As many of you may know, we just love potatoes in my house. All the ways; all the time. One of my daughter’s favorites side dishes is mashed potatoes, so I try to rotate those in regularly with our meals. But, wanting to eat them more often means I want a lightened-up version. And that’s exactly what we have here today with these Healthy Mashed Potatoes.
They are still smooth and creamy, rich, and delicious, but we are making some simple, smart swaps to cut down a little on fat and calories. You might not even realize they are lightened up — they’re that good!
Something I do from time-to-time is add in some healthy mashed cauliflower for part of the potatoes. This helps stretch the side dish, add some extra bulk, and cut down on the overall calories. I’d say swap about 1/4 the total amount of potatoes for cauliflower in your dish, or all the way up to 1/2, depending on how much you like it.
You might also want to check out this Mashed Cauliflower Casserole with Cheese & Bacon, another perfect low-carb side dish.
Healthy Mashed Potatoes
- 15 minutes
- 30 minutes
- 45 minutes
- 4-6 servings
Ingredients
2 lbs. medium Yukon gold potatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1/3 cup skim milk
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. (For any especially large potatoes, cut them in half so the potatoes are roughly the same size and will cook evenly.) Add 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to maintain a low boil. Cook for about 25-30 minutes, or until tender.
- Drain the potatoes, reserving 1/3 cup of the cooking liquid.
- Transfer the potatoes to a large bowl. Add the milk and 2 tablespoons of the reserved cooking liquid. Mash the potatoes until desired consistency (depending on whether you prefer chunky or very smooth).
- Add the Greek yogurt, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and pepper and continue to mash. (Or, if you like chunky potatoes, just stir the yogurt in until well incorporated to avoid extra mashing.) Add up to an additional 2 tablespoons of the reserved cooking liquid and/or additional milk, if needed, to get the potatoes to your desired consistency.
- Season to taste, adding the remaining salt if needed, and serve hot with the melted butter on top.
Notes:
- Potatoes: Yukon gold potatoes make the creamiest mashed potatoes in my opinion. However, you could also use this same method and recipe and substitute red potatoes (we love those too!)
- Potato size: Be sure your potatoes are similarly sized so they’ll cook evenly. If you have a couple of really large potatoes, cut them in half before putting them in the pot.
- Potato peels: To peel or not to peel… is up to you! We love leaving the skin on our potatoes and mashing it right in. However, you can peel your potatoes before or after they are cooked before you mash them.
- Cooking liquid: We are using some of the reserved cooking liquid for these potatoes, so make sure to save some. This helps mash and thin out the potatoes without adding extra calories!
- Skim milk: This adds the liquid we need while keeping things light. You can also use 1% or 2% milk if that’s what you usually have on hand. You could also use a fat-free half-and-half.
- Greek yogurt: This adds some creaminess and a nice, slight tanginess to the mashed potatoes. It also brings some healthy protein to the party. Choose nonfat plain Greek yogurt or a 2% or 5% fat version, whichever you prefer.
