Carrot Greens Pesto — The Renata Collective

What do you make when a good friend gives you organic farmer’s market carrots, pulled from the ground that afternoon, with their gorgeous green fronds attached? Carrot Greens Pesto, of course! So easy to make and such a versatile condiment to have in the fridge. to use in so many ways!

Carrot greens are highly nutritious and are rich in vitamins A, C, and K, potassium, calcium, and fiber. They are a powerful antioxidant and contain beta-carotene. Use them in soups, salads, and Carrot Greens Pesto.

So, when you buy a bunch of fresh carrots (the ones that aren’t in the cello bag) from the market, keep those carrot greens!

As always, when you make this recipe, I would love to see your creation so please post a photo of your Carrot Greens Pesto goodness and tag my IG account #RenataCollective or leave a comment with your thoughts!

Prep Time: 10 minutes / Servings: ~1 Cup – enough for 3 or 4 pasta meals

Ingredients

1 Cup Carrot Greens – also known as carrot ‘tops’ – the lacey greens with the top stems and not the bare stem part below. Rinse well, shake off the water and roughly chop
2 Cloves Garlic – roughly chopped
¼ Cup Fresh Basil Leaves – loose, not packed or 1 Tablespoon Dried Basil
2 Tablespoons Fresh Parshley or 1 teaspoon Dried Parsley
1/3 Cup Walnuts
1/3 Cup Parmesan Cheese – grated - use real Italian Parmigiano Reggiano, so worth it
Pinch of Sea Salt
Grinds of Fresh Black Pepper
¼ Cup Olive Oil – use a good quality one, again, it’s worth it

How it’s Made

In a small food processor, or a large measuring cup with an immersion blender, combine the carrot greens, garlic, basil, parsley, walnuts, parmesan, sea salt and the grinds of pepper.
Whirl until mixed together and becoming smooth. Scrape down the sides with a spatula.
Add the olive oil and whirl again until the mixture is your desired smoothness. Scrape down the sides from time to time to include all the goodness!
If the ¼ cup olive oil amount isn’t resulting in it being as smooth as you like, add a drizzle more and whirl again until it’s where you want it to be.
Store in the fridge. The pesto will firm up in the fridge so when you want to use it, take out the amount you need and add a teaspoon at a time of olive oil and stir to have it loosen and runny. I like the consistency out of the fridge for spreading on fresh bread or toast (or sweet potato toast!) with a sliced tomato and sliced olives for a quick lunch!

Enjoy!