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    You are here: Home / Recipes / Menu / Salads / Spring Pea and Carrot Salad with Carrot Top Pesto

    Spring Pea and Carrot Salad with Carrot Top Pesto

    May 2, 2019 · 1 Comment

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    It’s a healthy, easy-to-make, fresh spring salad recipe celebrating the seasons baby carrot and snap pea bounty! Crunchy fresh veggies, garlicky homemade croutons, tangy feta and herbaceous pesto create a very colorful spring-a-licious salad with all sorts of flavors and textures!

    Overhead shot of the spring salad on white dinner plate.

    Why this Recipe Works

    • Minimize food waste! Instead of tossing the carrots tops we use them to make a pesto dressing for the salad.
    • Eat no more boring salads! Crunchy fresh veggies, garlicky homemade croutons, tangy feta and herbaceous pesto make for all sorts of flavors and textures.
    • Eat this dish any time of day! Brunch, lunch or dinner.

    Peas and carrots are so often served hot.  Serve them fresh, cold and crispy here while they’re at the peak of their season!

    Side angle ingredient shot of snap peas, thinly sliced radishes, and thinly sliced baby carrots.

    Half-Baked Harvest’s Spring Pea and Carrot Salad was my source of inspiration and I borrowed heavily from her recipe. I’m a huge proponent of minimizing food waste and finding good use for every part of the produce (or meat) that we can! I was stoked to see her re-use her carrot tops in the salad dressing. Waste as little as possible I say!

    How to Make this Salad

    Please enjoy my in process and ingredient shots with explanation for your easy cooking.

    Croutons in the making! Bread is tossed with olive oil, garlic, chili flakes, salt, pepper and ready for the oven.
    cut or tear bread
    Croutons just out of oven, on baking sheet.
    make croutons in oven

    Snap peas in a silver bowl.

    Ingredient shot of snap peas, radishes, carrots and watercress.
    thinly slice radishes and carrots
    Side angle shot of the spring salad with carrot top pesto, snap peas and garlic croutons.
    arrange all on a plate

    Spring Salad with Carrot Top Pesto, Snap Peas & Garlic Croutons all done!Up close shot of watercress with snap peas, carrot ribbons, ninja radishes, croutons, mint, pesto, flaky sea salt and pepper.

    Cooks Tips

    • Fresh is best! Get the freshest baby carrots and snap peas you can find for optimal texture.
    • Roast the pine nuts for greater depth of flavor in the pesto.
    • Pine nuts can be substituted with any of nut! I mean… have ya seen the price of pine nuts lately??? Walnuts or pistachios work great and the nut skies the limit!
    • Use a sharp knife for all the initial chopping of the pesto ingredients, relying on the processor merely to mix everything together.
    • If vegan, simply omit the cheese.
    • If you don’t have a food processor, a blender can work too.
    • Pesto oxidizes! Cover pesto and put in fridge so it doesn’t turn brown until ready to use.
    • Any leftover pesto freezes beautifully.
    • For storing baby carrots and snap peas: wrap them in a damp paper towel, place them in a loosely closed plastic bag and keep them in the vegetable crisper in the fridge.

    Side angle shot of the spring salad with carrot top pesto, snap peas and garlic croutons. with edible flours, ninja radishes, watercress and mint.

    Have ya tried this recipe? I’d love to hear about it and see it too! Please leave a comment below and take a pic and tag it on Instagram with #chefdanielagerson. You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest to see more colorfully delicious food and all sorts of awesome adventures!

    Side angle shot of the spring salad with carrot top pesto, snap peas and garlic croutons.

    Let’s make waves in the kitchen!

    Spring salad with carrot top pesto, snap peas, garlic croutons, edible flours, ninja radishes, watercress and mint on a white plate.

    Overhead shot of the spring salad on white dinner plate.
    Print Recipe

    Spring Pea and Carrot Salad with Carrot Top Pesto

    It’s a healthy, easy-to-make, fresh spring salad recipe celebrating the seasons baby carrot and snap pea bounty! Crunchy fresh veggies, garlicky homemade croutons, tangy feta and herbaceous pesto create a very colorful spring-a-licious salad with all sorts of flavors and textures!
    Prep Time20 minutes mins
    Cook Time20 minutes mins
    Total Time40 minutes mins
    Course: Brunch, Lunch
    Cuisine: Californian
    Servings: 8
    Author: Daniela Gerson

    Ingredients

    Carrot Top Pesto

    • 1 bunch carrots tops 1-2 cups washed and any brown tops removed, can sub fresh arugula or baby kale, roughly chopped
    • 1 cup fresh basil roughly chopped
    • 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts pistachios, walnuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds or another nut will also work
    • 2 cloves garlic chopped
    • 1/2 cup olive oil
    • 1/3 cup Pecorino Romano or Parmesan omit if vegan
    • 1 lemon zest & juice
    • pinch crushed red pepper chili flakes
    • kosher salt to taste
    • pepper to taste

    Spring Salad

    • 1 piece ciabatta or sourdough French about 450 g, use gluten free bread if needed, cut or torn into bite sized pieces
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 3 cloves garlic minced
    • kosher salt to taste
    • pepper to taste
    • 1 bunch baby carrots cut into ribbons or thinly sliced
    • 2 cups fresh snap peas
    • 1 bunch radishes thinly sliced
    • 2 cups fresh watercress or baby spinach
    • handful fresh parsley or mint or a combo
    • 8 ounces feta omit if vegan

    Instructions

    Carrot Tops Pesto

    • In the bowl of a food processor with the knife blade attached or a blender, combine carrot top greens, basil and nuts. Pulse until finely copped. With the machine running, drizzle in the olive oil. Add the cheese, lemon zest and juice, pinch of red pepper flakes and season with salt. Taste and add more salt as needed. Pour into a sealable container and keep in fridge until ready to use. 

    Spring Salad

    • Preheat oven to 350 F. 
    • On a large baking sheet, toss bread pieces with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper until bread is evenly coated. Bake in oven for 20 minutes, tossing halfway through until bread is golden and toasted. 
    • In a large salad bowl, toss carrot ribbons, snap peas, radishes, watercress or spinach, croutons and fresh herbs. Drizzle a few tablespoons of the carrot top pesto on top, to taste. Sprinkle with feta cheese and serve alongside remaining pesto. Enjoy!

    Notes

    • Fresh is best! Get the freshest baby carrots and snap peas you can find for optimal texture.
    • Roast the pine nuts for greater depth of flavor in the pesto.
    • Pine nuts can be substituted with any of nut! I mean… have ya seen the price of pine nuts lately??? Walnuts or pistachios work great and the nut skies the limit!
    • Use a sharp knife for all the initial chopping of the pesto ingredients, relying on the processor merely to mix everything together.
    • If vegan, simply omit the cheese.
    • If you don’t have a food processor, a blender can work too.
    • Pesto oxidizes! Cover pesto and put in fridge so it doesn’t turn brown until ready to use.
    • Any leftover pesto freezes beautifully.
    • For storing baby carrots and snap peas: wrap them in a damp paper towel, place them in a loosely closed plastic bag and keep them in the vegetable crisper in the fridge.
    Spring salad with carrot top pesto, snap peas, garlic croutons, edible flours, ninja radishes, watercress and mint on a white plate.
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    Meet Daniela

    VEGGIES ARE SEXY 

    Hi, I'm Daniela - a Los Angeles based food photographer and creative director. I began my career as a chef with a passion for sourcing colorful produce from local markets. I love emphasizing the beauty of real food with my images. I’m also a food stylist and recipe developer with a gorgeous prop-filled studio in Venice, California.

    Daniela Gerson Photography

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