Pesto Potatoes & Beans

Potatoes and beans make the perfect duo, made even better with the summery flavor of basil pesto! One of my favorite farm-to-table side dishes to make during the summer and early fall when the ingredients are fresh. The fragrant basil and nuttiness of the pesto make for an incredible combo with the beans and potatoes.

For this recipe, the beans and potatoes are par-boiled until al-dente, sautéed in butter, and tossed with pesto. Quick, simple, and easy! Goes to show the utility of a good sauce–make pesto once and you’ve got effortless meals for 6 months to come. You can even freeze pesto, romesco, and basically any sauce that isn’t heavy on dairy; that way you’ve got a quick and delicious solution for weeknight dinners and meal prep.

That said, this dish is a perfect candidate for meal prep and is just as good reheated. I don’t know how you guys feel about leftovers, but we have them weekly at our house! The first night I made this, we had it as a side item with Caprese Wraps, the next night it was a topper for a grains bowl–pretty much anything can go on a grains bowl!

How to Make Pesto Potatoes & Beans

• First, start by prepping your beans and potatoes. Wash the potatoes and trim the stem end of the beans; string them if you’re using a stringed bean variety. Cut the potatoes into small, 1/4-1/3 inch slices and the beans into 1-inch pieces.
• Bring a pot of water to boil and parboil the potatoes for about 3-5 minutes. Remove the potatoes and toss in the beans for about 30 seconds-1 minute. Dunk them both in an iced bath afterward to stop the cooking.
• Sauté the potatoes and beans. Heat a large pan over medium-high heat (medium if you’re using a gas stove) and toss in two tablespoons of butter. You can use olive oil if you prefer here. Place the potatoes in first to let them start to crisping up. Once they’re a golden brown color (~3-5 minutes), toss in the beans and cook for another 2 minutes over medium heat. Toss often like a stir fry.
• Remove from the heat and spoon in 2-3 tablespoons of basil pesto. Stir until completely dispersed and that’s it!

Here is the Basil Pesto Recipe.

This recipe is also great with:

• Rosemary Pesto
• Arugula Pesto

If you use Rosemary pesto, you might want to try it with one tablespoon first, then add more if you like. Rosemary pesto is a bit stronger than the other herbs.

Print Recipe

Pesto Potatoes & Beans

Side Dish, Dinner, Lunch – Italian

By Katelyn Bailey – Serves: 4

Prep Time: 5 minutes – Cooking Time: 15 minutes – Total Time: 20 minutes

Crispy potatoes and sautéed green beans tossed in a yummy basil pesto. A great side dish for sandwiches, wraps, roasts, grilled chicken and more. Convenience hack: it's just as good reheated for an easy dinner the next night!

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1/2 lb green beans, or any kind of fresh bean
• 1/2 lb of potatoes, I use fingerling, Yukon Gold, or red skin
• 1/4 cup of basil pesto (see above for the pesto recipe)
• A few shavings of parmesan for garnishing
• Salt to taste

Instructions

1

Bring a medium sized pot with water to a simmer and add a few large pinches of salt.

2

Then prep the beans and potatoes. Trim the stem end of the beans and wash the potatoes. Cut the potatoes into 1/4-1/3 inch thick, 1 inch wide slices and the beans into 1 inch pieces.

3

Par boil the potatoes for about 3-5 minutes. Remove the potatoes and toss in the beans for about 30 seconds. Dunk them both in iced water afterwards to stop the cooking. Place in a strainer when cooled. You could stop at this step and toss with pesto if you prefer.

4

Heat a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat and toss in 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter. Use all olive oil if you prefer. Place the potatoes in first to let them start to crisping up. Once they're a golden color, toss in your beans and cook for another 2 minutes over medium heat. Toss often.

5

Remove from the heat and spoon in the basil pesto. Stir until completely combined.

6

Season with salt and garnish with a little optional parmesan shavings.

Nutrition

• 117 Calories
• 13g Carbohydrates
• 1g Fat
• 3.3g Fiber
• 2g Protein
• 1g Saturated fat
• 154mg Sodium
• 1.4g Sugar

Notes

Add as much pesto as you like! Try out other veggies or pestos based on the season.