I truly love the phrase, "there's a pesto for all seasons" and this Easy Carrot Top, Radish Top, and Parsley Pesto is just another example of a traditional pesto that can be elevated with the seasonal greens all around us. Stepping Stone Farm is brimming with the most gorgeous springtime produce right now and this was just the recipe to make good use of the robust carrot tops and radish top greens.
Scroll down to read how we whip up this simple parsley pesto with carrot and radish tops in a flash and don't forget to print or pin the recipe card to make this today!
What You'll Love About This Seasonal Carrot Top and Parsley Pesto Recipe
Fellow home cooks will appreciate this seasonal pesto recipe that is full of fresh flavors that truly reflect the springtime beauty. Unlike a pesto with fresh basil leaves, we'll lean into some low waste cooking techniques by using the carrot tops, radish tops, and accent it with fresh Italian parsley. The result is a bright and herbaceous pesto that becomes a great option for pasta, salad dressings, or even a springtime pizza sauce. It's freezer friendly, too, so making a batch for later use can also be done.
Ingredients for the Carrot Top, Radish Top, and Parsley Pesto Recipe
A mix of fresh herbs and leafy greens help craft this seasonal springtime pesto for the week's meals. Here's what we'll need:
- 2 cups carrot top leaves packed. When it comes to pesto, I rely more on the leaves of the greens as opposed to the stems. This helps to create a consistent texture with our sauce. That said, reserve the stems for veggie stock for later. Depending on how big the bunch of carrot top leaves are, I was able to get two cups of packed leaves
- 1 cup parsley leaves packed + 1 cup radish top leaves packed. This is an area where you can either sub for all parsley or all radish tops depending on what you have on hand. I used one cup of each because that was the yield and I did not want a lot of parsley in this pesto. However, the ratios in pesto making are what are important. For an 8 ounce container of prepared fresh pesto, we'll need 4 cups of packed greens total.
- ¼ cup sunflower seeds + ¼ cup pine nuts, toasted. As with many pestos you can swap and substitute the nuts or seeds here. I love the nutty balance of the sunflower seeds and pine nuts here. You can also use toasted walnuts or sliced almonds.
- 2 whole garlic cloves peeled
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup grated parmesan
How to Make This Herbaceous Homemade Pesto
Unlike the traditional way of making pesto through a mortar and pestle, we'll leverage our food processor here. Here's how we craft this fresh-tasting pesto in just 15 minutes:
- Start by rinsing all the greens thoroughly under warm water. Set aside in a bowl until ready for use.
- Toast pine nuts and sunflower seeds in a small nonstick skillet over medium-low heat until toasted and their nutty aroma is released, about 4 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.
- In the bowl of a food processor, fitted with the chopping blade, add carrot tops, radish tops, and flat leaf parsley leaves along with the peeled garlic, kosher salt, and toasted pine nuts and sunflower seeds. Pulse until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- With the food processor running, pour olive oil in a steady stream to help the pesto emulsify together. Stop the food processor to scrape the sides down as needed to ensure pesto is well blended.
- Once blended, pour out pesto into a small storage container. Stir in the grated parmesan cheese to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Store pesto in an airtight container and plan to enjoy it within a week or two.
Storing Pesto and Final Tips
Since we're using the leaves in this pesto, reserve the carrot and parsley stems for a future vegetable or chicken stock. I also like to store these in a freezer safe bag along with other food scraps like onion peels or the ends of celery stalks to build a collection for stock making.
If opting to freeze pesto, do not fold in the cheese. Doing so can change the texture of the pesto upon defrosting. Instead, portion the prepared pesto into a silicone ice cube tray. I love this one for pesto freezing. Frozen cubes of pesto are easy to remove and I love being able to make a big batch of pesto to freeze for later. Store frozen pesto cubes in resealable freezer bags for up to 6 months. Don't forget to label and date your pesto so you remember when you made it and when you need to enjoy it.
Other Seasonal Pesto Recipes to Try
There truly is a pesto for every season. Whether you have an herb garden or frequent the local farmers market, here are a few favorite pestos we love to make through the seasons:
Carrot Top, Radish Top, and Parsley Pesto
Equipment
- 1 8 to 10 cup food processor
Ingredients
- 2 cups carrot top leaves packed (reserve the stems for veggie stock)
- 1 cup parsley leaves packed
- 1 cup radish top leaves packed
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest from one lemon
- ¼ cup sunflower seeds toasted
- ¼ cup pine nuts toasted
- 2 whole garlic cloves peeled
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup grated parmesan
Instructions
- Rinse all the greens thoroughly under warm water. Set aside in a bowl until ready for use.
- Toast pine nuts and sunflower seeds in a small nonstick skillet over medium-low heat until toasted and their nutty aroma is released, about 4 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.
- In the bowl of a food processor, fitted with the chopping blade, add carrot tops, radish tops, and parsley leaves along with the peeled garlic, lemon zest, kosher salt, and toasted pine nuts and sunflower seeds. Pulse until well combined. Scrape down the sides as needed.
- With the food processor running, pour olive oil in a steady stream to help the pesto emulsify together. Stop the food processor to scrape the sides down as needed to ensure pesto is well blended.
- Once blended, pour out pesto into a small storage container. Stir in the grated parmesan cheese to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Store pesto in an airtight container and plan to enjoy it within a week or two.
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