Bubble and Squeak is a British recipe that combines mashed potatoes with cooked leftover vegetables and meat into a pan-fried taste sensation. This is an excellent way to use up little bits of leftover vegetables and meat.
Breakfast is my and hubby’s favorite meal of the day. What’s not to love about breakfast? I love to serve these with fruit salad and microwave scrambled eggs for our Sunday breakfast.
Why I Love This Recipe
- These delectable potato cakes are both easy and delicious, making them perfect for any meal. Serve with eggs and bacon for a hearty breakfast. For lunch, serve with sausage gravy ladled over the top, and for dinner, serve them with pan-fried chicken with cream gravy.
- This is a great way to use up those little bits of leftover cooked vegetables and meat that are hanging out in your refrigerator before they go bad. Or use it for leftovers from Christmas and Thanksgiving.
- Because this recipe is so darn easy, even a new cook or teenager can learn how to make this. There are no special techniques or ingredients required.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
See the complete list of ingredients below on the recipe card.
- Mashed potatoes: Plain mashed potatoes work best. Leftover mashed potatoes work well too, but you might need to add 2-3 tablespoons of flour, depending on how much milk and butter were added to them.
- Oil: Use vegetable, canola, or olive oil. You can substitute butter, but I find that the oil makes them crispier.
- Vegetables: Try carrots, cabbage, kale, Brussels sprouts, onions, or peas.
- Meat: Try cooked ham, bacon, sausage, or even leftover roast.
- Fresh herbs: like parsley and thyme
How to make Bubble and Squeak
This is a summary version; for the complete list of ingredients and instructions, please refer to the recipe card below.
Start by cooking and mashing about 1 pound of potatoes. Do not add anything to the potatoes, just mash them with a potato masher. You can also use leftover mashed potatoes, but you might need to add 2-3 tablespoons of flour to them to thicken them if you added milk and butter to the mashed potatoes. If you don’t have any leftover cooked veggies and meat in the fridge, then cut some up and cook them in a skillet with a little oil.
Combine the cooked ingredients with the mashed potatoes in a large bowl. Form the mixture into patties and fry them up in a hot skillet with a little oil. For ease in flipping them, first brown the bottom, then carefully invert to a plate, then slide the patties off the plate into the hot skillet to brown the other side. Serve promptly while crisp and hot.
Preparation Tips and Storage
- Finely chop all the vegetables and meat so they mix well into the potato patty.
- For ease in flipping, first brown the bottom, then carefully invert to a plate, then slide the patties off the plate into the hot skillet to brown the other side. Another option is to invert the potato cake right into another hot skillet.
- If desired, top with fresh thyme and crispy cooked bacon.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Heat in a skillet over medium heat or microwave.
Serving Suggestions
- Eggs: fried, over-easy, poached, or baked eggs.
- Gravy or sauce: brown sauce, mushroom gravy, or onion gravy.
- Meat: bacon, sausage, ham steak, or pan-fried pork chops
More Potato Recipes
Bubble and Squeak
Ingredients
- 1 lb mashed potatoes about 2 cups
- 3 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
- 1 small carrot finely chopped
- ½ cup chopped cabbage
- ¼ cup finely chopped onion
- ¼ cup chopped collard greens or kale
- ¼ cup chopped ham
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 2 slices crispy cooked bacon chopped
- fresh thyme leaves
Instructions
- If using fresh mashed potatoes. Peel and cut your potatoes into chunks. Put them in a large pot and fill with cool water. Bring it to a boil and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Drain well and mash with a handheld potato masher.
- Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the carrots, cabbage, onions, and collard greens and cook for several minutes, stirring several times. Add the ham and cook until the vegetables are soft. Cool for just a couple of minutes.
- Stir the potatoes and the cooked vegetable mixture together. Season with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste.
- Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Shape the mixture into 4 equal patties. Fry them up 2 at a time in the skillet. Let them get golden brown on the bottom before inverting onto a plate. Then, gently push them back into the hot skillet to brown the other side. Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in the skillet before adding the second batch. If desired, you can make 2 large patties.
- Garnish with chopped bacon and fresh thyme leaves. For best results, serve promptly.
Notes
- Finely chop all the vegetables and meat so they mix well into the potato patty.
- For ease in flipping, first brown the bottom, then carefully invert to a plate, then slide the patties off the plate into the hot skillet to brown the other side. Another option is to invert the potato cake right into another hot skillet.
- If desired, top with fresh thyme and crispy cooked bacon.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Heat in a skillet over medium heat or microwave.
Nutrition
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Ntensibe Edgar
Hhhhmmmm….this is a very nice dish, by the sound of it. Mashed potato and meat put together with vegetables….that’s a plan and a very nutritious one, at that! Thanks for sharing about it.
Renata - www.byemyself.com
I’ve never heard of this dish before. I kid you not – I would sooo enjoy this since I’m very much into one pot/one pan food – especially when it ends up being really crispy.
Elise Ho
This seems like a great way to use leftovers in a delicious new way.
Blair Villanueva
I reckon it would be a lovely experience visiting your kitchen coz you made this amazing meal. It does make me feel hungry!
Milton Coyne
That’s a cute name… As a big fan of mashed potatoes.. I certainly approve this meal.. Also it is a smart and practical way to make leftovers more delicious.. What an ideal breakfast for me too.
Thank yoi for sharing this recipe
Beth Pierce
The pleasure is all mine! So glad that you liked them!
Kelly Bolen
This looks so good!!!! And very tasty! I will be adding this to my need to make list!
Fransic verso
That looks new recipe from the leftover. Good idea to use them and it looks so yummy with the eggs.
Sara | mshealthesteem.com
I love crispy potato dishes! Especially for breakfast. And this one is so packed full of goodness too – perfect to fuel you up in the morning. I’ve never heard of bubble and squeak before and I’m excited to give it a try! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe with us!
Melanie williams
I love this!! You have actually made what is essentially leftovers look like a really pretty dish and we can’t wait to try this out. thank you so much x
Matt Taylor
Nice! This bubble and squeak recipe looks great. I haven’t had it before, so can’t wait to try it and taste it.