Simple Pesto Roasted Potatoes

Using pesto as a sauce for roasting is a genius hack that makes these simple pesto roasted potatoes a delicious, easy, and healthy side dish for any meal!

These pesto roasted potatoes are a perfect example of how the humblest ingredients can make an incredibly comforting side dish! Pesto contains a bunch of ingredients that we might use for roasting potatoes anyway - olive oil, herbs, garlic, parmesan - so using it as a roasting sauce saves you a tons of steps. Plus it tastes amazing (and can easily be made vegan)! So, whether you're looking for a simple, healthy side dish when grilling out, or even alongside fall and winter meals, these pesto roasted potatoes are here for you. Let's dig in!

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Substitutions & Variations
• How to Make These Pesto Roasted Potatoes
• Recipe

Ingredients

The ingredients you'll need are:

• 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 homemade walnut pesto, but 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.
• Salt + pepper

Substitutions & Variations

Below are some substitutions and variations you can use to make this recipe work for you!

• Vegan - Be sure to use a vegan pesto, and you'll be good to go! I love the cashew kale pesto from Trader Joe's, and my homemade pesto recipe (linked above) is also vegan.
• Potatoes - Any potato will work, so feel free use what you have access to. I don't prefer the texture of Idaho potatoes for this recipe, but you could even try those if nothing else is available. 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.
• 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.

How to Make These Pesto Roasted Potatoes

Follow these steps to easily make these roasted potatoes.

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and line a sheet pan with foil or parchment paper.
2. 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 to distribute.
3. Transfer potato mixture to a sheet pan and distribute into an even layer. Roast at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until potatoes are lightly browned, slightly crisped on the outsides, and completely cooked through (pierce one with a fork -- it should be soft).
4. Allow the potatoes to cool for a few minutes on the sheet pan, then serve alongside your main meal with more pesto or a drizzle of olive oil. Yummy!

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