What do you do when you find yourself with too many leftover mashed potatoes? You can certainly reheat them, but why not use them to make this Easy-to-Make Leftover Mashed Potato Soup? This one-pot recipe uses simple ingredients to make a quick, comforting meal. For extra flavor, add in diced ham, crispy bacon, sour cream, or chives. Or, just serve this easy-to-make potato soup with a slice of crusty bread.
Thanksgiving leftovers. They’re a blessing and a curse at the same time, right? I mean, it’s nice not to have to worry about what’s for dinner after you’ve just spent an entire day in the kitchen and several days prepping and planning. However, after you’ve pretty much eaten the same meal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for three days in a row, the last thing you want to see on your plate is another scoop of reheated mashed potatoes.
So, this year, I decided to transform those aggravating leftover mashed potatoes into something else entirely. Mashed potato soup sprinkled with lots of cheddar cheese. Because you know what? Sadly Thanksgiving doesn’t really involve cheese, and that’s just crummy because cheese is just so daggone amazing, so why doesn’t it get to be a part of the holiday celebration? I mean, cheese can even make leftover mashed potatoes worth looking forward to again. I call that magical. And, cheese definitely works its magic in this easy-to-make, non-fussy soup that doesn’t require a bunch of fancy ingredients. Because y’all, once again, after having just spent so much time in the kitchen at Thanksgiving, I wasn’t quite ready to waste an entire day making soup out of leftover mashed potatoes.
For this soup, I kept things really simple. I wasn’t looking to create a Thanksgiving leftover work of genius, I just didn’t want the guilt of shoving those potatoes down the disposal. So, as a reward for my using up those bothersome leftovers, we now have dinner for two more days. Joy. Heck, you never know, to switch things up, maybe I’ll even throw a little bit of turkey in the soup one evening when I reheat it, because yes, unfortunately, there’s still leftover turkey in our house as well. I don’t know about y’all, but I’m pretty gosh done ready for the Christmas ham to arrive. Because when it comes to turkey, I’m a little freaking over it.
Ingredients:
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- 2 Tablespoons All-Purpose Flour
- 2 Cups Low-Sodium Chicken Broth
- 3 Cups Leftover Mashed Potatoes
- 2 Cups Whole Milk
- 2 Tablespoons Dried Parsley
- 1/4 to 1/2 Teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- 1/2 Teaspoon Finely Ground Black Pepper
- 1/2 Teaspoon Onion Powder
- Honey
- Freshly Grated Cheddar Cheese
- Salt and Pepper to Taste
Directions:
- Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven or stock pot over medium-high heat.
- When the butter is melted, stir in the flour. Stir constantly for 1 1/2 minutes.
- Slowly add the broth, stirring constantly. Make sure to add a little at a time to prevent lumps.
- Add the mashed potatoes and mix well to combine. Use a wooden spoon to help break up any lumps of mashed potato.
- Add the milk, dried parsley, crushed red pepper flakes, black pepper, and onion powder.
- Bring the soup to a simmer, stirring constantly. Cook until slightly thickened.
- Serve the soup with a small drizzle of honey and a sprinkle of cheddar cheese.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
Suggestions:
- I used salted butter for this recipe, however, you can use either salted or unsalted. If you are using unsalted butter, you may need to add more salt to taste.
- If you like spice, add a 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes to the soup. If you prefer less spice, only add 1/4 teaspoon.
- You may need more or less salt and pepper in this recipe. It will all depend on the amount of salt and pepper in your leftover mashed potatoes, chicken broth, and cheese.
- Use a wooden spoon to stir the soup constantly. While you are stirring, try to break up any clumps of mashed potato. This soup will have some texture to it. It will not be super smooth, however, it should not be overly lumpy.
- I like to drizzle a little bit of honey over the soup. It gives the soup a little bit of sweetness and helps to balance out the flavors. You can omit the honey if you choose, or add a teaspoon or two of granulated sugar or brown sugar to the soup while it is cooking.
- This soup will yield 4 bowls of soup. The bowls of soup won’t be overly large, so I suggest serving them with bread or a slice of cake. And yes, I said cake. It’s a pretty great combination. I suggest this Autumn Honey Apple Bake & Slice Bundt Cake or this Oatmeal Apple Spice Bundt Cake made with a cake mix.
Improvements:
- Serve this soup garnished with crispy crumbled bacon, diced ham, sour cream, or chives.
- Replace the cheddar cheese with gouda, gruyère, or blue cheese.
- For a richer soup, replace some of the milk with heavy whipping cream or half and half.
- Instead of putting crushed red pepper flakes in the soup, drizzle the soup with Hot Honey.
- CLICK HERE to see all of our other amazing past soup, chili, stew, and chowder recipes.
Ingredients:
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- 2 Tablespoons All-Purpose Flour
- 2 Cups Low-Sodium Chicken Broth
- 3 Cups Leftover Mashed Potatoes
- 2 Cups Whole Milk
- 2 Tablespoons Dried Parsley
- 1/4 to 1/2 Teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- 1/2 Teaspoon Finely Ground Black Pepper
- 1/2 Teaspoon Onion Powder
- Honey
- Freshly Grated Cheddar Cheese
- Salt and Pepper to Taste
Directions:
- Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven or stock pot over medium-high heat.
- When the butter is melted, stir in the flour. Stir constantly for 1 1/2 minutes.
- Slowly add the broth, stirring constantly. Make sure to add a little at a time to prevent lumps.
- Add the mashed potatoes and mix well to combine. Use a wooden spoon to help break up any lumps of mashed potato.
- Add the milk, dried parsley, crushed red pepper flakes, black pepper, and onion powder.
- Bring the soup to a simmer, stirring constantly. Cook until slightly thickened.
- Serve the soup with a small drizzle of honey and a sprinkle of cheddar cheese.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
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