Pesto Potato Salad is a delicious twist on the classic potato salad, combining basil pesto, creamy mayo, tangy vinegar and crispy bacon.
Jump to Recipe
This unique and flavorful Pesto Potato Salad is a great side dish for your summer bbq’s, picnics and potlucks.
Ingredients
- 2-2 1/2 Pounds, small red potatoes, unpeeled
- 1/2 Teaspoon, salt
- 1/4 white wine vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons, Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 Tablespoon, freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 6 Tablespoons, BASIL PESTO
- Handful of freshly chopped parsley
- 6 pieces of cooked bacon, crumbled
How to make Pesto Potato Salad
Start by placing your potatoes in cold, salted water. Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes become tender, roughly 10-15 minutes. Next drain the potatoes and let cool slightly. Once cool enough to handle, slice the potatoes to about a 1/4 of an inch and place them in a large bowl. While the potatoes are still warm, sprinkle with the salt and add the white wine vinegar and oil, tossing well. Set aside to cool.
Next, blend together the mayo, lemon juice and the BASIL PESTO, stirring until combined. Pour dressing over the cooled potatoes, cover and refrigerate the Pesto Potato Salad.
Homemade Pesto vs. Store Bought
Let me first start by saying that there is nothing wrong with buying pesto from a store. Nothing. Not only is it convenient, but some brands like De Cecco and Barilla have a nice tasting pesto. But I’d like to take a quick minute to pled my case as to why you should make your own pesto.
For starters, anything made from scratch is better because you are in charge! Pesto has minimal ingredients and all of those ingredients are put in a blender and blended. Now, I like to toast my pine nuts just to get their oils released but you don’t have to if you don’t want to.
Are you still with me? Just checking! So, here is the recipe for my BASIL PESTO, if you choose to make your own. I would encourage you to make it once. Ok, back to your regular scheduled program.
Serving Pesto Potato Salad
When you are ready to serve your Pesto Potato Salad, cook your bacon as you see fit. I will look away if you microwave yours but just get it nice and crisp. And you can absolutely cook the bacon in advance! So, if you are cooking the bacon, the last thing you’ll want to do is chop your parsley, and yes, you can do this in advance too!
Remove the Pesto Potato Salad from the refrigerator and garnish with the bacon and parsley.
This potato salad is a great change up to the other potato salads like, POTATO SALAD WITH BACON or LOADED BAKED POTATO SALAD. I really hope you enjoy this recipe.~Christina