1,420 easy and fully explained recipes, with 33,930 photos and 78 videos

Carrot-top pesto

You will no doubt be familiar with classic pesto. Here is an alternative, zero-waste version using carrot tops for a surprising pesto, full of fresh flavour.

34K 1 5

Last modified on: September 16^th 2020

Keywords for this recipe:

For 400 g, you will need:

1 50 g whole almonds
2 200 g turnip (or other vegetable) tops
3 1 lemon
4 3 g vitamin C (optional)
5 3 tablespoons olive oil
6 50 g Parmesan (Parmigiano Reggiano)
7 olive oil
8 salt
9 pepper
Total weight: 475 grams

Change these quantities to make: 200 g 400 g 800 g 1 kg 200 g

Change measures: Metric

Metric weight Metric volumes

How long does it take?

Time required for this recipe:

Preparation	Cooking	Start to finish
11 min.	5 min.	16 min.

At what time:

When will I finish if I start the recipe at ... ?
When should I start for the recipe to be ready at ... ?
Work this out...

Step by step recipe

Stage 1 - 5 min.

Put 50 g whole almonds into a small frying pan on medium heat. Toast until just lightly coloured (stir round frequently).

Leave to cool then chop coarsely.

Stage 2

Save 200 g turnip (or other vegetable) tops (carrot tops here). The weight is simply for guidance, so let's just say the tops from a normal bunch of carrots.

Stage 3 - 5 min.

Wash the leaves, cut off the stalks , then drain and dry them in a tea towel or salad spinner.

Stage 4 - 2 min.

Put the leaves in a high-sided container.

Add the juice and zest of 1 lemon, 3 g vitamin C and 3 tablespoons olive oil.

Stage 5 - 2 min.

Blend a first time.

Stage 6 - 2 min.

Add 50 g Parmesan (Parmigiano Reggiano), the almonds, salt and pepper, then blend again.

Add a little more olive oil while still blending (have someone to help if possible), until the mixture is smooth.

Stage 7

Your carrot-top pesto is ready.

Remarks

You can make different version of this recipe with whatever vegetable tops you have to hand (e.g. radish or turnip), or different nuts (e.g. hazelnuts). Let your imagination lead you.

Keeping

A few days in the fridge in a sealed bottle.

Source

Based on a recipe by chef Angèle Ferreux-Maeght.

Nutritional information

Whole recipe
Energetic value	Proteins	Carbohydrates	Fats
971 Kcal or 4,065 Kj	31 gr	21 gr	85 gr
49 %	12 %	2 %	13 %

Per 100 g
Energetic value	Proteins	Carbohydrates	Fats
204 Kcal or 854 Kj	7 gr	4 gr	18 gr
10 %	3 %	<1 %	3 %

% are calculated relative to a Recommended Dietary Intake or RDI of 2000 k-calories or 8400 k-joules by day for a woman (change to a man).

Possible allergens in this recipe: Nuts, Milk

How much will it cost?

For 400 g : 2.13 €

Change currency:

Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.

This recipe uses (among others)

	Turnip (or other vegetable) tops: You can check-out other recipes which use it, like for example: Super-green, super-thrifty soup, Tenderloin steak with beetroot tops and mushrooms, The strange gratin, Turnip top soup, "Au vert" beef, ... All
	Whole almonds: You can check-out other recipes which use it, like for example: Moist cereal bars, Chocolate Truffles, Piped petits-fours, Apple Batter Puddings, Praline, ... All
	Parmesan (Parmigiano Reggiano): You can check-out other recipes which use it, like for example: Spaghetti with mussels and basil, Poivrade artichoke Salad, Raw beetroot salad, Crispy rolls with chicken and leek, Rice à l'italienne, ... All
	Olive oil: You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Potimarron and leek soup, Rice with spring greens, Tomato ladybirds, Scallops with crunchy vegetables and wine sabayon, Sautéed turmeric chicken with mushrooms, ... All

Other recipes you may also like

Tiramisu

Classic italian recipe (the name means "pull me up" or more poetically, "take me up to the sky"). It's similar to a charlotte in its structure: layers of flavoured biscuits between layers of smooth cream.
482K5 49 min. July 27^th 2013

Tartiflette

A personal version of a classic recipe from Savoy.
584K 14.6 1 hour 27 min. September 16^th 2019

Natural leaven

Leaven is a natural raising agent, a fermented mixture of water, flour and the microscopic yeasts which are present in the air. It's a delicate living substance, sensitive to the external environment. The recipe is around 4000 years old and dates back to the Egypt of the Pharaohs, via a beautiful...
1.7M 304.0 7 days 15 min. April 3^rd 2020

Express chilli con carne

This is a really express recipe, a "true" chilli is longer and more difficult to do.
382K3.8 33 min. February 21^th 2011

New leavened bread

This new recipe for leavened bread is simple and delicious, but needs rather long resting times. If you'd like more more information about making your own bread, look at this dedicated page.
892K 34.3 7 hours December 30^th 2019

News list of cooking-ez.com

Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.

Post your comment or question

Follow this recipe

If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.

Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.

Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.