These Spinach and Mashed Potato Croquettes are a perfect and delicious way to use up your leftover mashed potatoes during the busy holiday season!

Back when I first came to visit the boyfriend-tulip-man in Holland, he made a point to show me the very best of his beloved country. The beaches, the city, the IKEA, and of course, the croquettes. And where better to learn about a country’s staple food than at McDonald’s? So in the drive-thru parking lot of a Dutch McDonald’s, I had my first Dutch croquette, and that’s probably the day I decided I would one day move to Holland.

So what’s a croquette? It’s a small breadcrumbed and fried food thing, the thing usually being potatoes, meat, fish, macaroni, cheese, whatever. Today that thing is Spinach Mashed Potato Croquettes!

But we’re not using just any mashed potatoes today, we’re using Idaho Spuds Three Cheese potatoes. They whip up in minutes and take a lot of the heavy lifting out of this dish, so all you need to do is cook a little, stir a little, and fry (P.S. remember when I was really really bad at frying?). Idaho Spuds come in five downrightdelicious flavors that make a great plus one for the holidays, plus they’ve got a pretty great giveaway going on where you could win a luxury getaway to Shore Lodge on beautiful Payette Lake in McCall, Idaho!

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Spinach and Mashed Potato Croquettes

These Spinach and Mashed Potato Croquettes are a perfect and delicious way to use up your leftover mashed potatoes!

Course Appetizers, Side Dishes, Snacks

Cuisine Vegetarian

Diet Vegetarian

Occasion 4th of July, Christmas, Game Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving

Time 30 minutes or less

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 30 croquettes

Calories 65 kcal

Author Live Eat Learn

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup oil for frying + a dash for sautéing 118 mL
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 2 cups fresh spinach 70 g
• 1 package prepared Idaho Spuds 3 Cheese Potatoes or 2 cups, 450 g, leftover mashed potatoes*, chilled
• 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese 40 g
• 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese 40 g
• 2 eggs whisked
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs 80 g

Instructions

1. Heat a dash of oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for a minute, then add spinach. Cook, stirring often, until spinach has reduced in size, about 3 minutes. Remove from pan and roughly chop spinach so that it's not too stringy.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine spinach, mashed potatoes, parmesan, and mozzarella. If mixture is too moist, add a dash of flour. Roll into tablespoon-sized rounds.
3. Prepare a work station by whisking eggs in a bowl, placing breadcrumbs in a separate bowl, and placing a clean plate at the end. Working in batches and with a spoon, dip each ball into the egg, let excess drip off, roll in breadcrumbs, then set on the plate.
4. Heat oil over medium/high heat in a large pan. It's ready when a piece of panko thrown in instantly begins sizzling. Working in batches of 4 or 5, gently add the croquettes, rolling slowly, until the entire coat is brown and crisp (about 2 to 3 minutes each)*. Set finished croquettes on a few layers of paper towels or a wire rack until you've finished them all. Serve immediately**.

Notes

• *If using leftover mashed potatoes, be sure your potatoes have a bit of butter and milk mixed in and were seasoned with salt and pepper!
• **If it takes any longer, the cheese and potato will begin to melt and soften, leading to deformed croquettes. You want them to turn brown pretty quickly, so crank up the heat!
• ***These don't do well as leftovers, so try to eat them fresh!

Nutrition Facts

Spinach and Mashed Potato Croquettes

Amount Per Serving (1 croquette)

Calories 65 Calories from Fat 41

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 4.6g 7%

Cholesterol 12mg 4%

Sodium 74mg 3%

Total Carbohydrates 4.5g 2%

Protein 1.7g 3%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Helpful products for Mashed Potato Croquettes

This post contains affiliate links, which means if you buy something from that link I may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting Live Eat Learn and for making these easy vegetarian recipes possible! I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.