Need a quick side dish on those crazy nights? Try these garlic Parmesan mashed potatoes. Made with instant potatoes, they can be on the table in 5 minutes!
Now that school is back in full-swing, things are pretty crazy around here. There are before-school activities, late pickups from school and then of course, at least 3 nights per week, at least ONE of my children has something at 6:00pm.
It makes getting dinner on the table a challenge, especially if we want to eat together as a family (something that is very important to me)
I usually prefer cooking from scratch, but on those crazy nights, I am not adverse to reaching for pre-packaged foods in order to get dinner on the table in a hurry. So when the people at Idahoan Russets asked me to try their new Signature Russets potatoes, I figured “why not?”.
I admit that I have always had a “mental block” against instant mashed potatoes. I think it is because when I was little and visiting my father on weekends, he always made them (and not well). I do keep them in my house, but I use them to thicken gravy and soups. But still, we love mashed potatoes in this house and I knew I could make them “work”.
And so, on a typical crazy night, I decided to skip the peeling and boiling and mixing and grabbed 2 packages of Idahoan Russets (we are a family of 5 – 1 package just isn't going to cut it).
The result? These garlic Parmesan mashed potatoes were a huge hit with my family! They had a smooth taste just like homemade mashed potatoes and were just packed with flavor.
Even my “mashed potato addict” 13-year old loved them. My daughter would have preferred a little less garlic flavor, so you will want to adjust the amount of garlic powder to your family. I used 1 teaspoon of garlic powder and that gave a very strong garlic flavor, but we love that. If you aren't trying to ward off vampires or your family doesn't love a lot of garlic, you might want to start with less garlic!
So if you need a side dish that tastes like Sunday dinner, but can be on the table in less than 5 minutes, try these garlic Parmesan mashed potatoes!
Scroll down for the recipe!
Ingredients
- 2 cups instant mashed potato flakes or 2 pkgs like Idahoan Russets
- 2 cups water
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1/2 - 1 tsp garlic powder to taste
- 3/4 cup heavy cream you can also use milk
- 1/3 cup shredded or grated Parmesan cheese
- 3 Tbsp chopped fresh chives
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, heat the water, garlic powder and butter just until boiling.
- Remove from heat and stir in the milk
- Add the potato flakes, Parmesan cheese and chives and gently stir and fluff with a fork to remove any lumps
- Serve and enjoy!
Disclosure: I have partnered with Idahoan for this post, but all opinions are my own and these mashed potatoes are REALLY good!
Garlic Parmesan Mashed Potatoes
Mindi has been blogging since 2008 sharing her best frugal living tips, recipes and more. When she isn't writing, she spends time as an unpaid cook, maid and chauffeur to her 3 children!
Just pinned found you on Idea Box looks very tasty!
Like you, I didn’t grow up liking instant potatoes. However, this particular brand of instant potatoes makes it super easy to make nice tasting instant potatoes in a snap.