Roasted Carrot and Beet Salad with Carrot Top Pesto, Pumpkin Seeds and Feta

I finally got around to getting into the garden to get ready for this year and I found some carrots and beets that made it all the way through the winter without being touched (which is a miracle if you consider how often the dog sneaks out and steals carrots straight from the ground). I wanted a recipe to use them up, so I thought of this salad that would be a great addition to an Easter Dinner menu this weekend, or any upcoming special meal you might have planned. It’s great served warm or room temperature – whatever your preference, and can be made a day ahead to save on kitchen time the day of your dinner.

Be sure to bookmark the page because this salad will be just as good when fall rolls around (maybe give it a try for Thanksgiving if you’ve already got your Easter Dinner menu planned out). You could also make this for a light meal on it’s own. I recommend a few thick slices of your favourite bread to go along with it. Hope you enjoy.

What are your plans for the Easter Long Weekend? Let me know in the comments section below.

Print Recipe

Roasted Carrot and Beet Salad

This salad has the perfect combination of sweetness from the roasted vegetables and salty from the feta. It can be enjoyed warm or room temperature as a side to accompany grilled or roasted meats, fish or poultry, or as an entrée salad with a piece of hearty bread. You can choose to opt out of the carrot top pesto and use store bought if you like, or even a different kind of pesto that you may have on hand. You can also prepare the salad in advance by roasting the vegetables and making the pesto so all you need to do is assemble the salad before serving.

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time25 minutes mins

Total Time55 minutes mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Holiday Menu Item, Roasted Vegetables, Vegetarian

Servings: 4 Servings

Author: Melanie Steele, RD

Ingredients

Salad Ingredients

• 1 bunch carrots including tops, about 6-8 medium-small carrots
• 2 medium beets
• 1/4 cup carrot top pesto (see ingredients below)
• 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/2 pumpkin seeds
• 1 bulb garlic
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• salt and pepper, to taste

Pesto Ingredients

• 1 cup carrot tops, roughly chopped
• 1-2 cloves roasted garlic (part of whole bulb listed above)
• 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1/4 cup olive oil (more if desired)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425⁰F.
• While oven is warming up, prepare the vegetables. Remove carrot tops, wash carrots and tops, slice carrots in half lengthwise. Scrub beets and slice into wedges. Toss in half the olive oil and spread out on sheet pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Cut the top of the garlic bulb off and lay on a piece of tinfoil, shiny side up. Drizzle with remaining olive oil and wrap foil. Place garlic parcel on sheet pan with carrots and beets.
• Roast for 25-30 minutes until carrots and beets are fork tender and caramelized. Set aside and carefully open the foil around the garlic bulb to let cool.
• Allow garlic to cool before squeezing two bulbs of the roasted garlic from the bulb to make the pesto. Add the carrot tops, pumpkin seeds, and two bulbs of roasted garlic to the bowl of a food processor or blender and process until finely chopped. You may need to stop the motor and scrape down the sides of the bowl a few times. With the motor running, slowly add the olive oil until the desired thickness is reached. Add more olive oil if needed.
• Assemble the salad; lay carrots and beets on serving platter, top with pesto and sprinkle with feta and remaining pumpkin seeds. Serve with remaining roasted garlic.

Notes

• Vegetables and/or pesto can be made ahead of time so the salad can be assembled just before serving.