Easy Carrot Top Pesto

Carrot greens are rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals. Get more in your diet with this delicious carrot top pesto.

I love pesto so much that I once ate an entire batch in one day! Oh yeah, it was good! One year my garden had a ton of carrots, but very little basil. What was a pesto lover to do? Create a carrot top pesto recipe of course! Well, I wasn’t even sure it would be tasty, so I made a small batch to start….and ate it all right away. It’s delish and it gives you a great way to use up those carrot tops! Plus, they are good for you too.

“Carrot greens are rich in protein, vitamins and minerals. They contain 6 times the vitamin C of the root and are a great source of potassium and calcium. The greens are an excellent source of chlorophyll, which has been noted to purify the blood, lymph nodes and adrenal glands. They have also been noted to deter tumor growth”

I also wanted to clear up if they are edible or not. There are reports out there online that say they are poisonous. They are not, they are edible and nutritious.

“While it is true that carrot tops contain alkaloids and nitrates to which some people can be sensitive, they aren’t inherently toxic to most of us unless we eat them by the wheelbarrow-full. The main reason there are conflicting reports is that there are poisonous look-a-likes that are often mistaken for Wild Carrot, please be familiar with all the characteristics of this wonderful wild edible before you enjoy them.”

Carrot Top Pesto

Carrot greens are rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals. Get more in your diet with this delicious carrot top pesto.

Ingredients

1 cup carrot leaves, stems removed
1/3 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves
1/8 tsp sea salt
3 Tbsp pine nuts
1/4 cup raw parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp lemon juice

Instructions

1. Add carrot leaves and olive oil to a food processor and pulse for about 30 seconds.

2. Add in the nuts and process.

3. Add the cheese and process again.

4. Add in the rest of the ingredients and process until you reach your desired texture (you can add salt and lemon juice to taste).

5. If you want to make it last longer, freeze it in ice cube trays and keep the cubes in a bag in the freezer. Then simply add a cube or two to your favorite recipes for a pesto flavor.