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These flavorful Pesto Roasted Potatoes need just a handful of ingredients and less than an hour to make. Crisp and cheesy, they are a perfect side dish for anything from grilled steaks to baked salmon and so much more!
Why You’ll Love These Pesto Roasted Potatoes
Delicious Details
- Cuisine Inspiration: Italian-inspired
- Primary Cooking Method: Oven
- Dietary Info: Gluten-free
- Skill Level: Easy
Pesto is one of my favorite sauces to add to vegetables to immediately give them a flavor boost. And my kids absolutely devour anything with this favorite Itaian sauce. In fact, we loved them so much when I included them with my Pesto Salmon Sheet Pan Dinner recipe, I knew I needed to make them on their ow to serve them with more meals.
The pesto infuses little potatoes with basil and garlic while they roast to crisp-tender perfection in the oven. I know you’ll love them as much as I do.
- Easy. I love a side dish that doesn’t need much effort and these roasted pesto potatoes are a great choice for when you want an interesting side dish but don’t have a lot of time to make something elaborate.
- So flavorful. Pesto is one of the most flavorful sauces, instantly elevating basic pesto into something special. It works the same way when it’s draped over vegetables, adding a punch of salty, spicy flavor to every bite.
- Great texture. Crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, you’ll love the amazing texture the oven gives these potatoes!
Recipe Ingredients
You need five ingredients to make this simple side dish. The full ingredient amounts will be in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Potatoes: You’ll use small potatoes for this recipe, such as small red or white potatoes.
- Pesto: Homemade or store-bought pesto works fine.
- Parmesan Cheese: Add more cheese to taste if you wish.
- Salt and Pepper
How to Make Pesto Roasted Potatoes
Here’s how to make these savory potatoes. Find the detailed instructions in the recipe card lower down.
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 400°F and lightly grease a baking sheet.
- Combine. Mix the potatoes with the pesto, parmesan, salt, and pepper.
- Roast. Cook the potatoes for 30-40 minutes, flipping once.
Tips for Success
- Add more cheese. I love the extra Parmesan in this recipe and sometimes I even add more! You can add more cheese to your taste if you wish.
- And more pesto. I think the proportions are just right for the amount of pesto I’ve included for the potatoes, but if you love pesto feel free to add a few more tablespoons. My kids usually drizzle more on top!
- Stir in some lemon zest. For a little burst of citrus flavor, add the zest of 1 lemon to the potatoes when you add the pesto.
- Cook in the air fryer. Your air fryer also works well for cooking these potatoes! Here’s how to do it: Preheat the air fryer to 400°F. Place the prepared potatoes in the air fryer basket and cook for 10 minutes. Remove the basket, shake, and continue to cook at 400°F for another 5-10 minutes. The potatoes should be crispy and browned on the outside and tender in the middle.
Proper Storage
Here’s how to store any leftover potatoes:
- Fridge – Place cooled potatoes in an airtight container and store them in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- To Reheat – You can reheat the potatoes in the oven by spreading them out in a baking dish and heating them at 350°F until they are warmed through. Or, place the potatoes in a microwave-safe bowl and heat them in the microwave in 1-minute increments until hot.
Make It A Meal
Pesto roasted potatoes are a versatile and satisfying side dish to many main dishes, including fish and chicken. Or, serve them with a vegetarian main dish for a lighter meal. Here are some of my favorite main dish pairings for pesto potatoes, then just complete the meal with a veggie side like Roasted Asparagus, Air Fryer Broccoli, or Roasted Cauliflower.
- Fish. Pile a portion of pesto roasted potatoes alongside a piece of simple baked salmon, or serve them with Gluten Free Salmon Wellingtons!
- Chicken. A side of pesto potatoes would be wonderful with chicken. Some nice pairings include my Grilled Greek Chicken, Rosemary Balsamic Roast Chicken, and Hasselback Chicken Caprese recipes, or explore more chicken recipes.
- Beef and Pork. Whether you are having a Bottom Round Roast for a holiday, grilling a Flank Steak, or putting together some Garlic Butter Pork Chops on a weeknight, this is a perfect side.
- Vegetarian mains. Pesto roasted potatoes are a great choice to add to a vegetarian meal! You could serve them with Stuffed Eggplant Parmesan or Air Fryer Zucchini Fritters. on the brunch table alongside a bowl of fluffy scrambled or baked eggs.
More Easy Potato Side Dishes To Try
Pesto Roasted Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1 pound small white or red potatoes , halved or quartered
- 2 tablespoons pesto
- 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and lightly coat a baking sheet with cooking spray or olive oil or line it with a piece of parchment paper.
- Place potatoes in a bowl, add the pesto, parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat completely.
- Roast at 400°F for 30-40 minutes, flipping once until browned and fork tender.
Notes
- Potatoes: If you can’t find the small potatoes, use a waxy white potato and cut them into about 3⁄4-inch chunks.
- Pesto: You can use storebought or homemade.
Did you make this?
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