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–+ servings

Carrot Top Pesto

Carrot top pesto is a great way to use up the big, leafy greens that come with carrots every summer, but it can also be done with any leafy greens you have around! This ratio makes the perfect pesto, and it's a great way to inject vegetables into one of my favorite Italian condiments. This recipe makes about 2 1/2 cups of pesto, which is perfect for batching and using for the rest of the week in your pastas, toasts, and sandwiches.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Servings: 10 servings (2 1/2 cups)

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 4 cups carrot tops, 125 grams, see Note
  • 3 cups fresh basil, 100 grams
  • 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 small lemons for both zest and juice
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts or slivered almonds, 60 grams
  • 3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan , 90 grams
  • Diamond Crystal kosher salt

Instructions 

  1. Wash the carrot tops and basil. Add them to a salad spinner and dry them well.
  2. Add the carrot tops and basil to a 5-cup food processor (or larger). Pulse until the basil and carrot tops become roughly chopped. Then process continuously while streaming in the olive oil, this will help continue to chop up the basil and carrot tops.
  3. Zest in half of a lemon, then squeeze in the juice from both lemons (about 5 tablespoons).
  4. Add in the nuts and pulse to combine. Once the nuts are broken up, add in the parmesan and pulse again. Season with a teaspoon of salt, then taste and season to taste.
  5. Add more olive oil to get to your desired consistency, then transfer the pesto to an airtight container and store in the fridge. This will keep for up to 7 days in the fridge, and up to 6 months in the freezer.

Notes

Note: the carrot tops can also be replaced with spinach, kale (stems removed), or arugula!