Carrot Top Pesto with Cashews

Close up of carrot top pesto garnished with chopped cashews, carrot greens and lemon on a wooden board.

5 from 4 votes

Delicious Carrot Top Pesto is a no-waste, five-minute recipe that can be used in so many different ways. Nothing like a bright pop of flavor for pasta, proteins, soups, salads and veggies!

Course Pesto, Sauce

Cuisine Italian, Mediterranean

Diet Gluten Free, Vegetarian

Prep Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Servings servings

Calories 162kcal

Author Kim Peterson

Equipment

Food processor

Ingredients

2 cups carrot top greens ,fairly packed
½ cup parsley , fairly packed
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1 garlic clove , roughly chopped
¼ cup parmesan cheese , freshly grated
¼ cup toasted cashews , roughly chopped
1 lemon , juice and zest
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

Combine carrot greens, parsley, thyme, garlic, parmesan cheese, cashews, lemon juice and zest in a food processor.
Pulse a few times to combine mixture. Scrape sides with a spatula.
With machine running, slowly drizzle in the oil. Continue to pulse for desired texture.
Season to taste with salt and pepper. Makes approximately 1 cup.

Notes

Recipe Tips

Give the carrot leaves a good rinse to wash away any lingering dirt to ensure you don’t have a gritty pesto.
Drizzle the olive oil slowly so the pesto has a chance to emulsify into a fully combined mixture.
You can make the pesto thicker by adding less oil or thinner with more oil or some cold water.
To keep pesto from oxidizing and turning brown, add a little bit of oil on top of the pesto before covering in an airtight container.
Make pesto sauce in bulk and freeze to have easy flavor enhancers on hand.
Pesto is best served at room temperature.

Nutrition