
Easy Gluten Free One Pan Dinner Recipe: New Potatoes with Pesto and Wilted Greens
Rich, nutty pesto, earthy greens, and hearty, filling potatoes all in one pan? Yes please.
I’ve got full kitchen access in our current AirBnB, but I still don’t want to use a lot of dishes or make a big mess. This one pan recipe was easy, fast, had little cleanup, and was the perfect light dinner. It would also make a nice side dish, or simple lunch. The bright and earthy flavors would be great with rotisserie chicken or with pan seared white fish.
As it is, this recipe is gluten free and vegetarian, but can be made vegan with a couple of adjustments.
One Pan Pesto Potatoes with Wilted Greens
Serves One
Gluten Free, Vegetarian, Vegan Option
NOTES:
- If multiplying to serve more people, use a large pan and cook the potatoes in a single layer in batches for better browning.
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For a vegan option, substitute butter for an equal amount of butter alternative or olive oil. Substitute pesto for basil paste or a few large leaves of fresh chopped basil, and a teaspoon or two of nutritional yeast, or a handful of chopped walnuts. Look for small bags of walnuts in the baking section of your grocery store if you’re in the US.
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Browning the potatoes lends a lot of flavor to the dish thanks to that magical maillard reaction. But wilting the greens in the pan with the potatoes makes the potatoes less crispy. I didn’t mind, but for maximum crispiness, wilt and serve the greens separately. You can still wilt the greens in the same pan, just remove the potatoes first.
Ingredients
- 1 Tbs unsalted butter
- 1/3 – 1/2 pound new potatoes
- 2 Tbs prepared pesto
- 1 – 2 cups mixed baby greens like chard, kale, and spinach
- salt and pepper to taste (or Crazy Mixed Up Salt)
- lemon juice to taste
Method
Cook whole new potatoes in a covered dish in the microwave for about 8 minutes, or until easily pierced with a fork. When they’re cool enough to handle, slice into 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick slices. (Potatoes can be steamed ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for a couple of days.)
If you don’t have a microwave, you can skip the steaming step. Just slice the potatoes as thinly as you can, and continue with the rest of the instructions. The texture of the potatoes will end up a bit different, but still yummy.
Melt butter in a sturdy pan over medium heat. Swirl the pan to distribute the butter. Arrange a single layer of potatoes in the pan, and season with salt and pepper.
Brown the potato slices on one side, then turn – about 8 minutes.
When the slices are browned on the other side (5 more minutes), add the pesto and toss the potatoes to coat.
Add the greens, and gently toss to combine. Remove from heat when greens are just wilted to avoid overcooking.
Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice if you have it. It really brightens up the whole dish but it’s not strictly necessary.
Ideas for Leftover Pesto and Greens
I like to re-use ingredients while I’m traveling, even if I have space in the fridge. Having a few ideas of how I could re-combine leftover ingredients keeps me from wasting food.
I had some leftover greens and pesto after cooking this recipe. The pesto made a great salad dressing for the greens, and I used it with some fresh mozzarella and tomato for something like a caprese salad. I ate some of the leftover greens raw as a salad. The rest I wilted into polenta for breakfasts, making something like grits and greens (so good, recipe coming soon!).
Would you make this recipe at home or while you’re traveling? Let me know in the comments bellow!
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