Roasted Smashed Potatoes with Pesto
The most delicious roasted smashed potatoes – Tender on the inside, crispy & cheese-y on the outside, topped with fresh basil pesto. A healthy & easy side dish for any dinner!
Friends, today is all about these flavorful roasted smashed potatoes . Tons of garlic flavor, crispy texture, and fresh basil pesto. All you need are some gorgeous golden baby potatoes, a few seasonings, and 30 minutes to make.
What’s the Difference Between Smashed Potatoes and Mashed Potatoes?
Mashed Potatoes are creamed potatoes with milk and butter – smashed potatoes are boiled until soft and simply pressed or “smashed” with a fork. Then baked until crispy with cheese and desired toppings.
How to Make Roasted Smashed Potatoes – Step by Step
- Boil potatoes for 15 minutes – potatoes should be tender when tested with fork. Drain potatoes when done.
- Spread potatoes out on sheet pan – press firmly with back of fork to “smash” potatoes.
- Drizzle smashed potatoes with olive oil, seasonings, and a little basil pesto for flavor. Top with shredded parmesan cheese and bake at 425F for 15-20 minutes. Serve and enjoy with a little extra basil pesto!
Extra Tips for Making These Roasted Smashed Potatoes
- Make your own pesto – I’ve made this recipe with both store-bought and homemade pesto. In the recipe card I share my homemade pesto recipe – you can use store-bought but I would recommend homemade just because of it’s fresh, vibrant flavor.
- Use baby potatoes – I know potatoes are potatoes, but this recipe only works with small baby potatoes – either red or golden potatoes work.
- Make sure potatoes are tender – to perfectly smash potatoes, they need to be tender enough to press with the back of a fork. If potatoes are slightly under the preferred boil time they can be harder to smash – always test the potatoes with a fork before you drain boiling water.
I love a good side dish and these roasted smashed potatoes are delicious, satisfying, and takes around 30 minutes to make. The perfect addition for any meal!
Other Vegetable Dishes You May Enjoy
30 Minute Sweet Potato Chili
Healthy Moroccan Chickpea Stew
Italian Kale and White Bean Soup
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Roasted Smashed Potatoes with Pesto
Garlic-y roasted smashed potatoes - absolutely delicious, cheese-y potatoes topped with fresh basil pesto. A quick & easy side dish for any dinner!
Ingredients
- 24 oz baby gold potatoes
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tbsp parmesan cheese
- 1 tbsp pesto
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
Homemade Pesto
- 1 1/2 cups fresh basil
- 1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 425F. Fill pot 3/4 of the way with water, add potatoes. Boil for 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender - test with fork.
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Pesto: Add all of ingredients for pesto into high-powered blender or food processor. Blend together until ingredients are smooth. Store leftovers in sealed jar in fridge. For freezing: divide pesto in an ice tray. Once fully frozen transfer to ziplock bags to store in freezer.
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Drain potatoes and lay on sheet pan. Press potatoes until flat with fork. Brush with olive oil and then brush generously with pesto. Sprinkle garlic powder, salt & pepper, and parmesan cheese evenly oven potatoes. Roast for 15-20 minutes until they are crispy and golden brown. If desired, serve with fresh pesto drizzled on top. Enjoy!
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I’ve made these potatoes several times and they are our favorite!! I don’t always have pesto on hand but they are delicious with or without it. Thank you!
Thank you, Jessica! I’m so glad you liked them. They really are delicious 🙂
I can’t wait to try this Bethany… Looks so yummy!