Cheese-topped pesto twice-baked potatoes are one of my favorite work-from-home lunches, they’re full of flavor and stored in individual wraps in the freezer for easy reheating!
It’s so easy to just pull a potato from the freezer, heat it up in the microwave oven, and pop back to work!
Serve it with a small side salad or leftover veggies from dinner the night before, this pesto-packed potato is a flavorful lunch that’s light in calories, filling, and delicious to boot.
The recipe below has instructions for making the pwsto from scratch, but of course, jarred pesto will work great here as well.
You can use sour cream in place of the Greek yogurt also. I use yogurt as the sour tang is a similar flavor to sour cream, which is the traditional mix for twice-baked potato recipes.
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Greek yogurt is lighter in calories though, making this less “guilty” than using sour cream.
Of course, I’m from the Midwest, and we make our twice-baked potatoes mix with both sour cream and cream cheese and they taste fabulous, so I’ll never going to tell you not to bump up the creamy decadence if that’s what your heart desires.
I use grated swiss cheese on top of these pesto twice-baked potatoes when I can get my hands on it (grated swiss is not always easy to find in my grocery store’s dairy section) so if you also find yourself swiss-less, use shredded mozzarella or provolone in its place.
Frezing these pesto twice-baked potatoes is a cinch! Once they’re stuffed, I wrap them tightly in aluminum foil and store them a few at a time in a large resealable ziplock bag.
You can pop frozen twice-baked potatoes straight in the oven to defrost and heat. Mine are usually good to go after about 20 minutes at 350 if they start out frozen, or about 10 minutes if they’re thawed first.
They can also be microwaved, but I recommend thawing first if you’re doing that; thawing first will it keep the bottoms of the potatoes from getting soggy during the reheating process in the microwave.
These twice-baked potatoes are also a great potluck side! They’re delicious when hot but also tasty at room temperature, which means they’re perfect for a friends-and-family buffet-style meal.
Cheesy Pesto Twice-Baked Potatoes
Ingredients
For the potatoes
- 2 pounds russet potatoes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 cup low-fat Greek yogurt
- 1 cup grated swiss cheese
For the pesto
- 2 cups basil leaves
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts
- 3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- Salt to taste
Instructions
Prep Ahead:
- Bake the potatoes in a preheated oven for 1 hour as directed in instructions above, then remove from the oven and set aside until cool enough to handle.
- Make the pesto according to the instructions in “Make It From Fresh”. Store any excess pesto in the fridge for up to 3 weeks or the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Once cool enough to handle, scrape out the insides of the potatoes and mix with yogurt, cheese, and pesto.
- Stuff inside the skins and wrap each potato separately.
- (Alternatively, freeze the stuffed potatoes lined on a plate and then once frozen, transfer to a resealable bag or container.)
- Store prepared potatoes in the freezer for up to 3 months or in the fridge for 5-7 days.
Prepare From Prepped:
- Thaw frozen potatoes overnight in the fridge.
- Place frozen stuffed potatoes on a sheet pan and bake in a preheated to 350*F oven for 15-18 minutes until the cheese is melted and the potato skins have begun to crisp.
Make From Fresh:
- Preheat oven to 350*F.
- Set the potatoes on a sheet pan, leaving a few inches of space between each potato. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle evenly with Kosher salt. Bake for 60-65 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked all the way through and a fork slides easily into the center of a potato. Remove and set aside until cool enough to handle.
- While the potatoes are baking, make the pesto:
- Place the pesto ingredients in a small food processor and pulse until well combined, adding more olive oil as needed to get a thick paste.
- Season pesto to taste with salt and transfer from the food processor bowl to a container.
- Slice the potatoes in half and use a spoon to scrape out the insides of each half into a large bowl. Set the empty skins back on the sheet pan as you do so.
- Add the yogurt, shredded cheese, and ¼ cup of the pesto to the bowl and mash the potatoes and stir to combine. Store any leftover pesto in the fridge for another recipe or meal.
- Spoon the mixture back into each potato.
- Place the pan back in the oven and bake 8-12 minutes or until the skins are crispy and the cheese has melted. Remove and serve warm.
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