Jun 23, 2014

Whole carrot spaghetti


Cooking with whole foods...









Whole carrot spaghetti
by Gray Apron
time: about 20 min

ingredients
2/3 lb (300 g) spaghetti, I used whole wheat
4 young, whole carrots
2/3 cup (150 ml) olive oil
1 oz (30 g) Parmesan, grated + some more in little chunks
salt, pepper to taste

instructions
Slice carrot roots a la julienne (like matchsticks, I used my mandolin slicer) and cook in salted water for 1-2 minutes. Remove from the water, set it aside and cook spaghetti in the carrot water. Drain, save about 1/2 cup of cooking water.

Prepare pesto. Chop carrot stems and leaves. Place it in a tall container, together with oil, Parmesan and about 1/4 cup cooking water from spaghetti. Using a hand held immersion blender, blend it all till smooth, adding more water if necessary. Or use a food processors, mine is broken.

Place cooked carrots, spaghetti and pesto in a serving bowl, some pepper if you like. Mix it all up, drop Parmesan pieces on top and serve.

NOTES NOTES NOTES NOTES NOTES NOTES NOTES NOTES NOTES
  • since I was cooking with whole baby beets, I thought why not do the same with whole baby carrots;
  • there is light sweetness and carrot taste in the dish, no bitterness from the green whatsoever;
  • no one guessed what the green sauce was made from, but everybody cleaned their bowls and wanted more;
  • Julian said he has never tasted anything like it and neither have I; Hania, quite suspicious about carrot pasta at first, was pleasantly surprised;
  • and so was I.

25 comments:

  1. What a different and delicious sounding pasta dish.

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  2. I've got carrots growing and I can't wait to use them in a recipe like this one Ela :)

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  3. That's so clever that you use the carrot leaves for a pesto. It looks delicious! I saw the prettiest carrots at the farmers market last weekend. They would be perfect for this.

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  4. I've never heard of using carrot leaves in pesto, Ela. Pleased to read they weren't bitter. Nice healthy pasta dish!

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  5. This sounds delicious. I love anything a little bit different.

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  6. Didn't know carrot leaves were edible!! The pasta looks delicious and satisfying.

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  7. Wow, what a great use of carrot leaves, love that you used it for pesto :) And the pasta looks fantastic!

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  8. Those carrots are beautiful (swooon) and totally love that you used the entire thing. Such love and heart in this recipe!

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  9. Wow!! This looks so delicious, healthy and fresh!! You come up with the best recipes!! I love it! :) YUM!

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  10. I love that you use the whole carrot! So many people forget to use the greens from beets, carrot, etc and they are so yummy! Your dish sounds fresh and delicious!

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  11. A pesto made from young carrots sounds incredible! What a wonderful pasta sauce!!

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  12. What a different sounding pasta dish! I love it though - I would have never thought to use carrot greens like this!

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  13. I recently bought a julienne peeler and I love how quickly I can shred carrots and zucchini into "pasta". This looks delicious!

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  14. An interesting and very nutritious recipe Ela, yum!

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  15. What a great way to use whole baby carrots. You have made them the star here, love this Ela!

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  16. Beautiful pasta especially in summer :D

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  17. Wholesome healthy and looks absolutely delicious!

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  18. Oh man, this looks like the perfect summer food--healthy, filling, and delicious!

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  19. Anonymous6/24/2014

    Carrot leaves on pesto. Amazing

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  20. Beautiful rustic spaghetti dish. Carrot leaves are not used often at all, and I don't see why not.

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  21. This sounds wonderful and so simple. I love that you use the carrot leaves, how creative and I'm sure tasty.

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  22. I have seen and tasted different types of pesto but this one I must say sounds unique. Such a wholesome summer dish!

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  23. Lovely pasta and what a great idea for the pesto: carrot greens!

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  24. Love the little carrot tops sticking out! Very creative and I'm sure delicious.

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  25. A mighty scrumptious pasta dish!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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