Pesto Potato Salad with Corn and Bacon
Summery Pesto Potato Salad with Corn and Bacon combines tender baby potatoes with toasted corn and chopped bacon with the creamiest pesto dressing. Using shortcuts like store-bought pesto and pre-cooked bacon makes this salad low-effort, quick to assemble, and your new potluck favourite!
This salad goes great with grilled chicken, burgers, or any of your favourite bbq mains! My favourite is grilled chicken, marinated with olive oil, lemon, and herbs.
Try this salad with homemade pesto (https://dinneratlulus.com/basil-pesto/) if you have it. You can also try different kinds of pesto. For example, this salad is fantastic with sun-dried tomato pesto!
For this salad, I used toasted corn and red bell pepper as the main vegetables. You can add any summer vegetable, such as cucumber, zucchini, summer squash, asparagus, sugar snap peas — there are so many combinations you could try!
Pesto Potato Salad with Corn and Bacon Ingredients
Potatoes — I used baby potatoes. You might know them as creamer potatoes or baby potatoes. Any thin-skinned creamy potato will do! I usually leave the skins on.
Pesto – You can use store-bought or homemade pesto. For this recipe, I used basil pesto, but you can try it with any kind of pesto!
Corn – I used frozen corn niblets which I toasted in a dry cast-iron skillet. You can use fresh corn off the cob — try grilling it first for that incredible bbq flavour! You could also used canned corn, drained and rinsed before toasting.
Red Bell Pepper – I diced up a red bell pepper for this salad. It adds a pop of sweet freshness along with the corn.
Bacon – I love the salty and smoky bite from adding some chopped bacon. For a time-saving idea, use pre-cooked bacon. You could also try prosciutto!
Dressing – When you mix pesto with mayo and greek yogurt, it becomes creamy and mixes into the potatoes and veggies perfectly. Add some fresh squeezes of lemon juice, and this salad is bright and flavourful.
Garnishes – If you’re taking the salad to a potluck or a cookout and want to make it look “fancy”, garnish with additional fresh basil leaves, and additional squeezes of fresh lemon!
| Pesto | Vegetables | Protein | Garnishes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun-dried tomato | Grape tomatoes, cucumber | Prosciutto, Bocanccini cheese | Grated parmesan, basil leaves |
| Arugula | Cantaloupe melon | Prosciutto | Balsamic glaze drizzle |
| Beet & walnut pesto | Spinach | Ricotta | Fresh parsley |
What combinations will you try?
Pesto Potato Salad with Corn and Bacon
Equipment
- Cast iron skillet
- large salad bowl
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb baby potatoes halved or quartered (depending on size)
- 1 cup corn kernels
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 6 slices bacon cooked and sliced
- fresh basil chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
- ⅓ cup basil pesto store-bought or homemade
- 3 tablespoons Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice freshly squeezed
Optional garnishes
- Additional chopped basil
- Squeezes of fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Halve or quarter potatoes and add to a large pot, with enough salted water to cover. Bring to a strong simmer and cook until potatoes are fork tender. Drain, rinse with cold water to stop cooking – about 8-10 minutes. While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the other ingredients.
- In a dry cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, toast corn kernels until slightly charred. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Cook bacon, if necessary, and dab with paper towels to remove excess grease. Slice and set aside.
- Chop red bell pepper and basil and set aside.
- To make the dressing, in a small mixing bowl combine pesto, yogurt, mayonnaise, and lemon juice and stir until completely combined.
- To assemble the potato salad: Get a large salad bowl and add potatoes, corn, bacon, red pepper, basil, and dressing. Toss well until mixed.
- Serve with extra chopped basil and squeezes of lemon juice, if desired.
Notes
Try these other great picnic salads!