Carrot Top Pesto. It’s a recipe usually inspired by low food waste. It certainly was in my case. Much to my surprise it was not only helpful in saving food scraps and money but it was an incredibly unique flavor that I was so happy to discover! I wanted to use the vegetable as a whole to create a dish so I made carrot chips to go with it!
Carrots already have a sweet yet savory flavor when cooked so I decided to combined cinnamon, cumin and paprika to enhance those flavors and it worked great! If you don’t want to make thin carrot chips you could also roasted them whole or in slices using the same spices.
The carrot tops themselves, have a very earthy flavor so I combined the sweetness of fresh basil and added cumin and cinnamon to the pesto as well. This created a Moroccan/Middle Eastern depth of flavor to the dish that I really loved. 
- CARROT TOP PESTO:
- 2 large handfuls of carrot tops, rinsed and dried
- 1½ cup basil
- ⅓ cup cashews
- ¼ cup walnuts
- 2-3 tbs lemon juice (I like extra lemon)
- 2 garlic cloves
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp cumin
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp jalapeño
- SPICED CARROT CHIPS:
- 4-5 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
- 2 tsp avocado oil
- ¼ tsp cumin
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- For the pesto:
- Combine all pesto ingredients into a food processor and pulse until smooth. You can add in a little more olive oil or lemon juice depending on desired consistency.
- For the chips:
- Thinly sliced carrots with mandolin or sharp knife (look for bigger/wide carrots for this recipe if you can)
- Place into a large bowl and add in avocado oil, spices, sea salt and mix until well coated. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 425F for 10 mins then flip for an additional 8-10 mins.
I truly can’t believe I ever threw away carrot tops because I simply didn’t know you could do anything with them. You can serve the extra pesto on pasta, with rice or over vegetables.
I like to top off the pesto if serving as a dip with some olive oil and extra spices of cumin, paprika and cinnamon. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for several days. Hope you enjoy this low waste recipe and let me know if you tried it. Enjoy!
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