Pesto Potato Salad
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Pesto potato salad is a delicious summer dish with baby potatoes, fresh herbs, pesto, and spices. Make this recipe for a warm or cold salad with fantastic Italian flavor!
Few side dishes are as comforting and hearty as a serving of warm potatoes. Whether they’re mashed, oven roasted, or in an Italian potato salad like this one, they pair well with almost any protein and they are always full of flavor.
USES FOR PESTO
One of the keys to making delicious pesto potatoes is to use fresh herbs, and if possible, that includes making homemade pesto.
Sure, you can buy a jar of prepared pesto but store-bought pesto lacks the fresh flavor that you want in this salad. Plus, it is easy to make and less expensive, too. So, there’s really very little reason not to do it.
With a batch of pesto, you use some for the pesto potato salad, but there are plenty of other things you can make with pesto, too! Here are just a few ideas:
- Pesto Alfredo Sauce
- Spread onto toast or an English muffin
- Add to scrambled eggs, an omelet or a quiche
- Pesto Shrimp Fettuccini
Typically, fresh pesto will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to a week. So, start by making some, then gather up the rest of the ingredients you’ll need to make this delicious summer salad.
Pesto potato salad
INGREDIENTS
- Baby potatoes – These small potatoes have a thin skin and are less starchy than russet potatoes. They are sometimes called New Potatoes. They hold their shape well when boiled, so are naturally the best choice for potato salad.
- Extra virgin olive oil or a neutral flavor oil, such as avocado or vegetable
- Pesto
- Fresh mint leaves
- Lemon zest
- Green peas – fresh or thawed from frozen
- Sea salt and black pepper
- Finely shredded or grated Parmesan cheese – Please buy a block of Parmesan cheese and shred it yourself; pre-shredded cheese lacks flavor.
Recipe Notes
- Cooking the potatoes. For the best flavor and a nice crisp skin, I roast the potatoes in the oven. If you’re short on time, you can boil or steam them; just be careful so you don’t over cook them. Mushy potato salad isn’t what we’re going for here.
- Serving temperature. While I prefer pesto potato salad warm, you can serve it chilled if you want to.
- Storing leftovers. If you have any potato salad left over, be sure to store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container or zip top plastic bag. Because of the fresh herbs in this dish, any leftover salad is best eaten cold.
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Pesto Potato Salad + Video
Ingredients
- 2 lbs baby potatoes also called new potatoes
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 cup fresh pesto
- 1/2 cup frozen peas (cooked/thawed)
- 1 lemon zest only
- 1/4 cup mint leaves chopped
- Parmesan cheese to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- In a bowl toss the potatoes, oil, salt and pepper to coat. Spread evenly on a lined, rimmed baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes.
- Transfer potatoes to a bowl and toss with pesto, peas, lemon zest and mint. Season to taste and serve warm or chilled.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
This is such a perfect potato salad!! My family loved it!
Loved this not so classic potato salad! May never go back to the original after this!
Thank you! I hope it becomes a regular at your house!
Such a fabulous twist on potato salad!
Thanks Cathy!
I have some fresh potatoes from the garden that will be perfect for this. We love pesto. This will be a hit with my crew, and I am excited to try it.
That is a great way to use them! I hope you enjoy it!
This was fantastic I cannot wait to make it again!
I am so glad!
I am a huge fan of anything pesto and this is no exception! Looking forward to serving these with dinner tonight; looks delicious!
Thank you Sara! I hope it was a hit!
Such a nice spin on a traditional! Was easy to prep, and superb in flavor. Win/win! What great find for a year round side, especially going into grilling season!
Thank you! I have to agree!