
Pesto is one of my favorite sauces to have on hand. It is so easy to throw over noodles, toss with roasted vegetables or season meat! The dishes are numerous (quite literally) and not to mention very healthy!
This Carrot Top Pesto turns trash into a tasty dish by using up the entire vegetable! Carrot tops have a light carrot flavor and a soft texture. They can be used as a garnish or as a main ingredient like in this pesto! I love the light flavor that comes thru in this pesto recipe! It's also packed with lots of nutrients.
The best thing about pesto is that you can freeze it in cubes to have on hand for quick, easy and nutritious meals! The ingredients can be pretty versatile as well! My go-to pesto recipe is vegan, Whole30, paleo and low-waste! You can use different greens as the base like: carrot tops, beet greens, kale, basil or Swiss chard and you can also try different nuts like almonds, walnuts and pine nuts! As I said, this dish is incredibly versatile!
Most of the ingredients are common pantry staples, like olive oil, lemon juice and garlic. Then you just add some greens and nuts to the blender and you have a tasty sauce to add to anything! Try tossing this pesto with a box of Banza noodles and cherry tomatoes for a quick and healthy lunch or smearing it on top of salmon filets and roasted it with squash and zucchini!
Carrot Top Pesto

1 bunch of carrot tops (destemmed)
2 cloves of garlic
1 lemon
1/3 cup walnuts
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
1/2 tsp salt
Juice the lemon and add all of the ingredients to a food processor or high powered blender. Pulse until roughly chopped. The final consistency should not be soupy but like a thick sauce.
Storage Options

This Pesto can be used immediately in a dish, stored in the fridge for up to a week or it can be frozen into individual cubes. The last option is always my favorite since I like to have this on hand for quick meals! I purchased a silicone ice tray with large squares just for freezing sauces. Make sure that the squares are large enough to hold at least a half of a serving otherwise it's a waste of time to freeze. After your pesto is fully frozen you can take it out of the tray and store in a ziplock bag in the freezer. While it is not the prettiest picture, I guartee you this was one tasty batch of pesto! I usually will grab 2-4 cubes out of the freezer and throw it in my pot of noodles or toss with my roasted vegetables. We also had plenty of cherry tomatoes from our garden to pair with it!
Substitutions

The reason why I love pesto so much: not only is it delicious and nutritious but its also a great way to use up extra greens! Whether you've got some kale in the fridge that needs to be used or your CSA came with beets with the greens, pesto is a great recipe that you can whip together and store in the freezer. I have made pesto with carrot tops, beet greens (my other favorite), kale, arugula and Swiss chard! All of the varieties have a fabulous taste! Other variations include swapping out avocado oil for the olive oil, or using almonds instead of walnuts! When I make pesto out of kale, I usually do use almonds and avocado oil and it turns out wonderful! Just remember the various flavors that you are mixing together. You really want the greens and garlic to take center stage and everything else is just there to compliment. Let me know in the comments if you experimented with a different combination and how it turned out!
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