Carrot Top Pesto with Orecchiette Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 cup carrot greens
- ½ cup fresh basil leaves
- Small handful fresh parsley
- ¼ cup toasted walnuts, pine nuts, or sliced almonds
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove, peeled
- ½ cup grated parmesan
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 cups cooked orecchiette (or other medium-sized) pasta
Instructions
- Wash carrot greens and dry in a salad spinner. In the bowl of a food processor, add carrot greens, basil, parsley, nuts, lemon zest/juice, garlic, parmesan, salt, and pepper. Pulse 6–8 times, until finely minced. With processor running, slowly add oil through feed tube and process until combined. Taste for seasoning then place in a small lidded container, drizzle in a thin layer of olive oil, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use. Cook pasta according to package directions. When cooked, reserve about 1 cup of pasta water, then drain. Return pasta to the pan over low heat. Add 2–3 tablespoons (or more to taste) of pesto to the warm pasta, along with a few tablespoons of pasta water. Stir to combine, adding small amounts of pasta water at a time, until you have a creamy consistency, then serve.
