This vibrant, veggie-filled carrot pasta sauce is an absolute ode to springtime. Using carrots as a base for a creamy sauce and their bright green tops for a flavorful pesto, it's a delicious healthier take on mac and cheese that the whole family will love. It's easy to make, ready in under 30 minutes, and extra sauce can be frozen for easy weeknight dinners!
Ingredients
12ouncespasta, choose your favorite short shaped pasta. Gluten-free, if needed
1tablespoonolive oil, plus extra for the pasta
6medium carrots
4clovesgarlic, chopped
1large onion, chopped
2cupschicken or vegetable stock, divided
½ cupcream cheese, can be light
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
1teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
1pinchpepper and chili flakes
Carrot Top Pesto
1cupcarrot top greens, see notes
2tablespoonsolive oil
2tablespoonstoasted cashews
2tablespoonsparmesan
2tablespoonsfresh lemon juice
1smallgarlic
1pinch sea salt
Instructions
Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted water until al dente. Drain the pasta then return it to the pot and toss it with a little olive oil.
12 ounces pasta
While the water is heating, prepare the rest of the meal. Add the carrot top pesto ingredients to your food processor and blend on high until mostly smooth. Add 1-2 tablespoons of water, if needed, to thin the pesto.
1 cup carrot top greens, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons toasted cashews, 2 tablespoons parmesan, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 1 small garlic, 1 pinch sea salt
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, garlic, and onion and saute for 5 minutes. Add ½ cup of the chicken stock and steam until the carrots are soft and the liquid has evaporated.
1 tablespoon olive oil, 6 medium carrots, 4 cloves garlic, 1 large onion
Transfer the veggies to your blender then add 1 cup of the chicken stock, cream cheese, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and chili flakes and blend on high until smooth. If needed, add extra chicken stock (up to ½ cup) to thin the sauce. Taste the sauce and season with extra salt, if needed.
½ cup cream cheese, ½ cup grated parmesan cheese, 1 teaspoon sea salt, 1 pinch pepper and chili flakes
Pour the sauce over the cooked pasta in the pot and mix well. Serve the pasta with some of the carrot top pesto over the top.
Notes
If your carrots don't have greens, or if you don't have enough for the recipe, simply substitute parsley. You can also use store-bought pesto. It will look like a lot of sauce but don't worry, it is the perfect amount for super creamy pasta. Presentation-wise, we like to serve the pesto on top. But mixing it into the pasta tastes just as great, The inspiration for this recipe came from Sylvia Fontaine's beautiful vegan carrot sauce recipe on her website Feasting at Home.