Carrot-Top Pesto

Vegan Spreads, Sauces, & Dips

This recipe is from "Vegan Vegetarian Omnivore: Dinner for everyone at the table" by Anna Thomas (W.W. Norton & Company, 2016) How many times have you thrown away those bushy green tops? Me, too—but no more. Now I make this deliciously peppery, textured pesto. Have it as a condiment with roasted spring carrots or roasted new potatoes. Or spread it on crostini with a dab of white cheese. Be sure you have fresh, bright green carrot tops. And if you have no basil to add to the mix, try parsley or cilantro and a few fennel greens instead.

By Anna Thomas / Photography By Victoria Pearson | March 09, 2016

Ingredients

SERVINGS: 2 Cup(s)

4 ounces trimmed carrot tops (from 1 or 2 bunches), big stems trimmed off
2 cloves garlic
¼ cup (1 ounce) walnuts
1 ounce fresh basil leaves, chopped (½ cup)
½ ounce fresh mint leaves, chopped (½ cup), plus more to taste
¾ teaspoon sea salt
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to taste
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Instructions

Pull fronds of carrot tops off stems and discard stems (Editor’s note: or put them in your compost bin). Carrot tops have a firm, chewy texture, but stems are tough. Wash and spin-dry greens.

Pulse garlic and walnuts briefly in a food processor, then add various greens and salt and pulse again, scraping down sides of container as needed, until greens are finely chopped. Add olive oil and lemon juice and process pesto until it is smooth.