Italian Potato Salad
Every ingredient in this bowl plays a different temperature game. Baby potatoes and green beans cook together in the same pot, then hit cold water to stop right at tender. Cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, arugula, and red onion stay completely raw.
One tablespoon of pesto ties the warm and cool halves together. That adds up to 523 kcal with 16g of fiber — and it takes fifteen minutes.
Every ingredient in this bowl plays a different temperature game. Baby potatoes and green beans cook together in the same pot, then hit cold water to stop right at tender. Cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, arugula, and red onion stay completely raw.
One tablespoon of pesto ties the warm and cool halves together. That adds up to 523 kcal with 16g of fiber — and it takes fifteen minutes.
Ingredients
- baby potatoes 0.5 pound
- green beans (frozen) 8 ounces
- cherry tomatoes 8 pieces
- mozzarella, low-moisture part skim 2 ounces
- red onion 0.25
- arugula 1 handful
- pesto 1 tablespoon
Method
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Halve the baby potatoes and cook them together with the green beans in a pan of water for 8-10 minutes until tender.
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Meanwhile, halve the cherry tomatoes. Cut the mozzarella into pieces. Slice the red onion into half rings. Put all the ingredients together with the arugula in a bowl.
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Rinse the potatoes and beans with cold water and let them drain well. Add them to the rest of the ingredients. Stir in the pesto and mix everything together.
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Serve the Italian potato salad on a plate. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Let the potatoes and green beans drain completely after rinsing. One tablespoon of pesto is the only dressing here, so any residual water on the vegetables will dilute it across the entire bowl.
Behind this recipe
Is 26g of protein enough for a meal?
The body can use far more protein per meal than the old 20-30g ceiling suggested. Twenty-six grams from mozzarella, potatoes, and green beans combined is a solid lunch serving. If you want more, double the mozzarella or add a boiled egg.
Read the full evidence reviewCan I use fresh green beans instead of frozen?
Yes. Fresh green beans take a few extra minutes to cook through, so add them to the pot a couple of minutes before the potatoes. Frozen beans are pre-blanched, which is why they match the potato cook time straight from the bag.
Does this salad hold up for meal prep?
The boiled potatoes and green beans keep well overnight. Toss the pesto in just before eating, not the night before — it loses its color and flavor. Arugula and cherry tomatoes go in last to keep their texture.
