Roasted Carrots with Green Spring Garlic Pesto
Spring is finally here! And what better way to enjoy the spring produce than with these Roasted Carrots with Green Spring Garlic Pesto. This dish is a truly delicious way to celebrate the seasonal harvest and will make for a perfect side dish for your upcoming Easter dinner.
Carrots are synonymous with springtime. My favorite way to enjoy them is simply roasted with oil, salt and pepper. A little drizzle of this pesto though does gild the lily and take them to the next level.
Also known as ‘Spring Garlic’ that is harvested early that looks very similar to scallions. Green Garlic can be substituted for scallions, leeks, onion and chives in many recipes.
Green Garlic can be used the same way as traditional garlic that we are used to. It is one of the first spring veggies the show up at the very beginning of the season.
As in all pestos, there is Parmesan cheese in this recipe. Pecorino is a delicious addition that has a stronger flavor, or you can omit the cheese to make this a vegan basil pesto.
When it comes to pesto, it is not limited to the standard basil base. The Sicilians use pistachios as the main ingredient and my Pistachio Pesto is a delicious example of this. The Sicilians also have a Sicilian Tomato Pesto Sauce that is also a popular recipe of mine. They both would be delicious served over the roasted carrots or just about any vegetable you can think of.
The thickness of the pesto can be changed to suit your needs. You can make it thicker to mix into pasta or thinner to pour over vegetables by adding more oil.
Well… yes and no. They both have garlic flavor, however, wild garlic is milder, has thin leaves and flowers which are also edible.
This easy carrot side dish is my new favorite that I’m serving for Easter lunch this year along with my newest recipe of Rosemary and Garlic roasted Leg of Lamb with Potatoes and Fennel, which can also be your complete Easter meal (recipe coming next week).
The spring garlic basil pesto yields 2 cups (473 ml/1 pint)
Roasted Carrots with Green Spring Garlic Pesto
Simply roasted carrots served with green spring garlic basil peso
Ingredients
- 1¼ ounces (35 grams) fresh basil
- 2 ounces (56 grams) green/spring garlic, about 4 white and light green parts only
- ⅓ cup (32 grams) nuts of your choice ( I like pecans, pine nuts or walnuts)
- 1½ ounces (42 grams) parmesan cheese chunks
- 1 teaspoon salt to taste
- ½ cup olive oil + 2 tablespoons
- 1 ½ pounds (453 grams) carrots, cut in half lengthwise
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F/220°C.
- To a food processor or blender, add the basil, green/spring garlic, nuts, cheese and salt. Pulse until chopped. With the blender running, drizzle in the ½ cup (118 ml) olive oil until it is the consistency you like.Slice the carrots in half lengthwise so they are all the same thickness. Spread onto a baking sheet in an even layer and drizzle evenly with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Sprinkle evenly with salt and pepper, rub to coat well. Roast for 25-30 minutes, or until they are tender when pierced with a fork.
- Remove from the oven and serve with the pesto
Notes
Yields 2 cups (473 ml/1 pint) sauce
Nutrition Information
Yield
4Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 283Total Fat 31gSaturated Fat 6gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 24gCholesterol 10mgSodium 598mgCarbohydrates 1gFiber 0gSugar 0gProtein 3g
This nutrition calculation is provided by Nutronix that is only a guideline and not intended for any particular diet.
2 Comments on “Roasted Carrots with Green Spring Garlic Pesto”
I received green spring garlic in a market box and found this recipe when trying to decide what to do with it. This recipe was perfect! I used pecans in my pesto, which gave it a nice nutty flavor. It’s a great flavor combination with the carrots. This recipe yields a lot of pesto. We used our leftovers on grilled pizza which was very tasty. Thanks for the recipe!
I’m so happy you found my recipe and enjoyed it. You’re the 2nd person who tried the pesto on pizza and I need to get on that. Thank you for the feedback.