Leftover Mashed Potato Omelette
What to do with leftover mashed potato, I hear you cry. Cry no more, this recipe for leftover mashed potato omelette is the perfect solution. It’s quick to make, versatile and delicious. All you really need are eggs. It works as well for breakfast, as it does for lunch or dinner.
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When CT makes mashed potato, he tends to get a bit enthusiastic and we invariably end up with leftover mashed potato. This recipe is probably the one I cook the most. It’s always slightly different.
Leftover Mashed Potatoes
Now there are any number of things you can do with leftover mashed potatoes. One day I might do a post on it. Do you think that would be useful?
You can use it to top a pie such as my vegetarian shepherd’s pie, make potato cakes or gnocchi. Potato mash is the secret ingredient in my vegan friendly spelt burger buns, so you could always bake up a batch of those. If you have leftover cabbage too, you can make bubble and squeak for breakfast.
You can even freeze it. But my favourite way to use it is in my recipe for leftover mashed potato omelette. It’s quick to make, requires few other ingredients and is both comforting and tasty.
I call it a recipe, but invariably I make it a little differently each time, depending on what other ingredients I have in the house and how much mash is leftover.
So don’t worry if your leftover mash isn’t the exact quantity I’ve given in the recipe card below. A bit more or a bit less is neither here nor there. The egg part of the omelette will still make it work.
If you have a lot of leftover mashed potatoes, you’ll end up with a large potato cake instead of an omelette and that’s absolutely fine. Alternatively just use more eggs.
How Long Can You Store Leftover Mashed Potatoes?
Leftover potato mash will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for three days. Make sure it’s cold before you put it in the container, otherwise you might get condensation which could cause spoilage.
How To Freeze Mashed Potatoes
It’s very easy to freeze mashed potatoes. Let the potatoes cool to room temperature, then place in a freezer-proof container. Pop them in the freezer and they’ll keep for three months.
Adding butter or cream to your mashed potatoes before they go into the freezer helps to keep a fluffy texture and prevents them going grainy.
Thaw the potatoes in the fridge overnight, then reheat gently on the stove top using a double boiler. Alternatively heat them in the microwave or a slow cooker.
How To Make Leftover Mashed Potato Omelette
Just writing up this recipe for leftover mashed potato omelette makes me wish we had some leftover mash in the fridge. This quick meal is not only tasty, but filling whilst remaining light on the stomach. The mashed potato gives the omelette a really nice fluffy texture. It makes a great midweek supper.
Washing up is minimal, especially if you use the pan you cooked the potatoes in to mix the omelette. All you need is a bowl, a fork and a frying pan. Win win.
It makes a great lunch with a crisp green salad or a tomato salsa. However, we usually enjoy it as a main meal with vegetables such as cabbage and braised carrots. Having said that, the omelette is nice cold too, so it’s perfect for lunch boxes.
A spoonful of crispy chilli oil on top raises the game even further.
Other Ingredients
You only need five ingredients to make this omelette I say five ingredients, but this doesn’t include salt, pepper and frying fat. I take those as a given.
Of course, how much seasoning you add to your omelette will very much depend on how well seasoned your mashed potato is.
CT often adds garlic and chilli to his mashed potato. These two flavours work really well in this leftover mashed potato omelette. So if you like the idea of either or both of these go for it. Add a clove of grated garlic and/or a little finely chopped chilli or a pinch of chilli flakes.
In the image you can see above, CT also added turmeric to his mash, which accounts for the yellow hue. I often add a pinch of turmeric powder to my eggs too. Turmeric is a great anti inflammatory so I like to get it in where I can. It also helps to give the omelette a lovely yellow colour.
Eggs
There’s not really much to say about eggs, only a plea to use free range, or better still organic. And to ensure they’re fresh of course. Also, if you can get hold of one, a goose egg works brilliantly in this recipe.
Cheese
When it comes to cheese I use whatever I have to hand. Mozzarella is a favourite, but grated cheddar or crumbled feta cheese are both good too. In fact any melty vegetarian cheese works well in this leftover mashed potato omelette.
I like to scatter the cheese over the top of the omelette before it goes under the grill. But if you prefer to mix some or all of the cheese in with the potato, that’s fine too.
Fresh Herbs
I find parsley works particularly well in this leftover mashed potato omelette. It’s my herb of choice. However, I don’t always have fresh parsley to hand, so I’ll use chives, mint, rosemary or thyme instead. Coriander leaves are good too, if you like coriander.
Onions
I like to add spring onions (scallions) to my leftover mashed potato omelette. They add a sweet and savoury mild pungency which goes well with mashed potatoes. If I don’t have any spring onions, I’ll use chives instead or even a finely chopped shallot. Full on onions, however, are a bit too strong. The cooking time is too short to sweeten them up.
Leftover Mashed Potato Omelette: Step-by-Step
See the recipe card for quanities.
Step 1. Whip Potato & Eggs
In a bowl, or even the pan the potato was cooked in, break up the potato with a fork. When mashed potato goes cold, it tends to turn solid.
Crack in the eggs and work them into the mashed potato, then whip as you would a normal omelette. You don’t need to get a smooth consistency, but you could use a potato masher if you prefer that to a fork.
Step 2. Chop Herbs & Onions
Finely chop the spring onions (scallions) and parsley and add to the bowl along with the pepper and salt. Whisk it all together with the fork.
Step 3. Heat Frying Pan
Place a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add the olive oil followed by the butter. Oil helps to prevent the butter from burning.
As soon as the butter is sizzling, pour the egg mixture into the pan. Scrape the bowl out well with a rubber spatula then ensure the omelette is more or less level in the pan.
Top Tip
I use a cast iron skillet* for omelettes. It’s brilliant for using both on the hob and under the grill. If it’s well seasoned, which mine is, it’s virtually non-stick.
Step 4. Cook Omelette
Cook the omelette for three to five minutes or until bubbles start to appear and the top begins to set.
Step 5. Grill Omelette
Thinly slice the mozzarella and arrange the slices evenly over the top of the omelette.
Stick the whole pan under a hot grill for a further 3-5 minutes or until the top is set and the cheese melted. Ideally leave it until the cheese has caught a bit of colour.
Scatter some chopped parsley over the top, if liked. Cut into slices and serve hot or at room temperature with a green salad, tomato salsa or cooked vegetables. A little chilli sauce rarely goes amiss I find.
Top Tip
If you grate the cheese into the omelette rather than add it on top, you can simply flip the omelette over to cook the other side. Then there’s no need for a grill.
Other Recipes Made With Leftovers You Might Like
- Cheese & leek bread pudding
- Creamy pea dip
- Italian green sauce (bagnèt verd)
- Leftover advocaat cake
- Pineapple shrub
- Vegetable fritters from leftover cooked vegetables
Keep in Touch
Thanks for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make this omelette with leftover mashed potatoes, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. And do please rate the recipe. Have you any top tips? Do share photos on social media too and use the hashtag #tinandthyme, so I can spot them.
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Choclette x
Leftover Mashed Potato Omelette. PIN IT.
Leftover Mashed Potato Omelette
Ingredients
- 200 g leftover mashed potato
- 3 eggs
- 2 spring onions (scallions) (scallions)
- small bunch of parsley
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- good grinding of black pepper
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 10 g unsalted butter
- 125 g mozzarella ball (can use crumbled feta or grated hard cheese instead)
Instructions
- In a bowl, or even the pan the potato was cooked in, soften the potato with a fork. Break in the eggs and beat them into the mashed potato. You don’t need to get a smooth consistency, but you could use a potato masher if you prefer that to a fork.200 g leftover mashed potato, 3 eggs
- Finely chop the spring onions and parsley and add to the bowl along with the pepper and salt. Stir it all together.2 spring onions (scallions), small bunch of parsley, ¼ tsp sea salt, good grinding of black pepper
- Place a large non-stick pan over a medium heat. Add the olive oil followed by the butter.1 tsp olive oil, 10 g unsalted butter
- As soon as the butter is sizzling, pour the egg mixture into the pan, scraping it out well with a rubber spatula.
- Cook the omelette for 3-5 minutes or until bubbles start to appear and the top begins to set.
- Thinly slice the mozzarella and arrange the slices evenly over the top of the omelette.125 g mozzarella ball
- Stick the whole pan under a hot grill for a further 3-5 minutes or until the top is set and the cheese melted. Ideally leave it until the cheese has caught a bit of colour.
- Cut into slices and serve with a salad, tomato salsa or cooked vegetables.
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
Sharing
I’m sharing this recipe for a leftover potato mash omelette with Family Friends Food for #CookBlogShare.
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Better if not vegan, mix in chopped ham and corn, no extra salt if adding pork products. Very filling and satisfies. Cook on low to medium heat covered and add cheese at the end.
Glad it worked for you.
Hispanics have been making this recipe for years. Torte de papa. A method to stretch leftovers and make them more filling. The more leftover vegetables and cheese you have, the more filling it can be, and you can stretch it further.
Thank you for this, I’d not heard of Torte de papa before. But it makes total sense. Most people couldn’t afford to waste food. We sometimes seem to have forgotten that.
What a brilliant idea Choclette. Do you know what, I reckon my lot would go for this. They’ve learnt to make their own omelettes and love mash so I’m going to give this a go, fingers crossed this can be added to the teens limited ‘allowed food’ list!!!
Oh, I do hope so Rebecca. This is such an easy omelette to make and you don’t need to be fussy about the result. Fingers crossed.
Super smart and delicious way to use up mash!
Thank you Chloe. It’s been one of my go tos for years.
Loved this recipe! I had lots of mashed potatoes leftovers and needed a solution. This worked our perfectly and was de-li-ci-ous!
Glad the omelette recipe provided a solution for you Tavo. Thanks so much for letting us know.
This omelette was perfect for my leftover mashed potatoes! Definitely my go-to recipe now when I need to use them up!
Yay, so pleased you found the recipe useful Rachel. It makes me look forward to mashed potato – not that I wouldn’t be anyway.
Got to love an omelette… But I’ve never added mashed potato! What a great idea xxx
Oh you have to try it Kate, it makes for a great quick lunch or supper.
Hi – would never have thought of using mash up like this but it’s genius and why not. We are aiming to use every last bit of food at the moment!
Thank you. Mash works a treat in omelettes. And indeed, I hate waste at the best of times, but now food is so expensive, it’s even more imperative to use up every scrap.
What a great recipe Choclette! I will make it for my partner this weekend as he is vegetarian. I am sure he will def appreciate it 🙂
Sounds like a good plan Hanna. We have it at least once a month.
What a brilliant idea! This would make a delicious lunch and such a good way to avoid waste. Love it!
Thanks for sharing it with #cookblogshare
Thanks Helen. Lunch, brunch, supper – it works for all of them.
I love omelette! Have never thought of mixing with mashed potato though. Yours surely turned out very delicious and moreish.
angiesrecipes
Oh do try it Angie, it makes for such a comforting omelette.
I do love an omelette! They are so versatile, and this one sounds so delicious with the creamy mash and melting mozzarella – yum!
Thank you Janice. It’s a firm favourite with us. I often use different cheeses depending on what we have in the house, but it’s always good.