This healthy potato salad comes together in the time it takes to boil the potatoes, easy peasy! Perfect for a quick lunch or as a side dish with your family meal!

Healthy Potato Salad

The other great thing? It’s easy to double, and you’ll want to because it’s sure to be popular. Especially for a potluck recipe. It might just become your favorite potato salad too!

I don’t care much for mayo-based potato salads. While I like a creamy dressing, the mayo feels a bit too heavy to me. So usually I opt for a salad more along the lines of a German potato salad made with an herb vinaigrette. Think of this as a healthified potato salad–but one that doesn’t skimp, not even the tiniest bit, on flavor. I love it because in the dressing I still get the creaminess from the Greek yogurt, but I also get fresh, herb flavor from the pesto, and a burst of brightness from lemon zest and juice. It doesn’t feel weighed down. As far as I’m concerned, it’s practically the perfect potato salad.

If you like a healthy potato salad loaded with other goodies, I’ve included some variations below.

Healthy Potato Salad with Creamy Pesto Dressing

Ingredients:

2 lbs. red potatoes, peeled if desired, and cut into 1″ chunks
1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
1/4 cup prepared pesto (homemade or store-bought)
juice and finely grated zest of 1 lemon
diced red onion (can substitute sliced green onions)
salt and pepper, to taste
fresh herbs, for garnish

Method:

Boil potatoes in salted water until just tender. Drain and let cool completely.

Whisk the yogurt, pesto, lemon juice and zest together in a small bowl. Taste and season well with salt and pepper. Pour over the potatoes. Garnish with the red onion and fresh herbs.  Serve.

Yield: 4-6 servings.

Variations and add-ins:

• chopped hard boiled egg
• sliced or chopped Kalamata olives
• fresh shelled peas and replace the pesto with 2 Tbsp. minced fresh mint leaves and add a little olive oil
• diced fresh tomatoes or diced sun-dried tomatoes
• blanched asparagus cut into 1″ pieces
• Try This Week for Dinner’s Take on Potato Salad

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Healthy Potato Salad with Creamy Pesto Dressing

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. red potatoes peeled if desired, and cut into 1" chunks
• 1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup prepared pesto homemade or store-bought
• juice and finely grated zest of 1 lemon
• diced red onion can substitute sliced green onions
• salt and pepper to taste
• fresh herbs for garnish

Instructions

1. Boil potatoes in salted water until just tender. Drain and let cool completely.
2. Whisk the yogurt, pesto, lemon juice and zest together in a small bowl. Taste and season well with salt and pepper. Pour over the potatoes. Garnish with the red onion and fresh herbs.  Serve.

Recipe Notes

Yield: 4-6 servings.

Variations and add-ins:
chopped hard boiled egg
sliced or chopped Kalamata olives
fresh shelled peas and replace the pesto with 2 Tbsp. minced fresh mint leaves and add a little olive oil
diced fresh tomatoes or diced sun-dried tomatoes
blanched asparagus cut into 1" pieces

*Originally posted 3/20/13