Pesto Mashed Potatoes

You’re going to love these creamy pesto mashed potatoes.  This easy recipe combines the best mashed potatoes with fresh basil pesto to make a delicious side dish.  Save this recipe for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Sunday dinner. 

I’m all about the side dishes during holiday meals.  Stuffing? Check. Carrot Casserole? Check. Green Beans? Check.    And now these Pesto Mashed Potatoes?  Yes! Load up my plate!

How to Make Creamy Mashed Potatoes

This recipe’s base is my all time favorite Creamy Mashed Potatoes recipe.  These mashed potatoes are so creamy because we add in cream cheese – that’s the secret ingredient!

You’ll need these ingredients for the potatoes:

• 2.5 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes
• 1/2 cup butter (softened)
• 3 oz. cream cheese
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• Pinch of salt

Peel potatoes and then cut them up into equal size pieces. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add your potatoes. Keep boiling and cook these for 30 minutes, or until a fork easily slides through the potatoes. Drain.

Put the potatoes back into the pot (no need to dirty extra dishes) and place on the burner on low heat. Mash with a spoon or potato masher. Add butter, cream cheese, milk, salt and pepper and mix until creamy.

How to Make Basil Pesto 

Now we’re going to make our basil pesto to stir into the potatoes.  Here’s the ingredients you need:

• 1 cup of fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• 3 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 Tablespoon pine nuts (+ additional for garnish)
• Pinch of salt

Add basil, Parmesan cheese, olive oil, garlic, pine nuts and salt in a food processor. Blend until it’s smooth.

Now take the basil pesto and add it into the potatoes and stir until it’s combined.  And just like that you have a creamy bowl of Pesto Mashed Potatoes, ready for your family to devour! 

I hope you enjoy these Pesto Mashed Potatoes as a mix up on the traditional mashed potatoes recipe.  Don’t forget, if you have leftovers (I doubt it!) you can freeze mashed potatoes.  Enjoy! 

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Pesto Mashed Potatoes

You're going to love these creamy pesto mashed potatoes.  This easy recipe combines the best mashed potatoes with fresh basil pesto to make a delicious side dish.  Save this recipe for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Sunday dinner. 

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword pesto mashed potatoes

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings 8

Calories 282 kcal

Ingredients

• 2.5 lbs. yukon gold potatoes
• 1/2 cup butter softened
• 3 oz. cream cheese
• 1/4 cup milk
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Pesto

• 1 cup of fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• 3 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 Tablespoon pine nuts + additional for garnish
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Peel potatoes and then cut them up into about equal sizes.
2. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add your potatoes. Keep boiling and cook these for 30 minutes, until a fork slides easily into the potatoes. Drain the potatoes.
3. Put your potatoes that you drained back into the pot and put back on the burner, low heat. You are now going to just mash them with a spoon or potato masher.
4. Add your butter, cream cheese, milk, black pepper and salt and whip until creamy.
5. Combine basil, Parmesan Cheese, olive oil, garlic, pine nuts and salt in a food processor. Blend to a smooth pesto.
6. Stir in pesto to mashed potatoes.
7. Serve in bowl with additional pine nuts garnished on top.

Recipe Video