Pesto Potatoes & Beans

Pesto Potato and Beans may sounds a little strange at first, but don’t knock it till try it! Seriously, this has got to be one of my favorite garden-to-table side dishes to make during the summer and early fall. It’s totally understated how delicious beans are with pesto, and potatoes as well. The herbiness and olive oil from the pesto go so well with the contrasting textures of fresh beans and sautéed potatoes.

If you’re from the South, chances are you’re very familiar with canned beans and potatoes. Although I love me some of Mawmaw’s canned produce, the vegetables in this recipe are far from the soft textured beans you get from pressure canning. For this recipe, the fresh beans and potatoes are par boiled to soften slightly, sautéed in butter, and tossed with a few tablespoons of pesto. And that’s it. It just goes to show the power of sauces–if you make pesto once, you’ve got effortless meals for 6 months to come.

Leftovers anyone?

This dish is also great re-heated. I don’t know how you guys feel about leftovers, but we have them weekly at our house! The first night I made this Pesto Potatoes and Beans recipe, 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!). If you’ve not converted to the dark side of leftovers, let the convenience convince you! If you spend an hour on dinner, give yourself a break and enjoy your hard work the next night. As long as you’re not reheating something like pasta that can get mushy, the flavor and quality will still be there for round two. Plus, with the innovation of air friers, you can even reheat some fried foods.

Okay enough of the leftover chit chat, here’s:

How to Make Pesto Potatoes & Beans

• First, start by prepping your beans and potatoes. Trim the stem end of your beans and wash your potatoes. 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 par boil the potatoes for about 2-3 minutes. Remove the potatoes and toss in the beans for about 30 seconds. Dunk them both in iced water afterwards to stop the cooking.
• Sauté the potatoes and beans. Heat a large pan over medium-high heat (maybe a little lower 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 color, toss in your beans and cook for another 2 minutes over medium heat. Toss often, kind of 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 good with Rosemary Pesto or Arugula Pesto! If you use Rosemary pesto, cut the amount of pesto down to 1/2-3/4 of a tablespoon.

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 clove minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons 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.

4

Heat a large non-stick pan over medium 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, kind of like a stir fry.

5

Add in the garlic and toss for about a minute until fragrant.

6

Remove from the heat and spoon in 2-3 tablespoons of basil pesto. Stir until completely dispersed.

7

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.