The Bold Italian Sauce That's A Game Changer In Potato Salad

If you're a potato salad enjoyer, then you know you have options when it comes to crafting your very own ultra-flavorful recipe. In terms of the many variations of potato salad from around the world, classic American-style potato salad often contains mayonnaise and mustard, and Swedish potato salad includes crème fraîche. However, recipes for Italian potato salad are often less creamy in comparison. But if you're tired of making slightly different variations of the same herbed potato salad recipe with olive oil, vinegar, and chopped herbs, try homemade or store-bought pesto for an epic, all-in-one upgrade.

Pesto includes a range of flavorful ingredients, including fresh basil, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil, and parmesan cheese. Adding pesto to your next bowl of potato salad not only saves you from having to add various herbs and extras one by one, but gives this classic side dish a bit of extra texture thanks to the pine nuts and cheese. Not to mention, the herbaceous flavor of fresh basil, along with the savory undertones of olive oil and garlic, gives both warm and chilled potatoes a vibrant upgrade you can't easily replicate with just oil and vinegar or mayonnaise.

Potato salad slathered in fresh, vibrant pesto makes for a bright, flavor-loaded side dish. To make your own pesto-infused potato salad, simply combine a few scoops of homemade or store-bought pesto with semi-firm, freshly cooked potatoes while they're still warm. From here, refrigerate your salad or add in one or two complementary ingredients before serving.

There are always a few extra ingredients worth adding to your next batch of potato salad. Besides the usual salt, pepper, and extra sprinkle of dried basil or parsley, start by pairing this flavorful Italian-style potato salad with a few noteworthy vegetables. For example, give your pesto potato salad a brighter hue with blanched asparagus and peas or fresh baby spinach. You can also include halved cherry tomatoes for contrast.

To give this flavorful side dish more Italian flair, feel free to add chopped artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, or small balls of fresh mozzarella cheese. Crumbled, fully cooked bacon, canned tuna, or chopped hard-boiled eggs are ingredients that provide an extra protein boost. Keep in mind that if you like the flavor of fresh basil pesto in your potato salad, consider using other varieties of pesto made with slightly different ingredients.

In our list of the best store-bought pesto money can buy, Trader Joe's makes a cheese-free version with kale and cashews. You can also make homemade variations that include walnuts, red bell peppers, or savory olives. Lastly, while potato salad tastes perfectly delicious with pesto as the only condiment, if you miss the rich appeal of classic, American-style potato salad, feel free to combine pesto and mayo together to give your potato salad the same herby flavor with a creamier twist.