Bucatini Pasta with Hazelnut and Carrot Top Pesto Recipe
Earth Day is coming up and this root-to-stem bucatini pasta recipe is the perfect way to show the planet some love. Instead of throwing away the tops of the carrots, blend them with hazelnuts to make a deliciously nuanced hazelnut pesto. The rest of the carrots are peeled and folded into the bucatini. Fighting food waste never tasted so good!
If this pesto bucatini has your mouth watering, be sure to check out our other passion fueled pesto recipes to keep your Earth Day spirits high year round!
Bucatini with Hazelnut and Carrot Top Pesto, Sautéed Charred Carrot Skins & Pecorino Romano
Ingredients1 box Barilla Collezione Bucatini
6 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, divided in half
½ cup hazelnuts, toasted
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 bunch carrot tops
1 ½ cups carrot peels
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Directions
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and then cook the bucatini pasta according to the package directions.
2. Meanwhile, in a blender, process half of the Romano cheese with the hazelnuts, garlic, carrot tops, salt and pepper to make the pesto sauce.
3. Stir in 5 tbsp. olive oil and set aside.
4. In a hot skillet, char carrot peels with remaining oil until well browned, remove from skillet, season with salt and set aside.
5. Drain the bucatini, reserving a ½ cup of the cooking water.
6. In a large bowl, combine the ½ cup of pasta cooking water with the hazelnut pesto, folding in half of the carrot peels.
7. Garnish with the remaining carrot peels and grated cheese before serving.
Recipe and Photo Credit: Barilla Executive Food service Chef Yury Krasilovsky