Carrot Top Pesto
This Carrot Top Pesto is a sustainable way to use up every last bit of your carrot supply. It's made naturally vegan without the addition of cheese.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 2 to 3 cups carrot tops from 1 bunch carrots
- ½ cup fresh parsley
- 1 garlic clove
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- 1 lemon
- ¼ to ½ cup olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Add pine nuts and garlic clove to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse 8 to 10 times to start breaking down and forming a paste.
- Tear up the carrot tops, using mostly the leafy portion, into the bowl of the food processor. Add in fresh parsley. Put lid back on and run on low until the mixture is well combined.
- Zest 1 lemon into the food processor, and squeeze the juice from ½ the lemon into the bowl. Reserve the other lemon half for another use. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- With food processor running on low, drizzle olive oil into the top until desired texture is reached. I don’t use exact measurements, so I eyeball it until the pesto reaches a thickness that’s not runny but also not a thick paste.
- Substitutions: Use toasted walnuts, cashews or macadamia nuts if you don’t have pine nuts. If you don’t have parsley, use an additional ½ cup carrot tops or mint.