Herb-Roasted Carrot Tartines with Pesto and Goat Cheese

My grandma would often cook carrots for us growing up, a typical side dish for most family meals.

Vertical image of carrot tartines, with text on the top and bottom of the image.

“Carrots are good for your eyes,” she’d tell me as I pushed the boiled orange coins, floating in pools of butter, around my plate.

Grandma had worn thick, plastic-framed glasses the whole time I’d known her, and I’d qualified as near-sighted almost as soon as I went to school. So the idea of not wearing glasses was appealing.

She knew her audience, you could say.

Thanks to her, carrots became one of the first vegetables I genuinely wanted to eat, along with green beans and potatoes.

She was obviously right about the health benefits of carrots. Real food, grown on trees or in the ground, is filled with real benefits – but I only learned later that the health benefits of these foods were just the beginning.

Vertical top-down image of carrot tartines on a slate with maple syrup drops and parsley leaves.

Sure, carrots are crazy high in beta carotene, antioxidants, and anthocyanins… but they’re also delicious. They’re tasty steamed, grilled, or pressure cooked.

But I love them the most when they’re roasted.

If you ask me, roasting is to vegetables what carpentry is to lumber. Through oil, heat, and seasoning, roasting becomes a testament to transformation.

And in the case of carrots, the glory of roasting shines bright.

I’ve featured them before in a basil-flecked crostata, and have another recipe to add on to my list: these beautiful tartines!

Matchstick slices of carrots are tossed with an herbed oil mixture made with fresh dill, basil, and parsley. Sprinkled with salt and pepper, the vegetables go into the oven for about 30 minutes.

Vertical image of crostini topped with roasted carrots on a white plate, over more crostini.

When they are done (slightly charred, a little wilted, yet still al dente), they are amazing on their own.

But they taste even better when layered on slices of crusty bread.

My tartines – or crostini or bruschetta or toasts – are simple to assemble: toast, soft fresh chevre, garlicky pesto, carrots, a little maple syrup, and chopped parsley sprinkled in top. They’re pretty as a picture, the kind of thing to make you double-take and want to grab a bite.

They’d make interesting appetizers for a party, although I’ll admit we ate them for dinner alongside a giant salad stuffed with roasted beets. And they’re hard not to love, from the crunchy base of toast to the sweet and savory toppings piled on top.

Vertical image of slices of bread topped with pesto and goat cheese and roasted carrot sticks on a slate.

But mostly above all else, these tartines beautifully showcase the carrot, in all its nutritional, colorful, candy-like glory.

I like eating them and thinking, I’m doing Grandma proud.

Print
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Horizontal image of tartines topped with sticks of orange vegetables on a slate with maple syrup and parsley leaves.

Herb-Roasted Carrot Tartines with Pesto and Goat Cheese


  • Author: Shanna Mallon
  • Total Time: 55 minutes
  • Yield: 10 servings 1x

Description

These unique tartines are easy to assemble for a party: toast, soft chevre, pesto, roasted carrots, maple syrup, and fresh herbs combine together for an explosion of fun flavors that will keep everyone entertained.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 pound carrots
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/4 cup chopped parsley, plus more for garnish
  • 1 tablespoon chopped dill
  • 1 tablespoon chopped basil
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 small crusty bread loaf, or 1 French baguette
  • 1/2 cup fresh goat cheese (chevre)
  • 1/2 cup prepared pesto
  • Maple syrup, for drizzling

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
  2. Peel the carrots and cut them into skinny, short matchsticks. Spread out onto a half-sheet pan lined with a silicone mat or foil.
  3. Stir together the olive oil with the 1/4 cup chopped parsley, dill, and basil. Toss the mixture with the carrots until evenly coated. Sprinkle salt and pepper all over the top.
  4. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Don’t turn off the oven.
  5. Slice the bread into 10 even slices about 1/4-inch thick. Place slices on a baking sheet and toast until lightly browned and crisp, about 3-5 minutes. Remove and let cool slightly.
  6. Spread the top of each slice with the cheese. Lightly spoon the pesto on top of the cheese. Evenly divide the roasted carrots on top of the pesto.
  7. When ready to serve, transfer the slices to your serving platter. Drizzle with a little maple syrup all over the top, and garnish with chopped parsley. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and serve immediately.
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 35 minutes
  • Category: Crostini
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: Appetizers

Keywords: tartine, crostini, carrot, appetizer, pesto, goat cheese

Cooking by the Numbers…

Step 1 – Prep the Vegetables

Horizontal image of carrots in various stages of prep with a Made In knife.
Prepared with the Made In Chef’s Knife.

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Using a vegetable peeler, peel the carrots and cut them into skinny matchsticks, first halving them vertically and then halving them vertically again.

Spread them out onto a half-sheet baking pan lined with a silicone mat or foil.

You can even use our recipe for roasted rosemary carrots with honey glaze for an entirely different flavor profile – give it a try!

Step 2 – Make the Seasoning

Horizontal image of chopped fresh herbs in a white bowl next to a white towel.

Stir together the olive oil with the 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, dill, and basil. Toss the mixture with the carrots until evenly coated. Sprinkle salt and pepper all over the top – use freshly ground salt and pepper for bites of amazing flavor and texture.

Step 3 – Roast

Horizontal image of raw carrot sticks mixed with herbs on a sheet pan.

Mix the herbed oil with the carrot sticks on the baking sheet pan until everything is evenly coated.

Roast for 35-45 minutes, until carrots are beautifully golden and lightly browned around the tips and edges. Remove carrots from oven as you move on to the next steps.

Horizontal image of roasted carrots on a sheet pan.

Don’t turn off the oven! You’ll need to keep the oven on to toast the bread slices.

Step 4 – Make the Pesto

Horizontal image of a white bowl with green pesto next to a white towel.

As the carrots are cooling, prep the pesto. Use your preferred recipe, or try one of Foodal’s fresh and tasty favorites like kale almond, lemon basil, vegan, or pistachio basil.

Step 5 – Toast the Bread

Horizontal image of slices of bread on a baking sheet pan.

We. Love. Bread. You have plenty of crusty, fluffy options to choose for this recipe – a rustic pain paillasse or an artisanal sourdough bread are both calling our names.

Just make sure you’re using a good bread knife and sturdy cutting board to slice the bread into 10 even slices about 1/4 inch thick.

Place slices on a baking sheet and toast until lightly browned and crisp. Remove and let cool slightly.

Step 6 – Assemble and Serve

Horizontal image of slices of bread with goat cheese and pesto next to a bowl of pesto.

Spread the top of each slice with the cheese. Using an offset spatula makes spreading very fast for each piece of toast. The chevre should also be at room temperature, which helps soften the cheese for easy spreading.

Lightly spread the pesto on top of the cheese. Evenly divide the roasted carrots on top of the pesto.

Horizontal image of tartines topped with orange vegetables on a sheet pan.

When ready to serve, transfer the slices to a serving platter. Drizzle with a little maple syrup all over the top, and garnish with chopped parsley. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and serve immediately.

Horizontal image of a slice of bread topped with sticks of roasted carrots on a slate.

A Recipe That Would Make Grandma Smile

Grandma will be happy to know that I’m eating my vegetables with absolutely no complaints, especially with this amazing dish.

Horizontal image of tartines topped with sticks of orange vegetables on a slate with maple syrup and parsley leaves.

In this recipe, I tried something different that goes beyond simply roasting my favorite orange vegetables – and I think you’ll really enjoy it, as well.

Serve this at your next party, and see how everyone else will be entertained with each bite of the playful textures and flavors, from the browned, nearly candied carrots to the creamy goat cheese spread.

Eat, enjoy, savor!

What do you think of this unique take on crostini? What pesto recipe will you be using for this dish? Let me know how this dish inspires you to make your own version in the comments below, after rating the recipe.

Looking for even more crostini to serve as appetizers? Get those bread slices ready for these fun recipes:

Photos by Nikki Cervone, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details. Originally published on July 19, 2013. Last updated: August 12, 2022 at 8:57 am. With additional writing and editing by Nikki Cervone.

Nutritional information derived from a database of known generic and branded foods and ingredients and was not compiled by a registered dietitian or submitted for lab testing. It should be viewed as an approximation.

About Shanna Mallon

Shanna Mallon is a freelance writer who holds an MA in writing from DePaul University. Her work has been featured in a variety of media outlets, including The Kitchn, Better Homes & Gardens, Taste of Home, Houzz.com, Foodista, Entrepreneur, and Ragan PR. In 2014, she co-authored The Einkorn Cookbook with her husband, Tim. Today, you can find her digging into food topics and celebrating the everyday grace of eating on her blog, Go Eat Your Bread with Joy. Shanna lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with Tim and their two small kids.

24 thoughts on “Herb-Roasted Carrot Tartines with Pesto and Goat Cheese”

  1. Roasting is by far the best way to cook almost any vegetable… love roasted carrots! Making these crostini sounds divine. Can’t wait to try them. Thanks for the inspiration 🙂

    Reply
  2. It’s funny to think about “the prettiest carrots” — I have been known to always pick out the awkward vegetables, the odd-shaped fruits. It’s something I got from my mom, and together we laugh over bifurcated eggplants and the wartiest gourds. That crooked carrot in your photo made me smile. THAT is the prettiest carrot!

    Reply
    • Monika, As soon as I read your comment, I realized how “pretty” is usually synonymous with “perfect,” and that’s not at all what I was going for. I’m with you on the awkward carrots, particularly when they’re colorful like these.

      Reply
  3. Love what you did with the carrots. I am making some chickpea bread and have a roasted hummus in the fridge and I think these carrots minus the gee (I’m Vegan) Would be fab! I just love all the colorful carrots we have been getting from the market! Thanks for sharing, beautiful pictures:)

    Reply
  4. Ah, I used to have so many battles with my mother about carrots when I was younger. It took me a while to come round to them but now they are one of my absolute favourites especially when roasted. I love them with a hint of chilli or paprika too to set off the sweetness. These tartines look simply and utterly perfect.

    Reply
    • I never had a vegetable roasted until I was an adult. It was like all the generations before me weren’t doing that (although that seems hard to believe?), and now I am convinced I was majorly missing out. Roasted vegetables for everyone!

      Reply
  5. So wonderfully put, Shanna – roasted carrots become such sweet, caramelized bites of goodness, it’s true. I love this idea though – I’ve never thought to make them into tartines, but can’t wait to try it!

    Reply
  6. I’m smiling ear to ear because this is so much my kind of food that makes me want to dance and sing. We are so on same page lately. I just made garden pesto from seven herbs in my garden and carrots are one of my all time favs when made the way you made them. I think I see Tim in this recipe. What a culinary team you two are!

    Reply
  7. My grandmother used to tell me the same thing 🙂 I love the metaphors – roasting really is a phenomenal way to bring a vegetable to a whole new level. These are just gorgeous, Shanna.

    Reply
  8. Roasting is one easy and delicious way to cook our food. There are a lot of roasting recipe which could give sumptuous meals, and thanks to you for helping us. Yummy and delicious.

    Reply
  9. Such gorgeous photos! I have vivid memories of flicking cooked, canned carrots under the table at dinner, only to be rewarded with a double helping covered in my salty tears. Now I love them roasted! If only my mom would have known how good they could be…

    Reply

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