Roasted Carrots with Carrot Top Pesto
User Reviews
5
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Prep Time
10 mins
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Cook Time
45 mins
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Total Time
55 mins
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Servings
6 servings
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Calories
422 kcal
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Course
Side Dish, Main Course
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Cuisine
Vegetarian, Vegan
Roasted Carrots with Carrot Top Pesto
Description
Baby carrots with their tops attached are roasted until tender, left with skins on unless gritty, to preserve flavor and nutrients. During roasting, sunflower seeds are toasted separately until golden and aromatic, with a portion reserved to garnish the finished dish.
The pesto is made by blending carrot tops, flat leaf parsley, toasted sunflower seeds, nutritional yeast for a cheesy note, Dijon mustard, garlic, fresh lemon zest and juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper until smooth. This mixture imparts a fresh, bright, and slightly tangy flavor to complement the natural sweetness of the roasted carrots.
The final dish balances the caramelized, soft texture of the carrots with the aromatic, savory pesto and crunchy sunflower seed garnish. Leftover pesto can be enjoyed as a spread or dressing for other dishes, extending the use of carrot tops beyond this recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 bunch carrot tops still attached, baby
- 2 tsp olive oil
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 2 cups arugula aka rocket leaves
For the Carrot Top Pesto:
- ¼ cup sunflower seeds
- 1 ½ cups Carrot tops
- ¾ cup flat leaf parsley
- ½ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard heaped
- 2 cloves garlic
- lemon zest and juice of 1
- 1 cup olive oil
- salt
- black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 Fahrenheit (180 celsius). Wash the carrots well and leave the skins on, unless they are particularly gritty. Trim the tops and set aside. Add the carrots to a roasting dish and toss with the oil and salt and pepper. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the carrots are tender. The exact timing will depend on the size of your carrots, so check after 25 minutes to gauge how they are doing.
- While the carrots are roasting, place a frying pan over a low heat and add the sunflower seeds. Toss or stir every couple of minutes until they are lightly golden and smell nutty. Place ¼ cup of the seeds aside to sprinkle over before serving.
- To make the pesto, place all of the pesto ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasonings as necessary. Note: If this is your first time making a parmesan free pesto you will need to add a lot more salt than you would normally to counteract the fact the naturally salty parmesan is replaced by the nutritional yeast.
- When the carrots are ready you have a choice. You can serve them hot or leave them to cool. I personally prefer to let the carrots cool to room temperature and eat this as more of a salad, but the choice is yours. When you are ready to serve place the rocket (arugula) on a large serving dish and top with the roasted carrots and dollops of the pesto before adding a final sprinkling of the reserved sunflower seeds.
Notes
- This recipe produces more pesto than needed for the carrots; leftover pesto works well as a spread with crudites, crackers, sandwiches, pasta, or salads.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 6servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 422 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 422kcal | 21% |
| Carbohydrates | 12g | 4% |
| Protein | 5g | 10% |
| Fat | 41g | 63% |
| Saturated Fat | 5g | 25% |
| Sodium | 75mg | 3% |
| Potassium | 353mg | 8% |
| Fiber | 4g | 16% |
| Sugar | 4g | 8% |
| Vitamin A | 11133IU | 223% |
| Vitamin C | 25mg | 28% |
| Calcium | 102mg | 10% |
| Iron | 3mg | 17% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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