Instructions
- Prepare the Roasted Carrots: Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C) with a rack in the center position.
- Trim the stems from the carrots, leaving roughly ¼-inch stem attached. Set aside 1 packed cup of carrot top leaves for the pesto, discarding any tough or bruised leaves and stems. Rinse and dry the carrot top greens to remove any grit and dirt. Save a few additional carrot leaves for garnish.
- Rinse and scrub the carrots well. Pat the carrots dry with a clean kitchen towel or paper towels and carefully peel. For larger carrots you can slice in half lengthwise. Place the carrots on a half sheet pan and toss with extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper. Distribute the carrots evenly across the pan, leaving space between them.
- Roast the carrots, flipping them halfway through, until they are caramelized and just fork tender, roughly 18 to 24 minutes depending on the thickness of your carrots.
- Prepare the Pesto: As the carrots are roasting, prepare the carrot top pesto. Add everything to the food processor and blend until smooth scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add 2 tablespoons of warm water if needed to help thin the pesto and process until mostly smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Toss the still-warm roasted carrots with carrot-top pesto (you’ll have some extra pesto, which can be stored in an airtight-container in the fridge or frozen and thawed later).
- Place roasted carrots on a platter and garnish with carrot top leaves. Serve warm or at room temperature.