become pesto, the roots are enjoyed roasted, grated in a salad or in a soup, and the thick stalks flavour a homemade vegetable stock. Nothing ends up in the bin. If you like this idea, also try our carrot top and goat’s cheese quiche, another delicious way to use these leaves. The pesto takes just a few minutes to make while the carrots are roasting: a complete, colourful and almost free meal.
Think about making a double batch of pesto, too. Keep some in the fridge for the week and the rest in the freezer for days when you’re short of time.
Frequently asked questions
Are carrot tops poisonous?
No. It’s a stubborn myth, but carrot tops are edible. As with any leaf, you simply need to wash them well. People allergic to carrot or celery should be careful.
Can I use carrot tops that aren’t organic?
Yes, but wash them very thoroughly. If you can, choose organic or locally grown carrots when you plan to eat the leaves.
My pesto has turned brown, is that normal?
Yes, it’s oxidation, just as with basil. The pesto is still fine to eat. To prevent it, blanch the carrot tops, add lemon and always cover the surface with oil.
