This recipe comes from MCFM’s 2020 nutrition intern Emma Schluter. Rather than tossing those beautiful carrots tops in the compost, add them to your meal! Carrot leaves have a mild taste that pairs well with basil and garlic in this sauce.
Pesto can also be served with pasta, on sandwiches or as a party dip. Consider adding additional roasted or grilled seasonal vegetables, cooked grains, salad greens and/or a grilled Sunshine Harvest Farm chicken breast, grassfed steak or other protein of your choice to this recipe to make it your #WeeklyMarketMeal
Carrot Top Pesto with Roasted Carrots
By MCFM Nutrition Interns
Ingredients
For the Roasted Carrots
- 1 bunch of green-top carrots, tops set aside, sliced in half lengthwise
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- Salt to taste
For the Pesto
- Leaves/green tops from 1 bunch of carrots (about 2 cups), roughly chopped
- ½ yellow onion, roughly chopped
- ½ cup fresh basil
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- Juice from 1 lemon (about 2 Tablespoons)
- ½ cup walnuts, almonds, pecans, hazelnuts or sunflower seeds
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Black pepper to taste
- 4-5 Tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 F. Place sliced carrots on a baking sheet and add olive oil and salt. Mix so carrots are coated evenly, and then bake for 30 to 40 until charred, stirring half way through.
While the carrots are cooking, make the pesto. Combine the remaining ingredients except the olive oil in a food processor or blender and pulse until course. Add the olive oil one tablespoon at a time and continue mixing until you reached your desired consistency.
To serve, plate roasted carrots and top with pesto. Leftover pesto can be refrigerated in a glass jar or other air-tight container for 1 week.
