Cheesy Asiago Pesto Baked Potatoes

Do you ever order something in a restaurant that you love so much you can't stop thinking about it? Asiago Pesto Potatoes is a side dish offered at a favorite restaurant of mine in Florida. Once I tasted these potatoes they became my obsession. We love twice-baked potatoes at my house and in my opinion, these fall into that category. If you are looking for a twice-baked potatoes recipe that is a little different you'll want to try these. They are cheesy, garlicky, and packed with basil flavor. Yum!

Golden, Cheesy, Asiago Pesto Twice-Baked Potatoes

Asiago Pesto Potatoes

Naturally, I wanted to find a way to replicate those tasty potatoes. Fortunately, they are a simple to make potato dish, packed with amazing flavor. They make a perfect accompaniment to a hearty dish. You can also make them your main course paired with a side salad if you become as addicted to them as I have.

I decided to start by cutting medium-sized red potatoes in half and go from there. The rest of the ingredients are simple: asiago cheese, roasted garlic, basil, and mayonnaise. I like to use my own homemade basil pesto in this recipe. You can use any prepared basil pesto you like.

You'll see from the recipe that these are not technically twice-baked potatoes. I start by precooking the red potatoes in a pot on the stove. I guess I should call them twice-cooked potatoes, but we won't nitpick.

Asiago Pesto Potatoes

Printer Friendly Recipe
Makes 16 potatoes

8 medium red potatoes, washed and cut in half
16 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons basil pesto
8 ounces asiago cheese, shredded
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon salt

Directions
Place the potato halves in a large pot filled with cold water and salt. Bring the pot to a boil and cook the potatoes until fork-tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Drain the potatoes and cool them to room temperature.

While the potatoes are cooling, heat the extra virgin olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the cloves of garlic and cook at a very gentle simmer until the cloves are soft and tender. Use a fork to test for softness. The garlic will add a nice, mellow flavor to your potato stuffing.

Cook Garlic Cloves until Tender

Remove the garlic from the oil and mash it with a fork. Reserve the oil for another use. It will now be garlic flavored and will be delicious in other recipes.

Mash the Garlic

Shred the asiago cheese using a box grater. Mix the mayonnaise, pesto, and mashed garlic together in a bowl until well combined. Add the shredded asiago cheese and mix until the mayonnaise mixture is well distributed throughout the cheese. This mixture will be the stuffing for your potatoes.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. With a spoon, scoop some of the potato from the center of each potato half. You won't use this scooped potato in this recipe. Place the potatoes in a baking dish.

Scoop the Centers from the Potatoes

Fill each potato with the cheese mixture, distributing the mixture evenly among the potatoes. Be generous with the filling.

Fill Potatoes with Cheese Mixture

Bake the potatoes for approximately 20 minutes, or until the cheese mixture is melted and a golden brown.

Asiago Pesto Potatoes

Oh, the aroma! Oh, the deliciousness!

I like to make extras of these potatoes so they can go into the freezer. Just cool your potatoes and wrap the cooled potatoes individually with plastic wrap. Place the potatoes in a zip-topped plastic bag and freeze until another day. Just thaw and heat in a 350 degrees F oven for 30-45 minutes.

Your Baking Essentials for this Dish

(Affiliate Links: Thanks for Shopping)

My box grater gets used a couple of times a week because I like to grate my cheese as I need it.

Box Grater

I like to use a stainless steel frying pan for cooking the garlic.

8" Frying Pan

I love my Emile Henry baking dishes. I have dark green in several sizes and shapes.

Emile Henry Oven to Table Baking Dish

This has been my favorite knife for several years. I use it for everything. There's nothing better than a good knife in the kitchen.

JA Henckels 7" Santoku Knife

Thank you for sharing this recipe on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or Yum!

Enjoy!

Comments

How to Trap and Get Rid of Fruit Flies

Fruit flies can be a huge annoyance at certain times of the year. What can you do to kill fruit flies? We've all been there wondering how to get rid of fruit flies. Fruit flies in the kitchen. Fruit flies in the bathroom. Fruit flies buzzing around everywhere in your home. It's a frustrating problem that happens to everyone at one time or another. If you are a fresh fruit and produce lover you certainly know what I mean. How to Kill Fruit Flies with Two Ingredients Those pesky little buggers can often be brought into your home on the vegetables and fruit you buy. You don't have to tolerate the annoyance. This homemade fruit fly trap is one I have been using for many years and it works every time.

Rum Punch for a Party

As the weather warms and you start to think about gathering friends and family for parties and celebrations you'll want to think about signature cocktails. This rum punch cocktail is an ideal cocktail for a large gathering because the flavors are irresistible. Don't you think a warm-weather cocktail should make imagine yourself sitting by the shore on a tropical beach with your toes in the sand? Fruity rum drinks are perfect and rum punch is one of those perfect cocktails. Cool and fruity, rum punch will make a party! One sip and you'll be transported to the beach. Rum Punch Cocktail (This post contains affiliate links for your shopping convenience. When you make a purchase using these links you help support this blog.) Rum Punch for a Party! Can you make a rum punch ahead of time? This rum punch recipe is a make-ahead recipe I use whenever we are having a large group for a summer picnic or barbecue. Use the recipe below as your baseline and double or tripl

How to Make a Perfect Bacon and Eggs Breakfast

In my opinion, the best breakfast consists of two perfectly fried eggs, crispy bacon, and toast made with hearty bread. This bacon and eggs recipe delivers. Bacon and eggs or eggs and bacon? No matter, it is definitely the breakfast you want on those lazy mornings when you have time to relax around the kitchen table, drinking a cup of coffee or two. The Best Bacon and Eggs Breakfast (This post contains affiliate links for your shopping convenience. When you make a purchase using these links you help support this blog.) How to Cook Bacon and Eggs My technique was learned from my mom, by watching her make our family's breakfast over and over again, year after year. This is a basted eggs recipe which means the eggs are cooked in bacon grease. Cooking eggs in bacon fat is easy and takes just a little practice to perfect. All you really need for a great bacon and eggs breakfast is a good nonstick skillet and a good toaster . If you want to make your own bread

Forgotten Pork Chops-A Skillet Dinner

When I first made this pork chop skillet dinner several years ago I knew it was a winner but never predicted how wildly successful it would be with my readers. Perhaps it is the comfort food combination of pork chops with savory rice. Or maybe it is the easy one-pan preparation. Whatever it is, you're sure to love this updated, one-pan, comforting Forgotten Pork Chops dinner. Pork Chops and Rice with Cream of Mushroom Soup (This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. When you purchase through these links I receive a small compensation.) So you might wonder why I updated the recipe. Like most recipes that are part of my menu rotation, a tweak here or there is customary. I encourage you to do the same. A tweak here to there will make the recipe your own.

How to Doctor Up Store-Bought Potato Salad

Here's a potato salad time-saver for you just in time for summer cookouts. You'll love how you can transform grocery store potato salad so easily no matter whether you are hosting a BBQ or bringing a side dish for a summer barbecue. When you need a quick potato salad, and no time to make one from scratch, that ordinary store-bought potato salad you have in your refrigerator can go from blah to amazing in just a few minutes with just a few ingredients. There's no judgment here. We don't always have the time to make a potato salad from scratch. Sometimes it is just easier to stop by your local grocery store to pick up a container of the store-made potato salad. It's good. It's predictable. It will do. All it needs is a little doctoring. How to Make Store-Bought Potato Salad Better Take Your Potato Salad from Blah to AH-Mazing! How to Doctor Up Potato Salad to have a little more flavor? You're going to a potluck picnic or you are having p

Crunchy, Spicy Gingersnap Cookies

Crunchy, spicy, and yummy are all words used to describe a good gingersnap cookie. While my hands-down, favorite cookie is a gooey chocolate chip cookie I occasionally crave a spicy ginger snaps cookie or this molasses cookie . This old-fashioned gingersnap cookie is a winner. It's easy to make and will be a favorite in your recipe rotation. Traditional Ginger Snaps Cookie Recipe ( This post contains affiliate links. I will be compensated when you make a purchase with these links.) Gingersnaps Cookies In the U.S., gingersnaps are usually drop cookies with lots of cracks on the surface. That's exactly how I like them. Those found in other countries may be thinner and sliced. The Lebkuchen, a traditional German cookie, and the pepparkakor, from Sweden, are often cut into festive shapes. My gingersnaps are round. Reasons You'll Love These Gingersnap Cookies These gingersnaps are tasty cookies at any time of the year. Their spiciness is perfect as a h

How to Care for African Violets

The burst of color from African violet flowers can really brighten up your home and perk up your spirits. Is your thumb more brown than green? Not to worry, African violet care is very easy. Read on to learn the best tips to care for African violets. How to Grow Beautiful African Violets (This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. I will be compensated when you make a purchase using these links.) My African Violet Pin This Post For Later: Seven Tips for African Violet Care Here's a nine-minute video that will show you how I care for my African violets. Watch My African Violet Care Video Seven Tips for African Violet Care African violets like diffused, bright light. I have them in rooms with either a southern or a western exposure. That's not to say that you can't grow them in other sunlight exposures, but these work beautifully for me. It's best not to put your plants on a window sill. Try tables placed near window

Best Ever Sugar Cookies with Buttercream Frosting

What's the best sugar cookie recipe? If you are looking for the best sugar cookie recipe you will love this recipe. It makes delicious, cake-like sugar cookies that are sweet, but not too sweet. Add delicious buttercream frosting and these cookies will be your all-time favorites. The Perfect Sugar Cookie with Buttercream Frosting (This post contains affiliate links. ) These sugar cookies have a tender, cake-like texture that pairs perfectly with a buttercream frosting. They are a nice copycat alternative to those famous buttercream-topped sugar cookies sold by Cheryl's Cookies. While there may be very good reasons to order cookies online, it is easy to make attractive, colorful, and delicious sugar cookies with buttercream frosting for any season or holiday at home. You'll love that you don't need to be fussy with your decorating to make these cookies attractive and perfect for any oc

Winter Care for Orchids and African Violets

Are you familiar with the term "hygge"? It's a Danish term that has caught on in the U.S. because it speaks to the feelings of coziness and relaxation we seek during the winter months. It emphasizes the simple things in life and the feelings of a life well-lived. One of the ways I create hygge this time of year is by making sure my collection of African violets and orchids is happy and healthy. How to Care for African Violets and Orchids During Winter This post contains affiliate links. We receive a small compensation when you shop with these links. Your houseplants are most likely crying out for some attention right now. If you are like me, you ignored them a bit during the busy holidays. After all the festive decorations are put away, it's time to give your plants a lovely spa treatment. Read on for tips on how to care for orchid plants and African violets in winter.

Grandma's Soft and Chewy Date-Filled Cookies

One of the things I can count on as the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons arrive each year is a feeling of nostalgia. The traditional foods we serve at our family's holiday tables can sure bring out all the feels. Now that it is officially cookie season, we should kick it off with an old-fashioned homemade date-filled cookie recipe. This is a soft, tender cookie with dates that is a special, nostalgic, family recipe. An Old-Fashioned Date Cookies Recipe This old-fashioned, date-filled cookie was my dad's favorite cookie from his childhood. My dad was born in 1932 so this recipe has been around for quite a while.

Just~One~Donna

Search This Blog