Very veggie mashed potato
Yes I know, this is my second ‘very veggie’ recipe in as many weeks, but if you can’t have lots of veggie-heavy recipes on a vegetarian blog, where can you? This very veggie mashed potato is an easy way to add extra vegetables to your diet (or your kids’!) – with broccoli, carrots and peas mashed right into the potato, it’s got more flavour and more nutrients than normal mash. Serve it up with some sausages and gravy (and a few extra veg on the side if you like!) for an awesome bangers and mash.
This very veggie mashed potato couldn’t be easier to make. I added fresh broccoli and carrots to my potatoes as they were boiling, along with some frozen peas – but I’m sure you could just use some mixed frozen veg instead if you’re feeling super lazy! No judgement here, Lazy is my middle name (actually it’s Louise, but that’s basically the same thing).
I like my mash to still have some texture, so I left the skin on my potatoes and only roughly mashed it, leaving some lumps and even a few whole peas. If you’re trying to trick your kids into eating more veg, just cook everything a bit more thoroughly, and mash it more thoroughly too, and the veggies will be more well hidden (though I’m not claiming they’ll be totally invisible!).
You may have noticed that despite my best efforts, I tend to do the same photo styling on lots and lots of my posts – pretty much always the same background (it’s actually a piece of wallpaper!), the same few linens, the same few plates and boards… and literally the same two metal forks in every post. I’d love to say this is because it’s ‘my style’ or some other carefully considered reason, but really it’s because every single other fork in my cutlery drawer has a bent prong. How does it even happen?! I have never bitten down on a fork hard enough to bend it, and I have no idea how else a piece of metal would accidentally get bent. Bent fork prongs – one of life’s great mysteries.
Anyway, the point is, Robert Welch recently sent me a new set of cutlery, which was very much needed. I can’t wait to get rid of 90% of my old stuff, most of which was acquired from various housemates at uni nearly a decade ago (and therefore doesn’t remotely match), and replace it with a nice new set. A matching cutlery set seems like the sort of thing an adult should possess (next up: matching plates and bowls!). I chose the Radford set in a ‘satin’ finish, so I no longer need to worry about you seeing my reflection peering out at you from a spoon – the number of times I’ve had to edit my face, half hidden by a camera, out of a photo is quite enormous.
The cutlery is beautifully designed with smooth curves, and has a reassuring bit of weight behind it. I love the satin finish – it feels more modern to me, and so far it also seems to show fewer water marks, which is a plus considering I never do any drying up!
Robert Welch also have some little children’s cutlery sets, which are flipping adorable. Just like the adults’ sets, but charmingly small. Eden’s still in the stage where she throws down her spoon like a mic drop after every mouthful (you ate from a spoon, girl – it’s not that impressive), so I might save these until she’s just a little bigger! But it’s pretty cute to be able to dish up a mini meal alongside its own little mini cutlery – and this very veggie mashed potato is perfect for kids and adults alike.
All you need to add to this very veggie mashed potato is some vegetarian sausages, and you’ve got the ultimate veggie bangers and mash. Just don’t forget the gravy!
Very veggie mashed potato
Ingredients
- 3 large potatoes (~ 1 kg / 35 oz)
- 1 vegetable stock cube
- 1/2 small head broccoli (~ 130g / 4.5 oz), cut into tiny florets
- 2 medium carrots (~ 90g / 3 oz), grated
- 90 g ~ 1/2 cup frozen peas
- 100 g cheddar cheese, grated (~ 1 cup when grated)
- 80 ml (~ 1/4 cup) milk
- Salt
- Black pepper
Instructions
- Peel the potatoes if desired (I left the skins on), and cut into chunks. Add to a large pan of water, and crumble in a vegetable stock cube. Boil until mostly (but not entirely) cooked, then add the chopped broccoli, grated carrot, and frozen peas. Boil for a few more minutes, until everything is soft. Drain thoroughly.
- Add the cheese and milk to the pan, and mash to your desired consistency. Season to taste, and serve warm.
Note: Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on exactly what ingredients you choose. Information above is for 1/5 of the recipe.
Want another use for your frozen peas? Make muttar paneer masala!
Looks delicious and like a must try! Just curious if you bought the veg sausage or made them?
Hi Catherine, I actually cheated with these ones! They’re Linda McCartney, I think the red onion and rosemary ones?
This kind of mash with other veg is a very popular winter dish in the Netherlands, where it is called ‘stampot’. There are lots of variations: to your basic mashed potato you can add winter carrots (usually shredded or diced fairly fine), sliced (and cooked) endive, steamed kale (my fave!), sauerkraut (also truly delicious) and others. It is normally eaten with pieces of smoked sausage: I use sausage from De Vegetarische Slager (‘Vegetarian Butcher’ –it’s a good brand of veggie meat substitutes) while my carnivorous family have the more usual smoked sausage. With some well-flavoured mustard, it’s a wonderful meal for a cold night!
That’s so interesting, thank you! Will definitely try it with mustard next time! :)
I would have never thought to add veggies to my mashed potatoes. Yum!
Aww so cute that you can have matching adult and baby cutlery. I love the extra veggies that you’ve added to this classic dish.
I know, so fun :)
Wow this looks amazing. I have a vege party this weekend and this would be perfect!
My mum always used to get me to eat swede (which I loathed) by mashing it into the spuds. I now love it of course. Really like the look of that satin finish on the cutlery. You say it feels more modern, I think it feels more vintage – hahaha! But that’s a good thing.
Haha I guess things come in cycles!!
What a great way to get more veggies in! This looks SO yummy – I am craving it right now!
Omgosh, we’re twinning on the veggie mashers thing! I never did it until years ago when my friend from Japan was visiting and introduced the idea to me. I’ve been doing it ever since :) So yum! It’s like a meal in itself! Thanks for the inspiration!
Yes! You could do all sorts of combinations!
I love eating Mashed potatoes, but never thought about adding veggies. This would be a perfect way for me to get my little one to eat more veggies.
Thanks Shanika!
This is totally my kind of meal – everything mashed up together! I do not understand those people who can’t let their foods touch. LOL! Whhhyyyyyy have I never thought to add more veggies to my mashed potatoes before? Totally doing this next time!
And those kids cutlery sets are adorbs! My kids would love them – would make them feel grown up!
Haha yeah I’ve never understood that! I know, the kids’ cutlery is the cutest!
Love this idea of adding veggies to a classic comfort food! Thanks for a great recipe.
Couldn’t I do the same thing with mashed cauliflower in place of the potatoes?
Yep of course :) Or you could do a mixture of potato and cauliflower!
Becca, I have first hand experience on this subject of a “bent” fork. They sometimes fall into the garbage disposal. It happens😁 I am new to your blog and enjoying it a lot. Thanks
Haha I don’t have a garbage disposal, otherwise that sounds like a reasonable explanation! No idea what else could bend metal like that! Thanks Sierra :)