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5.0 from 12 votes

Roasted Carrots with Carrot Top Pesto

Delicious baby carrots are roasted to intensify their natural sweetness and topped with a vegan dairy-free pesto made from their green tops. 

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
55 mins
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 422 kcal
Course: Side Dish , Main Course
Cuisine: Vegetarian , Vegan

Ingredients

  • 1 bunch baby carrots tops still attached
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • salt and 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
  • Zest and juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 cup olive oil
  • salt and pepper

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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 will make more pesto than you need. Enjoy the leftover pesto with crudites, crackers, spread on sandwiches, on pasta, or as a dressing on salads. I'm sure you will have trouble finding ways to use it.
  • This will make more pesto than you need. Enjoy the leftover pesto with crudites, crackers, spread on sandwiches, on pasta, or as a dressing on salads. I'm sure you will have trouble finding ways to use it.

Nutrition Information

Calories 422kcal (21%) Carbohydrates 12g (4%) Protein 5g (10%) Fat 41g (63%) Saturated Fat 5g (25%) Sodium 75mg (3%) Potassium 353mg (10%) Fiber 4g (16%) Sugar 4g (8%) Vitamin A 11133IU (223%) Vitamin C 25mg (28%) Calcium 102mg (10%) Iron 3mg (17%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 422

% 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.