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Leftover Mashed Potato Ideas: 3 Delicious Recipes

leftover mashed potato ideas
Photo: CC0 Public Domain / Unsplash - Megumi Nachev

If you made too much mash for your dinner, don’t throw it away. Give those leftover mashed potatoes a second life. Here are three simple vegetarian recipes and ideas you can use to enjoy your leftovers. 

If you want to use up leftovers, we have three simple leftover mashed potato ideas for you. Each of them is quick to prepare – and doesn’t require any special ingredients.

Of course, you can also try out the recipes if you don’t have any mashed potatoes to spare. You’ll just have to make some mashed potatoes first! Remember, try to purchase organic potatoes – they’re better for your health and the environment. Check out your local farmers’ market or roadside fruit and vegetable stands. 

#1 Hearty Leftover Mashed Potato Muffin Recipe

potato muffins
Bet you didn’t know you could make muffins out of mashed potatoes! You can also use leftover mashed potatoes to make bread. (Photo: CC0 Public Domain / Pixabay - Webvilla )

Muffins don’t always have to be sweet, and they make a tasty snack between meals. While it may not sound conventional, muffins are a great way to use up leftover mash. 

Ingredients:

  • 3 green onions
  • 1 lb. leftover mashed potatoes
  • ¾ cup grated Cheddar or Gouda cheese
  • 1 cup grated hard cheese (e.g. Parmesan)
  • ¾ cup crème fraîche
  • Salt and pepper
  • Butter or oil to grease the muffin tin

Preparation:

  1. Wash the spring onions and chop them finely.
  2. Put the mashed potato in a bowl and mix with the chopped spring onions, cheese and crème fraîche.
  3. Season the mixture with salt and pepper.
  4. Grease a muffin tray with a little butter or oil, for example rapeseed oil, and distribute the muffin mixture evenly in the trays.
  5. Bake the mashed potato muffins for 20 to 25 minutes at 400˚F. You don’t need to preheat the oven, just check the browning of the muffins from time to time and take them out when they look to your liking.

For vegetarian muffins, you’ll have to skip the Parmesan (Parmesan isn’t vegetarian as it contains animal rennet). However, you can replace it with homemade vegan Parmesan.
For vegan muffins, you’ll need vegan replacements for both kinds of cheese and the crème fraîche.

#2 Leftover Mashed Potato Idea: Quick Potato Soup

potato soup idea for leftovers
Creamy potato soup is a great way to use up leftovers. You can also add other vegetables like carrots and celery. (Photo: CC0 Public Domain / Pixabay - Suju)

Our second leftover mashed potato idea is a creamy potato soup. You can prepare this recipe in a few minutes and you only need very few additional ingredients.

Ingredients:

  • ~1 lb. mashed potatoes
  • ⅔ cup water
  • ⅔ cup milk or plant-based alternative
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

  1. Put the leftover mashed potatoes in a pot with the water and milk.
  2. Mix everything thoroughly using a spoon or stick blender. 
  3. Heat the soup, stirring frequently. If it is too thick, you can add a little more water.
  4. Finally, season with salt and pepper. That’s how quickly you’ve used up your mashed potatoes!

#3 Crispy Fried Mashed Potato Cakes

fried potato leftovers
Fried potato cakes are by far one of the most delicious ways to eat leftover mashed potatoes. (Photo: CC0 Public Domain / Pixabay - Manfred Richter )

Fried potato cakes make a delicious side dish and are a great way to use up those leftover mashed potatoes. For this recipe, you only need 3 ingredients:

Ingredients:

  • 3½ tbsp. sunflower seeds
  • 1¼ cup mashed potatoes
  • sunflower or canola oil 

Preparation:

  1. Grind the sunflower seeds coarsely with a food processor, blender or chop them into small pieces.
  2. Form patties from the mashed potatoes and coat them in the chopped sunflower seeds.
  3. Heat a generous amount of oil in a frying pan and fry the cakes a little at a time until the mashed potatoes are crispy. Enjoy!

This article has been translated from German by Karen Stankiewicz. You can find the original here: Kartoffelbrei verwerten: 3 leckere Rezeptideen 

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