Maple-Roasted Carrots with Carrot Top Chimichurri

You’re going to want to make these maple-roasted carrots with carrot top chimichurri sauce!

The maple-roasted carrots are soft and buttery with a caramelized outside. The chimichurri sauce is, like most of my recipes, not made with traditional ingredients or even in the traditional (hand-mixed) method, but in my opinion, it tastes even better than the real deal!

This combo makes the perfect flavorful side dish that pairs with a wide variety of different flavors, textures, and cuisines!

This image shows the maple-roasted carrots with chimichurri sauce drizzled over them and sprinkled with toasted almonds.

I love to use the carrot tops in place of parsley in this chimichurri sauce, especially tops from young carrots, which are delicate and tender.

If you’ve never had carrot tops, try them out in this recipe! It’s a great way to use them instead of chucking them in the compost and you’ll be surprised how closely they resemble parsley in flavor and texture!

This image shows a jar of carrot top chimichurri sauce with parsley and almonds sprinkled on the ground around it.

Now, let’s dive into this simple but delicious recipe, shall we?

Maple-Roasted Carrots with Carrot Top Chimichurri Sauce

Ingredients:

For the carrots:

1 bunch small delicate carrots, with the green tops still attached
1 TBSP olive oil
1 TBSP maple syrup

For the sauce:

1 bunch carrot tops, larger tougher stems removed
⅓ cup (small bunch) fresh coriander/cilantro
4 stalks fresh oregano, leaves removed
¼ cup olive oil
3 TBSP apple cider vinegar
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
2 garlic cloves
½ jalapeño (remove some or all of the seeds for less heat)

Toppings:

A handful sliced almonds, toasted

Instructions:

Begin with the carrots. Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a sheet pan with baking paper.
Break most of the greens away from the carrots, leaving a short tuft of the stalk attached. Wash and scrub the carrots. Then lay them on the sheet pan and drizzle on the olive oil and maple syrup. Rub the carrots with your hands to coat them in the oil/syrup mixture.
Place the carrots in the oven and let them roast for 20 minutes. Then remove the sheet pan from the oven, flip the carrots over, and put it back in the oven to roast for another 10-15 minutes. Check the carrots for doneness after ten minutes by poking one with a fork. The fork should be able to pierce the carrot without too much pressure. When the carrots are done they will be slightly crispy on the outside and fairly soft on the inside.
While the carrots roast, make your chimichurri sauce. Simply add all the ingredients except the olive oil to a food processor and process until the ingredients bread down. You may need to stop the processor and scrape down the sides to keep incorporating all the ingredients. With the processor running, drizzle in the olive oil. Then let the chimichurri mix for another minute until it resembles pesto.
Once the carrots are done, let them cool for a few minutes, then place them on a platter, drizzle on the chimichurri sauce and sprinkle over the sliced almonds. Dig in!