Thyme Garlic Roasted Carrots
Thyme Garlic Roasted Carrots, Peppers and Onions with Carrot Top Pesto
These Thyme Garlic Roasted Carrots are amazing. I was very surprised on this combination of thyme and garlic with sweet carrots, sweet peppers and onions. Topping it off with that little extra zip of a side of carrot top pesto. What you say? Carrot Top Pesto. Yes! It is surprisingly good. This Thyme Garlic Roasted Carrots, Peppers and Onions with Carrot Top Pesto is bound to be one of your favorite go to meals. It is one of ours!
Making Thyme Garlic Roasted Carrots
This whole process of making these Thyme Garlic Roasted Carrots is very easy. The oven does most of the work. Thank you for the inventions of ovens. Ha! First of all make sure your carrots are not very big. There are some many sizes of carrots to choose from. The best ones are the ones about the size of your thumb, because this way they don’t have to be in the oven very long. Large ones will get crispy on the outside and look burnt. The carrots may have to cook longer if they are larger. Just check them for doneness with a fork. Cook longer if you need to.
I bought my carrots in the health food section at our local grocer where we still get local farmers delivering produce. Yes, I know we are so very lucky. These carrots were just right and thought it was time to make this dish because they were the perfect size. Having the tops on the carrots made this a sweet find. Then I could make this wonderful pesto.
Making the thyme and garlic mixture to coat the vegetables in is very easy. Just mix it all together and pour over the veggies. Presto! Then its time for pesto!
Making Carrot Top Pesto
This has been an interesting find. I made this Carrot Top Pesto two years ago when I grew my own carrots. I am pleasantly pleased because it is just as good as the traditional pesto made with basil. It is different of course but just as rich as regular basil.
I make this pesto recipe with walnuts, but I have made it before with cashews. I prefer the cashews because it is a little smoother texture and creamier. Although, my honey likes the walnuts. The walnuts do create more of a texture and and slight earthy taste, where as the cashews are a little sweeter. This may help you decide on which one to work with in the recipe according to what you are making with this dish.
The trick to creating this Carrot Top Pesto is all in the food processor. Combine everything in it “except” the olive oil and “Pulse” the mixture to make little crumbles. You want to do it this way so that it doesn’t all stick together into a ball. After pulsing the mixture add the olive oil. Make sure to stop and scrape the sides to combine in all the large parts stuck to the side and blend them in. I imagine a blender would work just as well but I haven’t used one to make pesto before.
This recipe has become one of my favorite discoveries. It is so great to utilize more of the harvest from the garden for more edible food. I have read you can use the carrot tops in soups as well. This will be a mission to try out next summer. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do.
This video on How to make Thyme Garlic Roasted Carrots, Peppers and Onions with Carrot Top Pesto is very helpful. It looks time consuming but it really isn’t. It is all very worth it. One of my all time favorite side dishes. Absolutely perfect with Holiday dishes, special dinner parties or even the Super Bowl. Give it a try! You are going to love these veggies with this carrot top pesto. If you can’t find the carrots with carrot tops then try it with regular pesto. It works just as well.
Thyme Garlic Roasted Carrots
Equipment
- Medium mixing bowl
- Cutting board and sharp knife
- Mixing spoon
- Food processor or Blender
- 2 glass or metal cooking sheets
- Spatula
- Large plate to serve on
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Fresh Carrots with tops if you are making pesto
- 4 med Sweet Tooth Peppers or 3 colorful Bell Peppers
- 1 Lg Yellow Onion 2 onions if you like roasted onions.
Thyme and Garlic topping
- ¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- ¼ cup Chopped Fresh Parsley
- 3 tsp Fresh Thyme Leaves
- 8 Chopped Cloves of Garlic
- ½ tsp Red Pepper Flakes or more to taste
- ¼ tsp Ground Black Pepper
- ½ tsp Sea Salt
Carrot Top Pesto
- 1 cup Packed Carrot Top Greens No stems
- 1 cup Packed Baby Spinach
- 2 med Garlic roughly chopped
- ½ cup Roasted Unsalted Walnuts or Cashews
- ½ tsp Sea Salt
- ¼ tsp Ground Black Pepper
- ½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Instructions
- Clean peppers and carrots and carrot tops greens. If Carrots are new garden carrots just clean them by scrubbing with a vegetable scrubber or use vegetable peeler. Cut the carrot tops about an inch to two inches from the top of the carrot. Make sure to clean the tops that are left on the carrots as well. Put the cut off carrot tops aside to use the greens for the pesto latter.
- Peel the yellow onion and cut into whole slices. Mince garlic into small pieces with a knife. Chop peppers into ½ inch whole slices.
- Preheat oven to 425°
- Arrange carrots and some of the onions if they fit onto one baking sheet or glass pan. On the second baking sheet or glass pan put the peppers to one side of the pan and the onions flat to the other side of the pan.
- In a medium bowl combine the ingredients for the thyme garlic topping. Add the extra virgin olive oil, chopped parsley, thyme, chopped garlic, red pepper flakes, black pepper and sea salt. Mix together with a spoon.
- Spoon the mixture over the carrots, onions and peppers. Try to get enough on all of them. A little spoon full at a time. When done toss the peppers with your hands to get the mixture on all of the peppers. Spread the peppers out flat. Sprinkle all the vegetables with ground black pepper and sea salt if desired.
- Put the carrot baking sheet or glass pan on top rack of oven.
- Put the onion and pepper baking sheet or glass pan on rack below the carrots in oven.
- Cook peppers and onions about 20 to 25 minutes. Take out half way through and toss the peppers around and finish cooking. "Do not" toss the onions or carrots. Onions will get nice and crisp if left alone.
- Cook carrots for 20 to 30 minutes. Check after 20 minutes to check for doneness with a fork. The cooking time all depends on the size of the carrots. You may have to go longer then 30 minutes. If the onions are getting too burnt take them out off of the baking sheet or glass pan and continue cooking the carrots.
Carrot Top Pesto
- In a food processor add the walnuts or cashews, (DRIED) carrot top greens, baby spinach, roughly chopped garlic, sea salt, black pepper. Pulse about 3 to 4 times. Scrap sides and pulse again.
- Add extra virgin olive oil last. Pulse the mixture, scrap sides and pulse again. Put in a bowl to serve with the Thyme Garlic Roasted Carrots, Peppers and Onions.