Pesto Potato, Tomato & Fresh Mozzarella Salad Recipe

When you have a marathoner in the family (um...not me), you have to plan to include some sort of carbs into each meal. Five mornings each week, my husband heads out to run anywhere from 7 to 21 miles and, on the other two days, he does strengthening workouts. The man burns some serious calories. Despite the fact that I run four days per week, my calorie burn total is like that of a sloth in comparison. That might have something to do with the fact that I run half the speed and distance as our resident Speedy Gonzales. This fact, however, does not stop me from trying to keep up with his massive consumption of food.

While we typically try to fill our plates with whole grain carbs, such as Ginger, Jalapeno & Coconut Brown Rice and Quinoa with Black Beans, Corn & Chipotle Peppers, occasionally we are tempted by other types of carbs. When I found these baby Yukon gold potatoes, freshly dug that morning, at my favorite farm stand, I knew they were destined for our dinner plates. Considering my husband's dislike for mayonnaise and a fortuitous leftover bowl of Lemon & Almond Basil Pesto in the fridge, this salad fit our taste buds and time constraints.

Prepare 2 pounds of baby potatoes (Yukon Gold or red-skinned) by scrubbing an cutting the larger ones into bite-sized pieces. Place the potato pieces in a large pot of cold, salted water. Bring the water to a boil and cook the potatoes until they are tender when pierced with a fork, but not falling apart. Drain the potatoes and run them under cold water to stop further cooking.

Place the potatoes in a serving bowl and gently toss with ⅓ cup Lemon & Almond Basil Pesto or your favorite basil pesto until well combined.

Cut 6 ounces grape or cherry tomatoes in half lengthwise. Cut 3 ounces fresh mozzarella into thin strips. Gently toss tomatoes and mozzarella with the potatoes. Season with ½ teaspoon kosher salt and ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste. Serve or refrigerate, covered, until ready to serve.

Other potato salad recipes with pesto:

Bitchin' Camero's Pesto & Smoked Salmon Potato Salad
Coconut & Lime's Radish Pesto Potato Salad
The Not So Skinny Kitchen's Pesto Potato Salad

Pesto Potato, Tomato & Fresh Mozzarella Salad

2 lbs. baby potatoes (Yukon or red-skinned), scrubbed and cut in bite-sized pieces
Salt for the water
⅓ cup Lemon & Almond Basil Pesto, or your favorite pesto
6 oz. grape or cherry tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
3 oz. fresh mozzarella, cut into thin strips
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Place the potato pieces in a large pot of cold, salted water. Bring the water to a boil and cook the potatoes until they are tender when pierced with a fork, but not falling apart. Drain the potatoes and run them under cold water to stop further cooking.

Place the potatoes in a serving bowl and gently toss with pesto until well combined. Gently toss with tomatoes and mozzarella with the potatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve or refrigerate, covered, until ready to serve.

Serves 6.

Printable recipe