Radish Greens Pesto Pasta ⋆ Pesto Pasta Made with Radish Leaves!

Name: Radish Greens Pasta Recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 6 ounces pasta ((rotini, fettuccine, etc.)); 1 tablespoon salt (for pasta water); 2 cups radish tops and stems (from about 8 medium carrots); ⅓ cup pine nuts (or seeds if nut-free); 2 whole garlic cloves; ½ cup extra virgin olive oil; ½ cup vegan parmesan cheese (or nutritional yeast); ⅛ teaspoon sea salt; ⅛ teaspoon black pepper; Optional: sliced carrots, cherry tomatoes, carrot greens for garnish

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Radish Greens Pasta, an easy pesto pasta recipe using radish leaves instead of basil. A sustainable twist on classic pesto pasta!

Not sure what to do with those radish tops? Make a radish greens pesto pasta! Our Radish Greens Pesto recipe is a unique food waste prevention twist on classic pesto, so we decided to show the sauce in action in this easy pesto pasta recipe.

Not convinced that radishes belong in pesto…or on pasta? Here are a few reasons why you should be making pasta with radish pesto:

It’s delicious! First and foremost, pasta with radish leaves pesto is super tasty. With a rich, earthy flavor this will become your new favorite easy weeknight meal that’s perfect for leftovers.
Pesto sauce is super versatile. Use any extra pesto in soups, stews, and on top of roasted or grilled vegetables. The pesto possibilities never end!
It reduces food waste. This recipe helps you become a more eco-friendly home cook by using up radish greens that would otherwise be thrown out.

Ready to learn how to make this so-easy pasta with radish leaf pesto? Let’s do it!

Table of Contents hide

1 👩‍🍳 How to make pasta with radish greens (step-by-step)

2 ❓ Recipe + ingredient questions

3 ♻️ Sustainable kitchen tips

4 🌱 More recipes using radish leaves

5 Get my meal plan!

6 Radish Greens Pasta Recipe

dry pasta, a bunch of radishes, and bowls of nuts, cheese, olive oil, salt and pepper on a white table — Ingredients: pasta, radishes, nuts or seeds, cheese or nutritional yeast, olive oil, salt, and pepper

👩‍🍳 How to make pasta with radish greens (step-by-step)

1️⃣ Step One: Wash, dry, and cut radish greens

First, cut the radish tops from the stems close to the leaves. Use the radish roots in salads, soups, or even baked into crispy veggie chips.

radish bulbs cut from the green radish stems and leaves on a white table — Cut leaves from radish roots

Place the greens in a bowl of water and use your hands to remove excess dirt.

radish greens in a bowl of water on a white table — Soak greens in water to clean

When greens are clean, remove from water and either spin in a salad spinner or place in a colander to let dry (about 5 minutes). Once the leaves are dry pick out any remaining hard stems.

radish greens in a blue colander on a white table — Let greens dry before using

👉 Food Waste Tip: See our full step-by-step tutorial on preparing radish greens. And learn how to properly refrigerator, freeze, and even pickled radishes to keep them fresh longer.

2️⃣ Step Two: Prepare radish pesto

Add radish greens, pine nuts (or other nuts/seeds of choice), garlic cloves, olive oil, cheese (or nutritional yeast, if vegan), and a generous pinch of salt and pepper to a food processor or blender.

pesto ingredients inside a food processor — Add pesto ingredients to food processor

Pulse the ingredients, adding more oil if needed, but keeping pesto a thicker consistency (we don’t want runny pesto, we want thicker pesto that coats the pasta noodles).

pesto sauce inside a food processor — Pulse pesto ingredients until combined

👉 How can I make pesto nut-free? If you want to make a nut-free pesto, we suggest sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds. You can also use beans or even chickpeas, like in our Nut-Free Chickpea Pesto.

3️⃣ Step Three: Boil the pasta

Bring a large pot of water and a generous pinch of salt to a boil, then add pasta and cook to al dente (about 8-10 minutes). Drain water, reserving ½ cup of pasta water.

a black pot of boiling water with pasta on a stovetop — Boil pasta

👉 What type of pasta should I use in pesto pasta? Because pesto is a thick sauce, most any type of pasta will be delicious. However, we like either a thick long noodle like bucatini or a curly short noodle like rotini. We chose fettuccine in this recipe, but you can truly use any type of noodle with pesto sauce.

4️⃣ Step Four: Prepare pesto pasta

Add pesto to a large pan and heat over low, adding a small amount of the reserved pasta water and letting it cook down for about 1-2 minutes (the starch in the water will help thicken the sauce).

radish greens pesto in a white pan with a wooden spoon

Add the cooked pasta and toss to coat the noodles completely in the pesto sauce. Give the pasta a taste and add any more spices or salt and pepper, if needed.

pesto pasta in a white pan with a wooden spoon — Add pasta and stir to combine

To serve, plate the pasta and sprinkle with a bit of parmesan cheese, or if you’re vegan then a small amount of vegan parmesan or nutritional yeast. We also like to add more vegetables by including sliced cherry tomatoes and carrots, and a sprig of radish greens for garnish.

pesto pasta on a blue plate with sliced radishes

❓ Recipe + ingredient questions

How can you use the tops of radishes?

Radish tops can be used in place of any herb like parsley or cilantro in most recipes. They are delicious in sauces like pesto and chimichurri, salads, pastas, in broths and soups, and even on their own as a side dish.

Can you eat radish tops raw?

You can eat radish tops raw, they do not need to be cooked before eating. In fact, they’re delicious in salads, sauces, and dips. However, make sure to wash radish greens thoroughly because they are a root vegetable so they typically have dirty leaves since radish roots are grown in the soil.

What other ways can you make radish top pasta?

In addition to making radish top pesto pasta, you can also toss pasta in an oil-based sauce with garlic, carrots, tomatoes, and carrot leaves. The pasta possibilities are endless for radish greens.

pesto pasta twirled into small rounds on a blue plate

♻️ Sustainable kitchen tips

We believe that living a green lifestyle starts in the kitchen, so here are a few tips to make this recipe healthy for you AND the planet.

Use root-to-stem cooking techniques. The great thing about radishes is you can truly use root-to-stem cooking on all parts of the vegetable. Use radish roots in salads or bake sliced radishes into chips, use the stems to season a homemade vegetable broth, and use the tops in a sauce like chimichurri.

To make this recipe healthier, choose whole grain pasta. Choose whole grains whenever possible, including in pasta. Whole grain pasta is higher in fiber and other nutrients compared to refined white pasta and is closer to grain’s natural state, which means it’s a healthier choice for you and for the planet (EAT Lancet Report).

Stock up on pesto for other meals. Did you make more pesto than you actually need for this pasta? Great! Freeze it in an airtight container for up to 2-3 months to enjoy later in soups, stews, and on top of roasted or grilled vegetables.