With Greek yogurt, less potatoes, and an entire head of cauliflower, these nutritious mashed potatoes are creamy, incredibly tasty, and lighter than usual! Ideal as a side dish for a weeknight supper or festive meal.
Growing up, my family's go-to side dish was always mashed potatoes, served with turkey for Thanksgiving and our ham for Christmas. Unfortunately, potatoes sometimes have a negative reputation because of their high carbohydrate content, leading people to believe they are harmful. That being said, proper preparation is essential! In order to make this nutritious mashed potato recipe extra vegetable-rich, we're sneaking in an entire head of cauliflower and using protein-rich Greek yogurt to give it a creamy texture.
Reasons to Love This Recipe
- Still creamy but healthier than regular mashed potatoes.
- You'll never believe that this recipe calls for a whole head of cauliflower!
- Made in about 30 minutes, everything in one pot with ease.
- Ideal side dish for a midweek supper or Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Ingredients You'll Need:
- potatoes - You can use russet potatoes, but I particularly like Yukon gold potatoes for their buttery texture and natural yellow color.
- Cauliflower - contributes additional nutrients and enables us to use fewer potatoes, making this dish lower in carbohydrates and lighter. One complete head of cauliflower will be required.
- Greek yogurt - offers protein and replaces sour cream or cream cheese, which are commonly used in mashed potato recipes, giving them a creamy texture.
- milk - Feel free to use skim milk or any other sort of milk you choose, but I chose unsweetened almond milk to reduce the fat and calories that milk and cream often add to mashed potatoes.
- Using chicken broth - lets us use less milk while adding more flavor. If low-sodium chicken broth isn't available, you can substitute it with more milk or even veggie broth.
- Butter - These healthy mashed potatoes don't require a lot of butter, but it does make a big difference and give them a traditional flavor. As an alternative to dairy, you can also use vegan butter.
- Seasonings - To season the mashed potatoes, use equal parts salt, black pepper, and garlic powder (or chopped garlic cloves).
- Fresh herbs - can be used optionally, but I topped these potatoes with a mixture of fresh thyme and fresh chives. You may also include some fresh sage, rosemary, or parsley.
Recipe for Nutritious Mashed Potatoes
- Chop, chop, chop. Chop the cauliflower head into florets then peel and cut your potatoes into 2-inch slices. Put them away.
- Bring the potatoes to a boil. Add the potatoes to a big pot of salted water and bring to a boil, excluding the cauliflower for the time being. After lowering the heat to medium-low and covering, simmer the potatoes for approximately fifteen minutes.
- Include the cauliflower. When the potatoes and cauliflower are soft and fork-tender, add the cauliflower florets and simmer for a further 8 to 9 minutes.
- Blend. After draining, return the potatoes and cauliflower to the pot in which they were cooked. Once you get the right consistency and a lovely creamy texture, add the milk, Greek yogurt, chicken broth, butter, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. You may also puree everything using an electric mixer (or stand mixer). For me, there's no better way to achieve the ideal fluffy mashed potatoes than with a hand mixer!
- Assist. Move the mashed potatoes to a bowl, taste, and add more salt and pepper to taste, if necessary. Garnish with chives and fresh thyme. Have fun!
Serving Ideas for Mashed Potatoes
Setting Up and Storing
Leftovers can be kept in the fridge for up to five days if they are kept in an airtight container that is sealed. These mashed potatoes reheat quickly in the microwave or on the stovetop.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Total Time: 35 mins
INGREDIENTS
- 1 1/2 lbs yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch cubes
- 1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- Garnish with fresh thyme and chives
INSTRUCTIONS
- Place the potatoes only (hold off on the cauliflower for now) to a large pot of salted water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and let the potatoes simmer for about 15 minutes.
- Add in the cauliflower florets and continue to simmer for an additional 8 to 9 minutes, until cauliflower and potatoes are soft and fork tender.
- Drain the potatoes and cauliflower then add them back into the pot they were cooked in. Add the milk, Greek yogurt, chicken broth, butter, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
- Mash the potatoes using a potato masher or blend everything using an electric hand mixer (or stand mixer) until you get a nice creamy texture. I personally prefer to use a hand mixer as it really gets the potatoes perfectly fluffy!
- Transfer mashed potatoes to a bowl, taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if needed, and garnish with fresh thyme and chives. Enjoy!
NUTRITION FACTS:
- SERVING SIZE: 1/6TH OF RECIPE
- CALORIES: 165
- SUGAR: 2.9 G
- SODIUM: 249 MG
- FAT: 4.6 G
- SATURATED FAT: 2.5 G
- CARBOHYDRATES: 27.4 G
- FIBER: 5.4 G
- PROTEIN: 6.1 G
* Please note that all nutrition information are just estimates. Values will vary among brands, so we encourage you to calculate these on your own for most accurate results.
