Traditional mayonnaise-based potato salads can sometimes feel a bit heavy, especially when the weather is scorching. This recipe is not only designed to withstand warmer weather, but it also boasts a delicious and unexpected twist. A bright, lemony Swiss chard pesto. With a touch of honey, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, and a little kick from crushed red pepper flakes, this potato salad is the perfect side dish for just about any meal. Best of all, this is a small-batch recipe, ensuring you enjoy a fresh, satisfying side dish without the commitment of leftovers for days to come.
After making Swiss Chard Pesto with Lemon Zest over the weekend, I needed to come up with a few unique ways to use it, because while dunking a whole mess of bread in it sounded like pure heaven, our house, at this moment, is one hundred percent without bread. Although if the French pastry guy at our two local farmers’ markets has anything to do with it, that won’t be a problem for much longer. The guy actually had the goldarn nerve to call me out last weekend for passing by his tent each Thursday without purchasing anything. Leaving me to explain to his very nice, but also very judgmental as f – – – self, that I only visit his stand at the Saturday farmer’s market nearby, because I’m always in so much of a rush at our town’s Thursday farmer’s market. I’m pretty sure that he doesn’t give a flying f – – – that I have a job to get back to each Thursday. He just wants me to buy a baguette or two every now and then. Well, now that I know that he’s f – – – ing watching me, and passing some serious f – – – ing judgement, I guess I’ll have to stop by and visit him every single freaking week. Although, when I think about it, would having fresh bread in the house be such a bad thing? Especially if there’s a batch of homemade pesto sauce to dunk it in? Nope. That’s a world I could pretty much live in quite happily. But y’all, until that day comes, I’ll be using this homemade pesto to make the next best thing. This simple, vibrant, zesty, and slightly spicy potato salad with zero mayonnaise. And y’all, when it comes to potato salad, this one’s pretty freaking delicious. Although, if I’m being totally honest, I will admit that it would, for sure, taste even better, served with a perfectly flaky chocolate croissant for dessert from my local judgmental as f – – – French pastry guy.
Ingredients:
Swiss Chard Pesto with Lemon Zest:
- 2 Cups Roughly Chopped Swiss Chard Leaves, Loosely Packed
- 1/2 Cup Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
- 1/4 Teaspoon Finely Ground Sea Salt
- 1/4 Teaspoon Finely Ground Black Pepper
- 1/4 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
- Zest of 1 Large Lemon
- 1/2 Cup Roasted Salted Pepitas
- 1/2 Cup Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
Potato Salad:
- 1 Pound Baby Red Potatoes
- Cold Water
- 1 Tablespoon Coarse Sea Salt
- 1/2 Cup Swiss Chard Pesto with Lemon Zest
- 2 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice
- 1 Tablespoon Honey
- 1/2 Teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- Finely Ground Sea Salt (To Taste)
Directions:
Swiss Chard Pesto with Lemon Zest:
- Place the chard, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and lemon zest into a food processor.
- Pulse the mixture until it begins to stick to the sides of the food processor. Scrape down the sides as needed.
- Add the pepitas and pulse the mixture until the pepitas are finely blended into the mixture. Scrape down the sides as needed.
- With the food processor running, very slowly pour the olive oil into the food processor.
- Pour the pesto into a small glass or ceramic bowl.
Potato Salad:
- Scrub and rinse the potatoes under cold running water. Cut each baby red potato into quarters and then place the cut potatoes into a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Cover the potatoes with 2 inches of cold water and add the coarse sea salt.
- Bring the potatoes to a boil over high heat. Cook the potatoes until they are just cooked through. A fork should easily pierce the potato without it breaking apart.
- Drain and rinse the potatoes under cold running water for 1 minute.
- While the potatoes drain, whisk the pesto, lemon juice, honey, and crushed red pepper flakes together in a medium glass bowl. Add the drained potatoes to the pesto mixture and stir well to combine.
- Salt to taste.
- Serve immediately or refrigerate until use. This potato salad is best served at room temperature.
Suggestions:
- CLICK HERE to see all of the suggestions and improvements for our Swiss Chard Pesto with Lemon Zest recipe. You can replace the Swiss chard in this recipe with basil, spinach, or kale leaves. You can also replace the roasted salted pepitas in this recipe with toasted pine nuts or walnuts.
- You will only need half of the pesto for this recipe. Use the remaining half of the pesto to dip bread in, to drizzle over pizza, or to add to your favorite pasta dish.
- I used baby red potatoes for this recipe. You can use any variety or size of potato you choose. Just make sure to cut the potatoes into bite-size uniform pieces so that they cook at the same rate.
- Once the water comes to a rolling boil, the potatoes should take between 8 to 12 additional minutes to cook. The cooking time will vary depending on your stove, pot, and the size you cut your potatoes into. Test the potatoes every minute or two with a fork to make sure that you don’t overcook them.
- Add salt to taste. Different varieties of parmesan cheese and roasted salted pepitas contain varying amounts of sodium. You may need to add salt, and you may not.
- Always use a glass, ceramic, or non-reactive metal bowl to mix and store this potato salad in because of the acid in the lemon juice.
Improvements:
- Garnish this potato salad with freshly grated, crumbled, or shaved parmesan cheese. If you are serving this potato salad warm, the cheese may melt. Allow the potato salad to come to room temperature before adding the cheese.
- Fold finely chopped green, black, or kalamata olives into the potato salad.
- Add finely chopped red onion to this potato salad.
- For even more added heat, replace the honey with hot honey.
- Add finely chopped chives or scallions to this potato salad.
- Use the remaining half of the pesto to make this Chickpea Salad with Lemony Swiss Chard Pesto.
Ingredients:
- 2 Cups Roughly Chopped Swiss Chard Leaves, Loosely Packed
- 1/2 Cup Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
- 1/4 Teaspoon Finely Ground Sea Salt
- 1/4 Teaspoon Finely Ground Black Pepper
- 1/4 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
- Zest of 1 Large Lemon
- 1/2 Cup Roasted Salted Pepitas
- 1/2 Cup Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 Pound Baby Red Potatoes
- Cold Water
- 1 Tablespoon Coarse Sea Salt
- 1/2 Cup Swiss Chard Pesto with Lemon Zest
- 2 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice
- 1 Tablespoon Honey
- 1/2 Teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- Finely Ground Sea Salt (To Taste)
Directions:
- Place the chard, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and lemon zest into a food processor.
- Pulse the mixture until it begins to stick to the sides of the food processor. Scrape down the sides as needed.
- Add the pepitas and pulse the mixture until the pepitas are finely blended into the mixture. Scrape down the sides as needed.
- With the food processor running, very slowly pour the olive oil into the food processor.
- Pour the pesto into a small glass or ceramic bowl.
- Scrub and rinse the potatoes under cold running water. Cut each baby red potato into quarters and then place the cut potatoes into a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Cover the potatoes with 2 inches of cold water and add the coarse sea salt.
- Bring the potatoes to a boil over high heat. Cook the potatoes until they are just cooked through. A fork should easily pierce the potato without it breaking apart.
- Drain and rinse the potatoes under cold running water for 1 minute.
- While the potatoes drain, whisk the pesto, lemon juice, honey, and crushed red pepper flakes together in a medium glass bowl. Add the drained potatoes to the pesto mixture and stir well to combine.
- Salt to taste.
- Serve immediately or refrigerate until use. This potato salad is best served at room temperature.
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Dad’s Country Garden Potato Salad
Use this Swiss Chard Pesto with Lemon Zest to make this Lemony Swiss Chard Pesto Potato Salad. Tired of the same old basil pesto? Or perhaps you’re fresh out of basil and looking to shake things up a bit? This recipe offers a delicious and unique twist on traditional pesto, utilizing Swiss chard leaves to create a vibrant and flavorful condiment. Perfect for dipping crusty bread, drizzling over pizza, or tossing with your favorite pasta, this Swiss chard pesto, with its bright hint of lemon zest, adds a burst of freshness that you’ll enjoy adding to all of your favorite dishes. CLICK HERE for the recipe.
Chickpea Salad with Lemony Swiss Chard Pesto
Our Swiss Chard Pesto with Lemon Zest recipe will yield approximately 1 cup of pesto. You will use 1/2 cup of the pesto to make this Lemony Swiss Chard Pesto Potato Salad. Use the remaining 1/2 cup of the pesto to make this Chickpea Salad with Lemony Swiss Chard Pesto. If you’re looking for a vibrant and flavorful side dish that is both easy to prepare and delicious, try this chickpea, red onion, and dried cherry salad. It’s tossed in a bright, lemony pesto made with Swiss chard, salty parmesan cheese, lemon zest, and crunchy roasted pepitas. The best part? This recipe is incredibly versatile. You can easily swap out ingredients based on your preferences or what you have on hand. For example, you can use basil or spinach instead of Swiss chard, replace the pepitas with toasted pine nuts or walnuts, or substitute your favorite dried fruit for the cherries.. CLICK HERE for the recipe.
