Using pesto as a seasoning for roasting is a genius hack that makes these simple pesto roasted potatoes a delicious, easy, and healthy side dish for any meal! With only three ingredients, these potatoes are perfect for simplifying a delicious dinner.
Who knew three simple ingredients could taste this good? These pesto roasted potatoes are crispy, herby, and bursting with flavor with hardly any effort (yes, we get to be lazy, folks!). I used to think of pesto only with pasta, but once I started using it to season roasted veggies, I never looked back. The pesto does all the heavy lifting, coating each crispy potato with olive oil and delicious herby flavor. Whether you're making these easy pesto roasted potatoes for a weeknight dinner (or trying them in the air fryer) this is one side dish you'll keep coming back to!
You'll love these potatoes alongside any meal, but they're especially good with a crispy roast chicken or salmon.
Key Ingredients
- Potatoes - Ideally a smaller variety, such as fingerling, baby reds, Yukon golds, new potatoes, or purpose majesty. Any potato will work, though!
- Red onion
- Pesto - Store bought or homemade pesto will work! I love using my vegan homemade parsely walnut pesto, and I also love some fresh store bought pestos like the cashew kale pesto from Trader Joe's (vegan and SO good!!) or the kind of Costco. I recommend looking for fresh pesto in refrigerated sections of the store, but if you have a pantry-friendly jarred pesto, you can use that too.
Substitutions & Variations
- Vegan - Be sure to use a vegan pesto (feel free to try mine linked above - it's a good one :)), and you'll be good to go!
- Potatoes - Any smaller potato variety will work, so feel free use what you have access to or what's in season. Most of the time I just use what I can find in the store, farmers market, or my CSA - baby red potatoes, fingerlings, new, purple, and gold potatoes are all favorites.
- Hearty - Toss some chopped kale and a can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed, in with the potatoes and red onions and toss everything with the pesto (maybe adding a bit more). Bake together and enjoy a yummy vegetarian sheet pan meal.
Let's Make These Pesto Roasted Potatoes
- Step 1: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and place oven rack in the center of the oven. Combine diced potatoes, red onions, and pesto into a bowl with salt and pepper. Toss to get everything nicely coated.
- Step 2: Transfer potato mixture to prepared sheet pan and spread everything out into a single layer. Roast for 30 minutes at 400 degrees, lightly stirring halfway through.
- Step 3: Take potatoes out of the oven and test. Potatoes are done when they can be easily pierced with a fork and are golden brown on the edges.
- Step 4: Serve with more pesto and lightly grated parmesan (or vegan parm!), if desired. Yum!
Sustainability Tips
- Storing potatoes and onions. Fun fact! Storing potatoes and onions near each other ripens them more quickly due to the gases released by each. I learned this in the book Zero Waste Chef, which provides tips for helping food last until you can use it up. I mention this and similar resources on my About Me Page if you're interested in exploring for yourself!
- Reinvent leftovers. If you end up with leftovers that you want to refresh to avoid wasting, you can repurpose the pesto potatoes in this delicious pesto potato salad! If you have extra pesto, you could also make a yummy chicken pesto pasta salad or a roasted spring veggie pesto pasta in springtime.
- Plastic-free purchase. I try to buy loose potatoes whenever I can, so that I can bring my own reusable produce bags for carrying. This helps reduce single use plastic or packaging that ends up in the landfill.
Pesto Potatoes FAQ
Place leftover potatoes in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to five days, or freeze for up to three months. Reheat in the oven or air fryer to refresh the crisp edges!
For sure! Place them in the air fryer and cook at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes, stirring halfway through. If your air fryer is smaller than 5 quarts, you might need to cook the potatoes in batches.
More Easy, Yummy Sides
Did you make these easy pesto roasted potatoes? Don't forget to leave a star rating 🌟 and comment below, and tag me on Instagram and Pinterest so I can see what you made!
📖 Recipe
Simple 3-Ingredient Pesto Roasted Potatoes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: ~5 cups
Description
These pesto roasted potatoes are a simple, healthy side dish for any meal! With only three ingredients, these potatoes are perfect for making wholesome and flavorful weeknight dinners easier.
Ingredients
- 1 pound baby red potatoes (or another variety of small potatoes), quartered
- 1 red onion, peeled and diced large
- ⅓ cup of your favorite pesto
- ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper, plus more to taste
Instructions
- Preheat & prep. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with foil.
- Combine pesto, potatoes, and onions. Place the potatoes and onions in a large bowl. Scoop pesto into the bowl of potatoes and onions and toss until evenly coated, adding more if necessary. Add salt and pepper, and toss once more.
- Roast. Spread potato mixture evenly onto a sheet pan and bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until potatoes are browned and completely cooked through (pierce one with a fork -- it should be soft).
- Serve. Allow to cool for a few minutes, and serve with more pesto or a drizzle of olive oil.
Notes
- Storage instructions. To store these potatoes, wait until they cool completely and then store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days. You could also place the container in the freezer for up to three months. You can easily make these ahead and reheat them in the oven or your air fryer to crisp them up.
- Pesto. Any pesto will work for this recipe! I prefer a fresh pesto, either homemade or fresh from the store (found in a refrigerated section, not usually by the pasta sauce). The Costco pesto is amazing. If you know, you know.
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 30
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Roast
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 heaping cup
- Calories: 182
- Sugar: 3.5 g
- Sodium: 224.7 mg
- Fat: 8.8 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 23 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 3.6 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Would you like to save this post?
I'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Missy says
I LOVE roasting potatoes and surprisingly haven't tried them with pesto yet! Cannot wait to try this recipe, it sounds delicious 🙂
Tera says
Thank you!! So excited for you to try -- pesto makes everything better somehow.