Raw and Roasted Carrot Salad with Carrot Top Pistachio Pesto
Best of Both Worlds
This roasted and raw carrot salad with carrot top pesto is the ultimate celebration of my favorite veggie. It has sweet, deeply roasted carrots mixed with raw carrots marinated in a lemony dressing. The pesto in this dish is extra special. The carrot tops taste like a mix of parsley and the carrots themselves, making them a perfect pair for the basil, parmesan, and pistachio that makes up the rest of the pesto.
The idea of using every bit of an ingredient and preparing them in different ways is an inspiration I’ve taken from the cookbooks written by Molly Baz. In the book More is More, she encourages her readers to think about the ingredients you use in more ways than one (affiliate link). How can you use the same thing to provide multiple textures, flavors, or experiences on the same plate? I absolutely love this idea and am trying to incorporate it more into my style of cooking!
Carrot Salad Recipe Tips
When you make this roasted and raw carrot salad, here are a few tips to make sure it comes out perfect:
- To get that deep browning on the carrots, you’ll need to have a hot oven, which may lead to the tiniest bit of smoke. If you have a smoke detector that likes to cheer you on (like mine does), proactively turn your vent on. Alternatively, you can also turn the heat of your oven down to 425°F, closer to olive oil’s smoke point. That will reduce the chances of your detector picking up any trace amounts of smoke.
- Super thin slices of the raw carrot will marinate best. If you’re unsure with your knife skills, I recommend using a mandolin or the slicing attachment of your food processor. That way you’ll have equally sized slices that are nice and thin.
- There will likely be more carrot tops left than what you’ll need for this recipe. You can always make a double batch of the pesto and save the rest for a rainy day!
- When picking an olive oil for the dressing that you marinate the raw carrots in, make sure it’s one you love the taste. Different olive oils can have significantly different flavors, especially when left raw in a dressing. I genuinely love the drizzle olive oil from Graza for making dressings myself. The flavor is mild, but still impactful! Use code LAURALOVESTOCOOK for $5 off your first order from their site!
Recipe Details
Make the Carrot Top Pesto
Let’s get this recipe started! To begin, we’ll make the carrot top pistachio pesto. Fresh basil, the carrot tops, shelled pistachios, and a few cloves of garlic are added to the bowl of a food processor and pulsed until a paste is formed. At this point, you’ll add plenty of olive oil and parmesan cheese to bring the sauce together. Once your sauce is made, give it a taste and see if you want to add any salt and pepper. Set the carrot top pesto aside until you’re ready to serve this dish.
Prep the Carrots
To prepare the carrots, first give each carrot a good scrub. This will clean off any remaining dirt and grime from harvesting the veggies. Divide the carrots into two piles and slice one of the piles into thick slices on an angle. Toss this group of carrots with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast the carrots in a very hot oven until they are browned on the bottom. Give the carrots a toss and then roast them on the opposite side until all of the carrots are browned and soft on the inside.
While one half of the carrots roast, thinly slice the rest of the carrots. Set these aside and whisk up the lemony dressing to marinate the carrots in. Whisk olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, honey, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add the thinly sliced, raw carrots into the bowl and let them sit in the marinade while the rest of the carrots roast.
Once the roasted carrots are out of the oven and rested, add them to the bowl of raw carrots and toss with the marinade.
Serve the Carrot Salad
When you’re ready to serve this raw and roasted carrot salad, spoon the carrot top pesto onto the base of a large serving bowl. Arrange the raw and roasted carrots onto the pesto, discarding any remaining marinade left in the bowl. Garnish with a few fresh basil leaves and enjoy!
Serve this carrot salad at room or refrigerator temperature with your favorite protein and a side or roast potatoes for an extra special meal. Save any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
If you also love these flavors, you should also check out my Crispy Chicken Thighs with Sauteed Carrots and Basil Yogurt Sauce recipe. It has super similar flavors and is a major hit at dinner time.
I hope you love this roasted and raw carrot salad as much as I do! Happy cooking!
Carrot salad made with raw and roasted carrots and a pesto made with the green carrot tops and pistachios. A true celebration of the carrot!
- 1/2 cup carrot top greens
- 1/2 cup fresh basil
- 1/2 cup unsalted, shelled pistachios
- 3 clove garlic
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 1/2 lb carrots
- 1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 2 tsp honey
In a food processor, add the carrot tops, basil leaves, shelled pistachios, and cloves of garlic. Pulse on high until the ingredients become paste like.
Add the olive oil and parmesan cheese, plus a small pinch of salt and pepper. Pulse again on high to incorporate the olive oil. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper to your liking. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 450°F and place a rack in the lower third of the oven.
Scrub the carrots and divide into two equal piles
Slice one pile of carrots on the bias into spears that are about ¾ inch thick, cutting any larger pieces in half lengthwise. Toss with 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper.
Arrange the carrots into a single layer on a baking tray. Roast for 12-14 minutes until the bottom side is browned.
Flip the carrots and roast another 8-9 minutes until browned on both sides and tender in the center.
Meanwhile, whisk the lemon zest, lemon juice, and 2 teaspoons honey in a large bowl.
Continue to whisk and slowly pour in ¼ cup olive oil. Season with a bit of salt.
Thinly slice or use a vegetable peeler to make thin pieces of the remaining carrots.
Add to the bowl and toss to coat in the dressing.
Once the carrots are out of the oven, let rest on the pan for 5 minutes. Add the roasted carrots to the bowl with the marinating raw carrots. Toss to coat with the dressing.
Spoon the pistachio carrot top pesto onto a serving plate. Arrange the carrots onto the plate, discarding any excess lemon dressing left in the bowl. Garnish with additional slices of basil.
Enjoy warm, chilled, or at room temperature.
