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Carrot Top Chimichurri Recipe

Carrot greens combine with garlic, crushed red pepper, olive oil, red wine vinegar and salt to make a lovely Carrot Top Chimichurri sauce. This carrot greens recipe is delicious with steak, seafood, on roasted veggies and more.

carrot greens are shown on a wood table

As a nation, we aren’t really in tune enough with food. Real food, that is — the kind that grows in the ground and comes to us in its purest form. We aren’t a nation of farmers and homesteaders anymore, and although pockets of those groups exist all over the country, there are so many people (of all ages) who can’t tell a sweet potato from a butternut squash.

Growing food — and knowing what fresh food looks like — used to be how families fed themselves. On our family homestead in the early 20th century, we had an orchard and growing fields and chickens and more. Baked goods were made from scratch and stored in the larder. Farming wasn’t just a job, it was a way of life.

For some, it still is.

It’s a foreign concept these days to imagine being the kind of self-sufficient that grows their own food and lives a deliberate life that doesn’t include working for someone else. People do it, but it’s uncommon, unusual, different.

That used to be the norm.

carrot greens attached to multi-colored carrots are shown on a wood table

Of course, the truth is that if not for Bugs Bunny cartoons, I wouldn’t have known as a child that carrots grow with frilly carrot greens poking above the ground. I wouldn’t have dreamed of one day having carrots like that and eating them like my favorite wascally wabbit. And I wouldn’t have come to wonder why we only eat the root part of the carrot and discard the greens.

It doesn’t have to be like that. We could more fully consume the food that’s being grown.

If you happen upon some carrot tops, don’t toss them!

What to do with carrot tops

The frilly greens on the tops of carrots are edible and delicious in a variety of dishes. From salads to sauces, carrot greens add a pleasant flavor that can be a touch bitter (like parsley) but is tasty nonetheless.

carrot greens, garlic, crushed red peppers and other ingredients are shown in a red food processor

Combined with garlic, crushed red pepper, olive oil, red wine vinegar and salt, carrot tops also make a lovely chimichurri sauce. A food processor makes quick work of making this Carrot Top Chimichurri Sauce recipe.

I love the tangy, freshness of chimichurri sauce. Although it’s traditionally made with parsley, I love switching up the flavor by substituting other greens — like in my Basil Chimichurri, my Swiss Chard Chimichurri and in my Kale Chimichurri.

Carrot Top Chimichurri sauce is shown in a glass bowl on a white surface

Once it’s swirled together, there are so many ways to use this carrot greens recipe. Try it drizzled on flatbread pizza, on roasted cauliflower or spooned onto potatoes. It’s also delicious on steak, steak sandwiches and more.

This Carrot Top Chimichurri also makes a lovely substitute for cocktail sauce. Try serving it with steamed shrimp for dipping.

a plate of shrimp with one shrimp in a small bowl of green sauce
Carrot Top Chimichurri

Carrot Top Chimichurri

Yield: 1 cup
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup carrot top leaves
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 tsp  kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp  black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp  crushed red pepper

Instructions

  1. Combine all the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Process until the ingredients are evenly chopped.
  2. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Amber

Monday 29th of June 2020

Can this be frozen for later use?

Sarah Walker Caron

Tuesday 30th of June 2020

Yes, it can!

Jamie Sy

Monday 11th of May 2020

Hi! Is there any alternative for red wine vinegar? Will apple cider or an ordinary vinegar suffice? Thanks in advance!

Sarah Walker Caron

Wednesday 13th of May 2020

Hi Jamie, you want something with the vibrancy of red wine vinegar. I wouldn't use white vinegar — it doesn't have the nuance this recipe needs. Apple cider vinegar will work as an alternative, though it will impact the flavor. If you had something unusual like a cranberry vinegar, that would work too (and be a little closer to the flavor of red wine vinegar). Hope that helps! — Sarah

Kate Dwyer

Monday 30th of July 2018

This is a fantastic use of carrot greens!

Sarah Walker Caron

Tuesday 31st of July 2018

Thank you!

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