THIS POST IS SPONSORED BY
Alexia Foods, who I’m thrilled to partner with this summer! Alexia®‘s new Roasted & Ready™ baby potatoes are tender, delicious, & make for the most effortless dinner side dish since they’re ready in 8 minutes or less! All thoughts & opinions are my own.
Light & bright potato salad for summer!
Despite being an absolute potato fanatic, potato salad has never been my favorite summer side dish. Much like broccoli salad & coleslaw, the quintessentially Midwestern potato salads at the potlucks & picnics of my childhood were all mayo-laden, thick, & heavy. Not exactly craveable summer flavors, right?!
Well, my friends, that all ends today! This pesto potato salad is light, herbaceous, & SO good! Rather than a creamy, mayo-based potato salad dressing, this herbed potato salad is dressed in green goddess-inspired pesto. Made with loads of basil, parsley, chives, garlic, & lemon, it’s super light & herb-forward. (As a bonus it’s made sans dairy, making this a completely vegan potato salad!)
The real star of the show here, though, are the potatoes – Alexia® Roasted & Ready™ baby golden potatoes, to be exact! We’re longtime Alexia® super fans here at the PWWB House. You’ll always find a bag of Alexia® fries or potato puffs in my freezer. The quality is amazing & doesn’t sacrifice any flavor, a combination that isn’t easiest to find in a ready-made side. And Alexia®‘s brand new Roasted & Ready™ baby golden potatoes are a serious game-changer. Especially, when it comes to making summer potato salads!
The worst thing about making potato salad in the summer is heating up your kitchen with a giant pot of boiling potatoes. Luckily, Roasted & Ready™ baby potatoes are already roasted & lightly seasoned so they take care of all the prep work for you. All you have to do is heat them up, which takes mere minutes in the microwave or air fryer. They’re fluffy, buttery-soft, & perfect for potato salad! Find Alexia® Roasted & Ready™ baby potatoes at a store near you.
Goddess potatoes all summer long, does life get better than that?! ♡ Read on to learn more about this Herbed Pesto Potato Salad recipe, or jump straight to the recipe & get cookin’!
Green Goddess Pesto Sauce:
This herbed potato salad recipe starts with a quick & easy homemade pesto sauce. This particular pesto is inspired by green goddess dressing, using loads of fresh basil, parsley, & chives to create bright, herbaceous flavor that’s not weighed down by dairy. As a bonus, it makes this herbed potato salad recipe totally dairy-free & vegan!
Full Recipe Directions with step-by-step photos provided in the Recipe Card, below.
How to make green goddess pesto ⇢ Simple! Add all of the solid ingredients (think – herbs, garlic, nuts) to a food processor & give ’em some quick pulses to roughly chop. Next, with the processor running continuously, slowly stream in extra virgin olive oil, which emulsifies & creates a creamy pesto sauce sans dairy. Easy, right?
Storage ⇢ This green goddess pesto dressing stores beautifully! It’s the kind of thing that develops even more flavor as it sits. In fact, you can make it up to 1 week in advance & store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator, until ready for use. Plus, it also freezes really well! I like using silicone storage containers (like these!), which allow you to divide the sauce into small portions that you can then thaw as necessary. Keep in mind, it is best to use frozen pesto within 3 months.
How to make Herbed Pesto Potato Salad:
Once the pesto dressing has been prepped & ready to go, all that’s left to do is prep the potatoes & toss the salad together. Pretty simple!
Full Recipe Directions with step-by-step photos provided in the Recipe Card, below.
Prepping Alexia® Roasted & Ready™ potatoes ⇢ You can steam the potatoes right in their bag in the microwave, which takes about 8 minutes & results in the most beautiful & perfectly tender potatoes. I personally love tossing them in the air fryer! As a result, the potato skin crisps up a bit & consequently adds yet another element of crave-worthy texture to the pesto potato salad – SO good!
Tossing the Pesto Potato Salad together ⇢ First, add the potatoes to a large bowl with arugula (or another tender green you love). Drizzle the goddess pesto dressing over top & toss to combine! The warmth of the potatoes really wakes up the aroma of the herbaceous pesto. If the pesto sauce is a little thick for your liking, drizzle in a couple of tablespoons of water to thin it out.
Serving Your Green Goddess Potato Salad + a couple other tips…
Green goddess pesto potato salad is the perfect easy side dish for any of your favorite warm weather dinners. Try pairing it with my go-to grilled lemon chicken for an amazing light & easy meal. It would also be a fab side dish for Tuscan Steak, turkey burgers, or even grilled sausage. For a completely vegetarian & vegan meal, pair it with grilled cauliflower steaks. This green goddess pesto potato salad is super versatile. You can serve it warm or at room temperature, which making it an ideal sharable to bring to a summer potluck.
Pesto Potato Salad Storage & Meal Prep Tips:
While the pesto potato salad itself is best served immediately, the green goddess pesto dressing can be prepped up to 1 week in advance. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. At dinner, all you have to do is prep the potatoes & toss it all together – easiest side dish ever! Check out the Recipe Notes, below, for more storage & meal prep guidance!
Easy Green Goddess Pesto Potato Salad Variations:
- If dairy isn’t a concern for you, you can certainly add some cheese to your goddess pesto. The sharp, tangy flavor of grated pecorino romano is amazing here, & grated parm is always a safe bet, too!
- For a nut-free pesto potato salad, replace the walnuts & pine nuts with about 1/3 cup sunflower seeds or pepitas.
- For a more traditional Genovese-style pesto sauce, double the basil & omit the parsley & chives. Or, check out my favorite pesto, which has an extra punch of nutrients thanks to hearty kale.
- For a non-pesto herbed potato salad dressing, try this homemade chimichurri sauce or this Moroccan-style chermoula sauce. Both are delicious alternatives!
I cannot wait for you to try this easy vegan potato salad recipe! It’s light, bright, & nothing like the mayo-laden potato salads you may be used to. A total summertime fave! If you do give it a try, be sure to let me know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo & tag @playswellwithbutter on Instagram. I LOVE hearing about & seeing your PWWB creations! Happy cooking! ♡
More Recipes Like This:
Summer Side Dishes
- Ben’s Broccoli Salad
- Greek Farro Salad
- Creamy Greek Orzo Pasta Salad with Tzatziki Dressing
- Burrata Caprese Salad with Heirloom Tomatoes & Basil Pesto
- Falafel-ish Quinoa Salad
- Cucumber Avocado Salad with Dill & Feta
- Everyday Slaw (a Simple Slaw recipe with TONS of Variations!)
- Easy Grilled Vegetable Platter with Chimichurri Sauce (Vegan)
Green Goddess Pesto Potato Salad (Vegan, Dairy-Free)
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: serves 4
- Category: Side Dishes
- Method: Oven, Roasted, Air Fryer
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
A green goddess pesto potato salad made with roasted golden baby potatoes & peppery wild arugula, tossed in a bright & herbaceous goddess-inspired pesto sauce. With no mayo in sight, this easy, vegan herbed potato salad is the perfect light & fresh side dish for summer dinners & potlucks. Naturally dairy-free, gluten-free, & vegan!
Ingredients
- 16 ounces Alexia® Roasted & Ready™ Baby Golden Potatoes with Himalayan Salt
- green goddess pesto, below
- 2 cups packed baby arugula or tender greens of choice
- kosher salt & ground black pepper, to season
for the green goddess pesto:
- 1 cup packed basil leaves & tender stems (about 1.5 ounces)
- 1/2 cup packed parsley leaves & tender stems (about 0.75 ounces)
- 1/4 cup packed chives, packed (about 0.5 ounces)
- 1 large, juicy lemon, zested & juiced
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup walnuts
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts
- optional: 1/3 cup grated parmesan or pecorino romano
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- kosher salt & ground black pepper, to season
Instructions
- Prepare the potatoes according to package directions. You can microwave, oven roast, or air fry, all of which I’ve tested & work great for this recipe! Once prepared & cool enough to handle, halve any larger potatoes into bite-sized pieces.
- Prepare the green goddess pesto sauce: Meanwhile, as the potatoes heat, prep the goddess pesto. Place basil, parsley, chives, lemon zest & juice, garlic, walnuts, pine nuts, & cheese (if using) a food processor. Season with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt & ground black pepper as desired. Pulse until mixture is roughly chopped & combined. With food processor running, slowly stream in olive oil. Process until combined, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed, until the pesto as rustic or creamy as desired. Taste and season with additional salt or ground black pepper, as desired. Set aside or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- Mix the green goddess potato salad: Add prepared baby potatoes & arugula to a large mixing bowl. Pour the green goddess pesto over top. Toss to combine, seasoning with additional salt or ground black pepper, as desired. Serve immediately, garnished with fresh herbs, grated cheese (if using), & crushed red pepper flakes, as desired. Enjoy!
Equipment
Buy Now → Notes
- Make-Ahead & Storage: This green goddess pesto potato salad is best enjoyed immediately, though it’ll keep for up to 3 days. Store the assembled potato salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Enjoy leftovers cold or reheat in the microwave until warmed through. Leftover green goddess pesto will keep, stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week. You can also freeze leftover pesto. To freeze, transfer to a freezer safe container (these are my favorite!) for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator a day before you’d like to use it.
- 10-Minute Meal Prep: Nearly all of the active prep work for this potato salad comes from prepping the green goddess pesto sauce. Prep it in advance for a great head start on your potato salad at dinnertime – it’ll take 10 minutes, tops!
- Prep the green goddess pesto sauce according to Step 2 of Recipe Directions above. Store in a jar or airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. (10 minutes active prep)
Recipe & Food Styling by Jess Larson, Plays Well With Butter | Photography by Rachel Cook, Half Acre House.
Follow along with Plays Well With Butter on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and Pinterest for more unfussy recipes that pack a big punch of flavor!
