Carrot greens have more to offer than color in your compost bin. They're entirely edible, and bring perky, bright flavor to any dish. Here, we used the greens from spring baby carrots and garlic scapes to make a quick pesto. Excellent over pasta!
A quick note: folks sensitive to vegetable alkaloids (think rhubarb, nightshade veggies, caffeine, etc.) should limit their consumption of carrot greens to modest amounts.
Ingredients
- 1 bunch carrot greens, tough stems removed, greens chopped
- 4 oz baby spinach
- 1 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
- ⅔ cup walnuts, chopped
- ⅔ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2-3 tsp salt, or to taste
- 2-3 tbsp fresh lemon juice, plus the zest of 1 lemon
Preparation
- Add the carrot greens, spinach, lemon juice and zest, olive oil, and salt to the bowl of a food processor. Process until finely chopped.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the walnuts. Pulse until well chopped but not puréed.
- Add the cheese to the bowl and process until the cheese is fully integrated and the pesto is almost entirely smooth. Don't be tempted to fully purée the pesto. A little texture is part of the finished effect.
- To serve, toss with warm pasta or spread over sliced crusty bread.
