Broccoli and Cheese Mashed Potatoes
Learn how to make mashed potatoes from scratch with Broccoli and Cheese Mashed Potatoes, made even better with a secret technique. Serve them as a holiday side dish or serve all year round with steak.
Once upon a time, I didn’t know how to make mashed potatoes from scratch.
That all changed back in 2008 with my mashed potatoes for two recipe. Definitely way better than instant.
I remember at my previous job, we hired a caterer for lunch when there were training classes in session. I will never forget the one day I walked into the kitchen and caught the chef making instant mashed potatoes.
A chef. Making INSTANT mashed potatoes. Along with his assistant who baked boxed mix cupcakes. Maybe they should’ve paid me to cater.
What I love most about potatoes is that they are so versatile – side dish, main dish, snack, breakfast, lunch, dinner, sometimes even dessert (spudnuts anyone?).
You can serve them casually on a random Tuesday night or you can dress them up for the holidays.
With Easter coming up, there is always one potato dish at the table, whether it is stove top scalloped potatoes or mashed.
This year, I decided to change up my usual mashed potato recipe and make Broccoli and Cheese Mashed Potatoes, mainly because I love broccoli and I love cheese. I love potatoes and I love garlic. I love butter and I love milk.
Do you love these things too? Good because that’s the entire ingredient list, so you’ll love these broccoli mashed potatoes too.
Making small batch mashed potatoes is easier than you think.
When I was telling someone I cook for myself, she told me that she would have trouble cooking such a small amount of food as she was used to cooking for her family, including mashed potatoes.
After several years of making potatoes for myself, 1 pound Idaho potatoes makes about 4 servings of mashed potatoes.
You can scale it down even more by making only 1/2 pound potatoes, which makes just enough for 2 servings.
Even though these Broccoli and Cheese Mashed Potatoes are both Easter friendly, personally I love eating them all year round.
For the broccoli, I chopped it finely in my food processor, but you can also use your knife if you don’t have one.
I personally don’t need to serve them with gravy, but if you need a good gravy recipe, check out my homemade gravy without drippings or vegan mushroom gravy.
Oh and how could I forget my secret technique to making mashed potatoes even better – adding whole garlic cloves to the potatoes.
Seriously you won’t believe the difference as you can taste the fresh garlic without that raw garlic taste.
Broccoli and Cheese Mashed Potatoes
Learn how to make mashed potatoes from scratch with these Broccoli and Cheese Mashed Potatoes, made even better with a secret technique.
Ingredients
- 1 pound Idaho® potatoes, peeled and cubed (roughly 2 large potatoes)
- 3 whole garlic cloves, peeled
- 1/2 cup (4 ounces) unsalted butter, softened and cut into 8 pieces
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 3/4 cup finely chopped fresh broccoli*
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Once boiling, add the potatoes and garlic cloves. Cook until soft but not overdone, roughly 12-15 minutes. Drain.
- In a large mixing bowl (or by hand with a potato masher), beat the cooked potatoes until mashed and smooth (do not overbeat). Beat in the butter and salt until completely incorporated then slowly beat in the milk. Stir in the broccoli and cheese. Serve immediately.
Notes
*I used a food processor to finely chop the broccoli, but you can also hand chop with your knife. Just make sure they are finely chopped into really tiny pieces.
More Potato Recipes
Baked Potato Soup
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My family loves mashed potatoes! And I appreciate a recipe with some veggies (and cheese!!!) added. SO yummy. Pinning.
It’s always good to eat your vegetables, even if it’s in mashed potato form ;) Thanks Liz!
I love everything about this dish! Broccoli and cheddar is a winning combination. Pinned.
Always a winner in my book! Thanks Jennie.
Oh yeah, that garlic trick! I do it too and you’re right, it makes a big difference! You made one gorgeous bowl o’ spuds!
I don’t think I could ever not make it without the garlic! I love that trick so much. Thanks Dorothy!
These are some seriously delicious looking potatoes! You can’t go wrong with potatoes + broccoli + cheese!
Nope, can never go wrong! Thanks Rachel
Absolutely perfect! Instant mashed potatoes are not actually fit for human consumption as far as I’m concerned. Give me beautiful fresh potatoes any day!
Right?! Who invented them anyway? :)
I love broccoli and cheese together, these mashed potatoes look awesome!
Thanks, Emily!
Oh wow! What an awesome combination!! My kids are going to go crazy for these!
Thanks, Holly!
You don’t cook the broccoli at all? My Daughter has requested what she calls trashy potatoes for Easter. You know the kind made with frozen Southern style hash browns, cream of chicken soup, sour cream etc. Trashy because they have S-O-O many calories and S-O-o much stuff that is really not healthy but are delicious. next time we will try this recipe. Love the idea.
Nope! Since you finely chop the broccoli (I used a food processor but you can certainly hand chop with a knife), it adds a nice little crunch to the potatoes without being giant raw pieces of broccoli. And I know exactly what you’re talking about with those trashy potatoes! My friend used cubed potatoes instead of hash browns. So good (and so bad at the same time haha)
I agree, I don’t know why instant mashed potatoes even exist. Making homemade ones is so simple, so fast, and they are so full of nutrients! That catering chef wouldn’t have lasted 5 minutes at my culinary school. We made HUGE batches of (fresh) mashed potatoes every single day – they went on practically every plate at the student-run restaurant.
The secret of adding whole garlic cloves to the water with the potatoes? SO SMART! Definitely doing that next time.
Exactly! Sure maybe it takes a little time to peel all of the potatoes for a crowd, but I don’t think instant is worth that shortcut. And yes you need to try that garlic trick! You will never make plain mashed potatoes again.
How delicious…such a wonderful, classic dish. You can never go wrong with mashed potatoes. xo, Catherine
No you can’t! Thanks, Catherine.
Homemade mashed potatoes are the best! I think I make them at least once a week. I have a potato problem, well it’s not really a problem, I love them too much! I’m going to have to add in the broccoli next time, killing two birds with one stone. Plus I love the garlic trick too, gives so much extra flavor.
Ha well at least a potato problem is a good thing to have!
This is so meeeeeeee. I would make this and it would be all I ate for dinner! I love it.
Hey I’m all about mashed potatoes for the main dish :D
I love making and eating mashed potatoes! I always make it from scratch because is so easy and the taste is much better than box mashed potatoes. this looks so good!
Totally agree! Thanks Ros Emely
I love this idea, it’s like a broccoli and cheese baked potato without all the work!
Okay, i will DEFINITELY be using that whole garlic clove trick! That sounds fabulous. And I also love the advice for scaling down the recipe. I rarely make mashed potatoes for just the two of us because I think of it as a large-scale recipe, but I’ll definitely have to start doing it more now!
Oh man! This is like two side dishes in one! Pinning this for sure! My kids would love it!