The Schmidty Wife

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Sausage Cranberry Apple Stuffing

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Recipe for Sausage Cranberry Apple Stuffing! Not only is this the most flavor packed stuffing you will ever make it also happens to be the most colorful! But with savory sausage, sweet apples, and tart cranberries you seriously can’t go wrong! Easy to prep ahead this is a side dish that wills seriously impress on the Thanksgiving table.

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A white casserole dish with Sausage Cranberry Apple Stuffing with pops od red cranberries and garnished with fresh rosemary.

Stuffing with Cranberry and Apples

My husband, the resident stuffing connoisseur pronounced this stuffing as the best stuffing he has ever had. Filled with all sorts of Thanksgiving flavors I think most other people would agree.

This recipe keeps stuffing basic while adding in as many fun flavors as possible. It uses the classic dried bread cubes, as well as seasonings, and chicken broth. But we are adding in amazing flavors like sausage, apples, and cranberries.

Plus you can make it all the day ahead of time and keep it in the fridge overnight for ease on Thanksgiving day.

Overhead view of a white casserole dish with stuffing with sausage, cranberries, and apples garnished with fresh rosemary.

Ingredients

  • Unsalted Butter – I use unsalted butter when cooking because it lets me control the amount of salt in the dish because the salt in butter will vary across brands. But in the chance that you only have salted butter you can use that just use half the salt in the recipe.
  • Yellow Onion – A classic addition to a stuffing recipe, the onions will get cooked in the skillet until nice and soft.
  • Celery Stalks – Another classic addition to stuffing, I wanted to add the celery in to ensure that the recipe didn’t get too sweet but stayed savory, the celery does a good job helping to balance that flavor.
  • Ground Sausage – Ground sausage one of the stars of this dish, I recommend sticking to a classic flavored pork sausage for this dish. I like the All Natural Jone’s brand but use your favorite!
  • Kosher Salt – Kosher salt works best when cooking, if you don’t have some in your house I seriously recommend grabbing some. Sea salt works just as well but if you are using table salt only use half the amount the recipe calls for.
  • Fresh Sage – Chop up some fresh sage for this recipe, this is a flavor that forever reminds me of Thanksgiving so I had to include it in this recipe! Look below in the note for instructions for using dried herbs (rosemary too) instead of the fresh herbs.
  • Fresh Rosemary – Another classic Thanksgiving herb, the rosemary and sage work together so nicely. You will be chopping up the rosemary as well. And just like above you can substitute dried rosemary if needed.
  • Apple – The apple is actually probably the most fickle of all the ingredients in this dish. For the apple variety use a hard apple, any of the following apples will work well (but isn’t limited too) Red Delicious, Gala, Fuji, Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Golden Delicious. Just note while all these apples are of the harder variety some will be sweeter than others, if you are looking for less sweet I recommend a Granny Smith. If you are looking for sweet go with a Fuji or Gala. Looking for an in-between pick out a Honeycrisp!
  • Fresh Cranberries – Cranberry sauce doesn’t get all the fresh cranberries this year! Grab an extra bag so you make sure you have enough for this dish! The fresh cranberries really help even out the sweetness of the apples.
  • Chicken Stock/Broth – If you are sensitive to salt you may want to use a low-sodium broth but otherwise just grab your favorite brand from the store.
  • Bread cubes – There are going to be different varieties of flavors of the bread cubes at the store. In the photos you will see I went for the Herb Seasoned, you really can choose whichever one sounds best to you. This recipe calls for a full 12 ounce bag.

For a complete detailed list of the ingredients continue towards the bottom of the page.

Ingredients needed to make Sausage Cranberry Apple Stuffing laid out on a countertop.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350º F. Grease a 9×13 inch casserole dish and set aside. 

In a skillet over medium-high heat melt the butter. once melted add in the diced onion and celery. Sauté 4 to 5 minutes until onion and celery have become tender. 

Add sausage to the center of the pan. Crumble and cook until the pink in gone, about 8 minutes. Drain out any extra liquids. 

The first steps for making Sausage Cranberry Apple stuffing showing the onions, celery, and sausage being cooked in a skillet.

Add salt, sage, rosemary, diced apple, cranberries, and chicken stock to the skillet. Mix togther and cook 5 to 7 minutes or until the cranberries begin to pop.

The second steps showing how to make sausage cranberry apple stuffing showing cranberries, apples, seasonings, and broth being added to the sausage.

Add the bread cubes to the greased casserole dish. Pour the contents of the skillet over the bread cubes. Toss everything together to combine.

Cover with aluminum foil and cook 20 minutes. Uncover the dish and cook another 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest at least 5 minutes before serving. 

Steps three showing the sausage cranberry apple broth mixture being combined with the bread cubes in a white casserole dish.
Overhead of casserole dish of stuffing with cranberries, apples, and sausage garnished with fresh rosemary.

Tips, Tricks, & Questions

  • You may sub out the sage and rosemary for the dried versions, use 1 teaspoon dried sage and 1 teaspoon dried rosemary. 

Can this be made ahead of time?

Yes. Go ahead and assemble the casserole by making the sausage, apple, cranberry broth mixture and tossing it with the bread cubes but before baking simply cover keep it in the fridge instead. It can be made the full day before! Once ready to cook remove from the fridge at least 45 minutes before baking.

Close up view of a spoon scooping up cranberry apple sausage stuffing out of a white casserole dish.

Looking for more Thanksgiving dinner recipes like Sausage Cranberry Apple Stuffing, you might like these:

Yield: 14 servings

Sausage Cranberry Apple Stuffing

Overhead photo of an angled white dish with stuffing filled with sausage, cranberries, and apples.

Full of flavor this homemade stuffing recipe is full of savory sausage, sweet apples, and tart cranberries! Sausage Cranberry Apple Stuffing is sure to become your family's new favorite Thanksgiving side dish!

Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 2 celery stalks, sliced
  • 1 pound ground sausage
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoons fresh sage, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped
  • 1 apple, diced
  • 1 cup fresh cranberries
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • 12 ounces bread cubes

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350º F. Grease a 9x13 inch casserole dish and set aside.
  2. In a skillet over medium-high heat melt the butter, once melted add in the diced onion and celery. Sauté 4 to 5 minutes until onion and celery have become tender.
  3. Add sausage to the center of the pan. Crumble and cook until the pink is gone, about 8 minutes. Drain out any extra liquids.
  4. Add salt, sage, rosemary, diced apple, cranberries, and chicken stock to the skillet. Mix together and cook 5 to 7 minutes or until the cranberries begin to pop.
  5. Add the bread cubes to the greased casserole dish. Pour the contents of the skillet over the bread cubes. Toss everything together to combine.
  6. Cover with aluminum foil and cook 20 minutes. Uncover the dish and cook another 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest at least 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

You may sub out the sage and rosemary for the dried versions, use 1 teaspoon dried sage and 1 teaspoon dried rosemary.

For the apple variety use a hard apple, any of the following apples will work well (but isn't limited too) Red Delicious, Gala, Fuji, Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Golden Delicious. Just note while all these apples are of the harder variey some will be sweeter than others, if you are looking for less sweet I recommend a granny smith. If you are looking for sweet go with a Fuji or Gala. Looking for an inbetween pick out a honeycrisp!

Looking to prep it ahead? Go ahead and make the casserole but before baking simply keep it in the fridge instead, it can be made the full day before! Once ready to cook remove from the fridge at least 45 minutes before baking.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

14

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 206Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 25mgSodium: 531mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 1gSugar: 4gProtein: 7g

Nutritional data is automated, final nutritional information will depend on ingredients used and any changes made.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment below on the blog or share a photo with me tag @the_schmidty_wife! Can't wait to see what you made!

© Lauren Schmidt
Cuisine: American / Category: Side Dishes

And make sure you are following me on TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for all the latest recipes!

Peace & Love

Lauren, The Schmidty Wife

The BEST Classic Mashed Potatoes

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A Classic Mashed Potatoes Recipe that is the star side dish of any holiday, dinner party, or comfort meal! Keeping it simple with potatoes and classic ingredients like milk and butter this recipe can be made on the Stovetop or Instant Pot keeping you in control of your kitchen!

This post may contain Affiliate Links.

White bowl full of fluffy mashed potatoes dripping with melted butter and garnished with fresh parsley.

Homemade Mashed Potatoes

Mashed Potatoes the epitome of comfort and holiday food. Not a Thanksgiving could go by without them right? Not to mention the best comfort food like Roast Chicken or a Pot Roast is always better with a side of mashed potatoes!

So here I am sharing my best classic mashed potatoes recipe which can easily be done on the stovetop or in the pressure cooker!

If you are looking for a mashed potatoes recipe with more add-ins and flavor I would suggest my Pressure Cooker Garlic Herb Mashed Potatoes or for a Low-Carb Option my Garlic Parmesan Mashed Cauliflower THIS one today is all about keeping it classic so if that is what you are looking for let’s dive in!

Side view of a bowl of fluffy and creamy mashed potatoes.

Ingredients & Substitues

  • Yukon Gold Potatoes – Yukon Gold potatoes are most commonly considered to be the best potatoes for mashed potatoes, they have a very smooth texture as well as a mild flavor, they cook beautifully and mashed nicely. Some grocery stores I have noticed they call Yukon Golds just ‘yellow’ or ‘gold’ potatoes, either way you are looking for a potatoes with a yellow smooth almost wax like skin. I will note if you want to substitute for a different potato I recommend using russet potatoes, I have made mashed potatoes with russet potatoes many times and it always comes out good!
  • Garlic – I wanted to make sure these potatoes did have some flavor! While 1 tablespoon of minced garlic sounds like a lot at first this recipe does make 5 pounds of potatoes so the garlic flavor definitely isn’t overwhelming.
  • Kosher Salt – You will use salt when cooking the potatoes and more towards the end to finish flavoring the mashed potatoes. I prefer using kosher salt when cooking, if you are using table salt use half the amount and then taste before deciding if you need to add more or not.
  • Unsalted Butter – Using unsalted butter let’s you be in full control of the salt in the mashed potatoes, especially because different brands of butter will put different amounts of salt in there butter, it is safe to get unsalted and just add more salt if you see fit.
  • Sour Cream – I found a good size dollop of sour cream in the potatoes helps even out the richness slightly while still maintaining maximum creaminess. If you are looking for a substitute for this I have used Greek Yogurt in my mashed potatoes with much success!
  • Whole Milk – For flavor alone I suggest using whole milk, it will help keep the silky and creaminess without being overly rich like an actual cream will. If using a skim or 2% milk you might lose some of that flavor BUT at the end of the day that is what you have it will work.
  • Cream Cheese – And this is my sneaky little addition to most classic mashed potatoes recipes! It seriously adds maximum creaminess and smoothness!

For a complete detailed list of the ingredients continue towards the bottom of the page.

Ingredients for classic mashed potatoes laid out on a tabletop.

Instructions for Classic Mashed Potatoes

Stovetop

Peel and quarter cut the potatoes, making the cut pieces about the same size. Add to a large pot and cover with cool water. Add in 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Cover and place over high heat. Cook 35 to 40 minutes until the potatoes are tender and easily poked with a fork. 

Collage showing peeled and quartered potatoes in a pot covered with water and then cooked potatoes in a colander.

Drain the potatoes into a collander. Bring the pot back to the stovetop bringing the heat down to medium. Add garlic, remaining salt, butter, sour cream, milk, and cream cheese to the pot. Stir the milk mixture letting the butter and cream cheese melt. As the mixture warms up keeps stiring to make sure everyething melts together. Once everything has come together and the milk mixture is hot and starting to steam remove from heat, do not let the mixture start to boil. 

Collage showing the dairy, salt, and garlic measured out in a bowl and then being warmed up in a large pot.

Add the drained potatoes back to the pot and mash with a potato masher or for smoother potatoes you can use an immersion blender. 

Collage showing potatoes and milk mixture in a pot and then being mashed with a potato masher.

Instant Pot

Peel and quarter cut the potatoes, making the cut pieces about the same size. For convience add a basket to the bottom of the pressure cooker pot, if you don’t have one it is okay. Add the potatoes to the pot and cover with cool water making sure not to go above the max fill line (if a little bit of the potatoes are sticking out it is okay). Add in 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Cover and seal lid, turn steam vent to sealing, and select manual/pressure cook. Set to high pressure for 15 minutes. With the large amount of water the pressure cooker will take between 20-30 minutes to preheat before cooking depending on the model. 

When the timer goes off quick realease the steam vent carefully. Once the float has dropped carefully open the lid. If you added the basket you can carefully lift the potatoes out and let them drain in the sink then lifting out the pot and pour out all the water OR carefully lift out the whole pot and draining the potatoes into a collander.

Replace the pot into the instant pot and set to sauté. Add garlic, remaining salt, butter, sour cream, milk, and cream cheese to the pot. Stir the milk mixture letting the butter and cream cheese melt. As the mixture warms up keeps stiring to make sure everyething melts together. Once everything has come together and the milk mixture is hot and starting to steam turn off the sauté mode to stop the heat, do not let the mixture start to boil. 

Add the drained potatoes back to the pot and mash with a potato masher or for smoother potatoes you can use an immersion blender. 

White bowl on a blue striped towel filled with mashed potatoes and topped with melting butter and garnished with fresh parsley.

Tips, Tricks, & Questions

  • If you like your mashed potatoes less thick feel free to add more milk, start by adding another 1/4 cup and then go up from there is you feel its needed. 
  • Don’t skip the step where you warm the rest of the ingredients up! Skipping this step will first result in making it difficult to mash, secondly it can cause the mashed potatoes to get gluey instead of creamy! So it is worth the few extra minutes!
  • If you make the mashed potatoes with time to spare you can keeping them on ‘warm’ in a crockpot or your instant pot if you wish.

Prepping Mashed Potatoes Ahead

All the prep work can be done the day before in this recipe!

  • Peel and quarter cut the potatoes add them to a bowl and cover with cold water. Cover with a lid and keep in the fridge until you are ready to use.
  • Prep the remaining ingredients by measuring them all out and adding them together in a container with a lid. Once it is time simply empty the container into the pot to warm up.

Looking for how to make some gravy! Check out my Turkey Gravy from Pan Drippings! (This same method can be used for roast chicken too)

And let’s not forget the leftovers! If you happen to have some left the next day make sure you check out my Leftover Mashed Potato Cakes Recipe (coming soon)!

Overhead view of a large bowl of classic mashed potatoes top with a slab of butter and garnished with fresh parsley.

If you like this Classic Mashed Potatoes Recipe you might like some of my other side dishes:

Yield: 10 servings

Classic Mashed Potatoes

Overhead view of a large bowl of classic mashed potatoes top with a slab of butter and garnished with fresh parsley.

A Classic Mashed Potatoes Recipe that is the star side dish of any holiday, dinner party, or comfort meal! Keeping it simple with potatoes and classic ingredients like milk and butter this recipe can be made on the Stovetop or Instant Pot keeping you in control of your kitchen!

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

  • 5 pounds Gold Yukon Potatoes
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 4 ounces cream cheese

Instructions

Stovetop

  1. Peel and quarter cut the potatoes, making the pieces about the same size. Add to a large pot and cover with cold water. Add in ½ teaspoon of the salt. Cover and place over high heat. Cook 35 to 40 minutes until the potatoes are tender and easily poked with a fork.
  2. Drain the potatoes into a collander. Bring the empty pot back to the stovetop bringing the heat down to medium. Add garlic, remaining salt, butter, sour cream, milk, and cream cheese to the pot. Stir the milk mixture letting the butter and cream cheese melt. As the mixture warms up keep stiring to make sure everyething melts together. Once everything has come together and the milk mixture is hot and starting to steam remove from heat, do not let the mixture start to boil.
  3. Add the drained potatoes back to the pot and mash with a potato masher or for smoother potatoes you can use an immersion blender.

Instant Pot

  1. Peel and quarter cut the potatoes, making the cut pieces about the same size. For convience add a basket to the bottom of the pressure cooker pot, if you don't have one it is okay. Add the potatoes to the pot and cover with cold water making sure not to go above the max fill line (if a little bit of the potatoes are sticking out of the water it is okay). Add in 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Cover and seal lid, turn steam vent to sealing, and select manual/pressure cook. Set to high pressure for 15 minutes. With the large amount of water the pressure cooker will take between 20-30 minutes to preheat before cooking depending on the model.
  2. When the timer goes off quick realease the steam vent carefully. Once the float has dropped carefully open the lid. If you added the basket you can carefully lift the potatoes out and let them drain in the sink then lifting out the pot and pour out all the water OR carefully lift out the whole pot and drain the potatoes into a collander.
  3. Replace the pot into the instant pot and set to sauté. Add garlic, remaining salt, butter, sour cream, milk, and cream cheese to the pot. Stir the milk mixture letting the butter and cream cheese melt. As the mixture warms up keeps stiring to make sure everyething melts together. Once everything has come together and the milk mixture is hot and starting to steam turn off the sauté mode to stop the heat, do not let the mixture start to boil.
  4. Add the drained potatoes back to the pot and mash with a potato masher or for smoother potatoes you can use an immersion blender.

Notes

More info about prepping this dish ahead is above in the article but I want to note I find it most conveient to measure out everything for the milk mixturte ahead of time or while the potatoes are cooking so when it is time to add those ingredients it is a quick add to the pot.

I have seen gold yukon potatoes also labled as 'yellow' potatoes at some grocery stores, what you are looking for is a potato with a thin yellow smooth skin.

If you like you mashed potatoes less thick feel free to add more milk, start by adding another 1/4 cup and then go up from there is you feel its needed.

I like to use whole milk for flavor and consistency, it is going to add more to the mashed potatoes than if you use skim or 2%.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

10

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 323Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 32mgSodium: 320mgCarbohydrates: 50gFiber: 5gSugar: 4gProtein: 7g

Nutritional data is automated, final nutritional information will depend on ingredients used and any changes made.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment below on the blog or share a photo with me tag @the_schmidty_wife! Can't wait to see what you made!

© Lauren Schmidt
Cuisine: American / Category: Side Dishes

And make sure you are following me on TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for all the latest recipes!

Peace & Love

Lauren, The Schmidty Wife

Warm German Potato Salad with Bacon

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Warm German Potato Salad boosts flavors from salty bacon, tangy apple cider vinegar, and flavorful mustards. Served hot or cold this is a great side dish to accompany any meal!

This post may contain Affiliate Links.

Overhead of a white bowl full of warm German potato salad with whole grain mustard, bacon, and fresh parsley.

Warm German Potato Salad

I love a good potato salad! While a traditional American style potato salad is always good it sometimes is a great idea to switch it up with a nice bowl of Warm German Potato Salad instead.

This version of German Potato Salad has become popular in America, and while it is German this style of potato salad particularly points to a region in German, Bavaria which is in southern Germany. So if you are doing a vacation around Germany you might see this style of potato salads or many other different varieties.

German Potato Salad ditches the dressings and has no mayo, it relies on the flavors of bacon, apple cider vinegar, and mustards.

With only two components to the dish, the potatoes and the sauce this side dish is relatively easy to make.

You can serve it hot like many recipes will suggest (which also happens to be my favorite way to serve it) or it can be served cold. Either way it makes a great side dish that works great with almost any protein!

Side view of a large white bowl filled with German potato salad covered in a mustard sauce, with bacon bits and fresh parsley.

Ingredients

  • Baby potatoes – You can use any color baby potatoes in this recipe, yellow and red baby potatoes are both common place, you could even use a blend!
  • Bacon – My biggest advice when choosing your bacon is to not get a ‘flavored’ bacon, stay away from the ones that are flavored like maple or brown sugar, these will affect the taste of the whole dish (trust me I totally did this by accident, it wasn’t great). Stick to a plain or even smoked bacon. Either thick cut or regular will work fine for this recipe.
  • Garlic – Two cloves add just the right amount of garlic here, if you are using pre-minced garlic you will want about 1 teaspoon.
  • Yellow Onion – A nice mellow variety of onion that when softened will become sweeter, this is perfect here because we will also be adding green onions towards the end to make sure the recipe has some zip!
  • Dijon Mustard – The Dijon Mustard not only for the flavor but the creaminess it brings as well.
  • Whole Grain Mustard – The Whole Grain Mustard add both flavor and texture to the dish.
  • Sugar – Just a little bit to even out all the acidity in this dish between the vinegar, mustard, and onions it needs to be evened out just slightly.
  • Apple Cider Vinegar – The key to German Potato Salad, this is where the punch and flavor come from. I believe that apple cider vinegar tastes best here but if you don’t have any you can use just plain white vinegar.
  • Green Onions – The green onions at the end give a nice freshness, they are cooked just for a minute so they still have some zip to them but not too much.
  • Parsley – At the end a little fresh parsley really freshens up the dish!

For a complete detailed list of the ingredients continue towards the bottom of the page.

Ingredients from making homemade German potato salad laid out on a countertop.

Instructions for How to Make German Potato Salad

You will start by halving the potatoes and adding them to a large pot. Add cool water until all the potatoes are just covered, add a pinch of salt. Cover and heat over medium-high heat, bring to a boil. Let boil 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Drain.

While the potatoes are cooking prepare the sauce. In a bowl combine the dijon mustard, whole grain mustard, sugar, and apple cider vinegar. Whisk together to combine. 

In a skillet cook the bacon over medium heat until crispy, about 8 minutes. Set the cooked bacon aside on a paper towel lined plate to cool. 

Remove about half of the bacon grease from the skillet leaving about 2 tablespoons left to cook the yellow onion and garlic in. Add the diced onion and garlic, cook until tender about 4 to 5 minutes. 

Steps to make German potato salad showing cooking bacon on a skillet and then diced onions and garlic.
Steps to Mae German potato salad showing diced onions in bacon grease, adding mustards, vinegar & green onions, to make a sauce.

Add the vinegar mixure and the sliced green onions to the skillet. Cook about 1 minute then turn off the heat. 

Once the potatoes are cooked and drained add them to the sauce. Crumble the bacon and add it to the potatoes along with the fresh parsley. Toss everything carefully to mix. Serve hot/warm or let cool down and transfer to the fridge to serve as a cold potato salad. 

Steps to make German potato salad showing cooked potatoes being added to the sauce in a skillet, then gently tossed, and bacon bits and fresh parsley added.
Close up view of German Potato Salad show potatoes in a mustard sauce with bacon and parsley.

Tips, Tricks, and Questions

  • When adding the vinegar mixture to the skillet be careful to not stand over top or too close to the skillet. The vinegar will let off a lot of steam that is very strong, so make sure to back off a bit when doing this step or it will make your eyes watery! Once the vinegar cooks down a bit it will be much more managable. 
  • Yes this recipe uses two types of mustard, you maybe substitute out the whole grain mustard for more dijon mustard if that works best for you!

Can I serve German Potato Salad cold?

Absolutely! If you are planning on serving it cold what I recommend is to cool and store the potatoes and sauce separately until just before time to serve. If you mix the sauce and potatoes together while warm and then cool them down the potatoes will absorb some of the sauce leaving the potato salad less saucy.

Can German Potato Salad be reheated?

Yes, just be aware that the sauce might be absorbed into the potatoes so if you are reheating it I suggest just a splash of liquid like water or broth to keep the dish saucy.

How long can German Potato Salad sit out?

2 hours, just because this one doesn’t have mayo or other dairy dressings doesn’t mean it can sit out too long. 2 hours is the recommend amount of time to follow food safety guidelines.

What can you serve with German Potato Salad?

Almost anything! This is a great side dish for most proteins, so it is perfect for a barbecue. But some of my favorite recipes to serve it with is:

close up of a bowl of German potato salad covered with bacon bits and fresh parsley.

Like this Warm German Potato Salad Recipe? You might also like:

Yield: 6 servings

German Potato Salad

A white bowl of German potato salad with a spoon showing off saucy halved potatoes with bacon and fresh parsley.

Warm and delicious this German Potato Salad packs flavor from bacon, vinegar, and mustard! The perfect no mayo potato salad to serve as any side dish from Octoberfest to a office potluck!

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ pounds baby potatoes
  • 4 strips bacon
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 small yellow onion, diced
  • 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 3 green onions, sliced
  • 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped

Instructions

  1. Half the potatoes and add to a large pot. Add cool water until all the potatoes are just covered, add a pinch of salt. Cover and heat over medium-high heat, bring to a boil. Let boil 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Drain.
  2. While the potatoes are cooking prepare the sauce. In a bowl combine the dijon mustard, whole grain mustard, sugar, and apple cider vinegar. Whisk together to combine.
  3. In a skillet cook the bacon over medium heat until crispy, about 8 minutes. Set the cooked bacon aside on a paper towel lined plate to cool.
  4. Remove about half of the bacon grease from the skillet leaving about 2 tablespoons left to cook the yellow onion and garlic in. Add the diced onion and garlic, cook until tender about 4 to 5 minutes.
  5. Add the vinegar mixure and the sliced green onions to the skillet*. Cook about 1 minute then turn off the heat.
  6. Once the potatoes are cooked and drained add them to the sauce. Crumble the bacon and add it to the potatoes along with the fresh parsley. Toss everything carefully to mix. Serve warm or let cool down and transfer to the fridge to serve as a cold potato salad.

Notes

*When adding the vinegar mixture to the skillet be careful to not stand over top or too close to the skillet. The vinegar will let off a lot of steam that is very strong, so make sure to back off a bit when doing this step or it will make your eyes watery! Once the vinegar cooks down a bit it will be much more managable.

For the baby potatoes you can really use any color, I prefer the baby reds but if yellow is what you have available that works just fine.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1/2 cup
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 160Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 239mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 3gSugar: 3gProtein: 6g

Nutritional data is automated, final nutritional information will depend on ingredients used and any changes made.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment below on the blog or share a photo with me tag @the_schmidty_wife! Can't wait to see what you made!

© Lauren Schmidt
Cuisine: German / Category: Side Dishes

And make sure you are following me on TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for all the latest recipes!

Peace & Love

Lauren, The Schmidty Wife

Air Fryer Baby Potatoes

by Leave a Comment

Air Fryer Baby Potatoes are the side dish you will make over and over again! With just a few minutes of prep Baby Potatoes in the Air Fryer are the best crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside potatoes you will ever have.

This post may contain Affiliate Links.

Air fryer baby potatoes in a white ceramic serving dish covered in salt and garnished with chopped parsley.

Baby Potatoes in the Air Fryer

When I got my air fryer I did not expect the food I would be making most often in it was little potatoes.

I seriously have become reliant on this side dish at least one night a week. It is so easy and very crowd pleasing.

These baby potatoes only take a couple minutes to prep and they come out of the air fryer absolutely perfect. Crisp flavorful salt covered outsides open up into a soft and creamy potato inside. You seriously cannot go wrong.

Next time you are at the store just grab bag of the ‘The Little Potato Company’, you know the super handy pre-washed baby potatoes and you are basically almost done with the recipe. (The Little Potato Company is not a sponsor, I’m honestly just a huge fan).

Then besides the potatoes everything you need should already be at home!

Overhead shot of a ceramic serving dish filled with crispy air fryer baby potatoes covered in salt and garnished with parsley.

Ingredients

This recipe is incredibly simple, you basically just need the potatoes, oil, and salt and then feel free to interchange other spices as you see fit.

  • Baby Potatoes
  • Olive Oil
  • Kosher Salt
  • Garlic Powder
  • Onion Powder

For a complete detailed list of the ingredients continue towards the bottom of the page.

Ingredients needed to make the best air fryer baby potatoes.

Instructions to Air Fry Baby Potatoes

Start by preheating your air fryer to 390º F, running the machine at least 3 minutes. I have a Ninja Max XL but this recipe should easily fit into any size air fryer.

While the air fryer is preheating add your baby potatoes, olive oil, salt, garlic powder, & onion powder to a large bowl. Mix to coat the potatoes evenly.

Once the air fryer is ready add the seasoned potatoes to the air fryer. Cook at 390º F for 20 minutes. Shake basket to move the potatoes around every 4-5 minutes.

When done remove the potatoes promptly from the basket and serve immediately. 

Two photos showing the steps to prepping air fryer baby potatoes.
Close up of a couple of shiny crispy baby potatoes made in the air fryer.

Tips, Tricks, & Questions

Can you put raw potatoes into an air fryer?

Yes! The air fryer heats up quickly and moves the air around faster than an oven, making the potatoes cook even faster than if you were to try to roast them in a conventional oven.

Will this recipe fit in my air fryer?

It should! These potatoes don’t take up to much room, it should fit all size of air fryer.

Can I reheat these?

Yep, the best way I have found is to actually use the air fryer again. Preheat the air fryer to 350º and cook about 5 minutes or until hot again.

If you like these Air Fryer Mini Potatoes you might like some of my other side dishes:

Yield: 4 servings

Air Fryer Baby Potatoes

Freshly made baby potatoes in the air fryer in a white ceramic bowl.

Super easy and delicious baby pototatoes come out absoulutely perfect out of the air fryer. With just a few minutes of prep this is a side dish you can rely on again and again.

Prep Time 3 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 23 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1.5 pounds baby potatoes
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Instructions

  1. Preheat air fryer to 390º F, running the machine at least 3 minutes.
  2. While the air fryer is preheating add potatoes, olive oil, salt, garlic powder, & onion powder to a large bowl. Mix to coat the potatoes evenly.
  3. Add the potatoes to the air fryer. Cook at 390º F for 20 minutes. Shake basket every 4-5 minutes.
  4. When done remove the potatoes promptly from the basket and serve immediately.

Notes

For the potatoes I recommened grabbing a bag of 'The Little Potato Company', they are so conveniently washed and ready to use! (Not an add just a fan)

Feel free to leave out or change up the seasonings! A touch of paprika would be good here, you can also garnish the potatoes in herbs if you see fit!

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

about 10 baby potatoes
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 189Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 175mgCarbohydrates: 36gFiber: 4gSugar: 2gProtein: 4g

Nutritional data is automated, final nutritional information will depend on ingredients used and any changes made.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment below on the blog or share a photo with me tag @the_schmidty_wife! Can't wait to see what you made!

© Lauren Schmidt
Cuisine: American / Category: Side Dishes

And make sure you are following me on TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for all the latest recipes!

Peace & Love

Lauren, The Schmidty Wife

Pressure Cooker Corn on the Cob

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The easiest way to cook corn, no more boiling water on a hot summer’s day. Make Corn on the Cob in the Instant Pot! Let the pressure cooker do all the work, it couldn’t be easier!

This post may contain Affiliate Links.

Pyramid shaped stack of freshly cooked instant pot corn on the cob showing off bright yellow kernels complete with a slab of melted butter on top.

Instant Pot Corn on the Cob

Growing up in the Midwest and then relocating to New England as an adult really made me appreciate really good sweet corn. I am fairly certain during the summer as a kid we had fresh corn on the cob with dinner every night and I have a feeling we weren’t the only family in Minnesota that did.

Now that I live in New England and there isn’t a pickup truck selling corn out of the bed on every corner I really appreciate good corn when I get it.

So when I can get my hands on some good sweet corn it has to be cooked to perfection. The best way I have discovered?

You got it the Pressure Cooker!

Not only does it make the best corn it also is the easiest. Gone are the days of having to boil a huge pot of water on the stove in 90º weather making the kitchen even warmer.

White plate full of a stack of raw sweet corn on the cob.

Instructions

Start by adding 1 cup of water and a trivet tot he pot of a pressure cooker. Next stack the cleaned corn on top of the trivet. I have found it works best when making 2 layers of 3 ears of corn.

Now you will seal the lid, turn the steam vent to sealing, and select Steam cook. Set to 2 minutes. 

When the timer goes off after cooking quick release the steam. Once the float has dropped carefully open the lid. Serve corn on the cob immediately.

Before and after of a stack of corn on a trivet inside a pressure cooker.
Close up of an ear of corn on a plate, melted butter is in between the bright yellow kernels.

If you like Pressure Cooker Corn on the Cob you might like these other side dish ideas:

Yield: 6 servings

Pressure Cooker Corn on the Cob

Pyramid shaped stack of freshly cooked instant pot corn on the cob showing off bright yellow kernels complete with a slab of melted butter on top.

Gone are the days of boiling a huge pot of water on the stovetop for sweet corn. Making Corn on the Cob in the Instant Pot saves you on time and labor!

Prep Time 1 minute
Cook Time 2 minutes
Additional Time 7 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 6 ears of corn, shucked

Instructions

  1. Add 1 cup of water to the pot of a pressure cooker. Add a trivet to the pot. Stack the corn on the trivet.
  2. Seal lid, turn steam vent to sealing, and select Steam cook. Set to 2 minutes.
  3. When the timer goes off after cooking quick release the steam. Once the float has dropped carefully open the lid. Serve corn on the cob immediately.

Notes

Feel free to add salt, butter, or your preferred toppings to the corn after cooking.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1 ear of corn
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 76Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 1mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 2gSugar: 4gProtein: 3g

Nutritional data is automated, final nutritional information will depend on ingredients used and any changes made.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment below on the blog or share a photo with me tag @the_schmidty_wife! Can't wait to see what you made!

© Lauren Schmidt
Cuisine: American / Category: Side Dishes

And make sure you are following me on TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for all the latest recipes!

Peace & Love

Lauren, The Schmidty Wife

https://www.pinterest.com/theschmidtywife/

Fresh & Easy Tabbouleh Salad

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This fresh Tabbouleh Salad is a Middle Eastern classic made up of parsley, veggies, and bulgur. Easy to prepare and keeps great in the fridge it is the perfect accompaniment to a mezze platter or a healthy side dish option.

This post may contain Affiliate Links.

A large white bowl filled with tabbouleh salad with a spoonful out on the side with parsley leaves falling off.

Easy Tabbouleh Salad (Tabouli)

Of Middle Eastern origin this fresh salad is easy and delicious. With many regional variations this version is as basic as it gets.

I find it works well with almost any Middle Eastern meal you chose to serve. You can include it with a mezze platter, hummus & pita, along side falafel, or with a chicken dish like shawarma.

I decided to share the basic version of this dish but include some ideas to spruce it up how you would like it!

Ingredients

  • Uncooked Bulgur – Bulgur is a whole grain made usually from durum wheat. Bulgur doesn’t need to be cooked but soaked. It is a highly nutritious whole grain being high in fiber, protein, and magnesium. In grocery stores it is often found near the rice and grains but I have also found it in the ‘ethnic’ food sections as well.
  • Parsley – I prefer curly parsley over flat parsley. It will seem like the recipe will call for too much but once you chop it down and aadd it with the other ingredients you will see that it won’t be!
  • Tomatoes – To keep the salad from getting slimy (gross) make sure you remove the seeds before you dice up the tomatoes to add to the salad.
  • Lemon – I highly recommend using a fresh lemon for the lemon juice and not bottled juice, in a salad like this with just a few ingredients it makes a big difference on the flavor.
  • Olive Oil – Like above with the lemon make sure you are using a nice olive oil in this salad since so much of the salad will depend on the taste of the olive oil. I highly recommend using California Olive Ranch, not an ad I am just a huge fan of their oils, especially the 100% California variety!
  • Kosher Salt – Kosher or sea salt, not table salt!

For a complete detailed list of the ingredients continue towards the bottom of the page.

Ingredinets needed to make basic tabbouleh salad laid out on a table top.

Instructions

Add the uncooked bulgur to a large bowl. Boil 4 cups water and add over top the bulgur. Let the bulgur soak for 30 minutes. Drain the water with a colander and run the bulgur under cold water to cool down. Set aside. 

Large glass measuring cup filled with soaking bulgur and water.

While the bulgur is soaking prep the parsley. Remove the parsley from the stems and chop the parsley down.

Next cut the tomato into wedges and carefully remove the seeds and wet insides, dice the deseeded tomatoes. 

Add parsley, tomatoes, and bulgur to a large bowl. Cut the lemon in half and then juice all of it into the bowl. Add the olive oil and a pinch of salt to the bowl and toss everything together. Make sure to taste and add more olive oil, lemon juice, or salt if needed. Serve immediately or the tabbouleh is best when left to rest in the refrigerator for at least an hour. 

A large mixing bowl filled with the ingredients for tabbouleh not yet mixed while olive oil is being drizzled on to them.
A person using tongs to mix the ingredients of tabbouleh salad together including parsley, bulgur, and tomatoes.

Tips, Tricks, and Questions

Tabbouleh keeps really well in the fridge overnight although sometimes it might dry out in which case you just need to add another dash of olive oil. 

Some Variations to add to your Tabbouleh Salad:

  • Fresh mint leaves chopped with the parsley
  • Deseeded and chopped cucumber
  • Pomegranate seeds in place of the tomato
  • Some diced onion
  • For a Gluten-Free option sub out the bulgur for quinoa
  • Sliced olives for a bit of saltiness

Meal Idea: In the summer I like to serve this Tabbouleh Salad along side my Grilled Greek Chicken Drumsticks as well as a side of Tzatziki Sauce. All three elements of the meal can be prepped ahead of time, either in the morning or the night before so it works perfectly for a beautiful summer evening when you don’t want to be in the kitchen. If we are feeling really hungry I will make a side of my Rice Pilaf with Cranberries too!

Close up view of tabbouleh salad recipe in a bowl showing off parsley, tomatoes, and bulgur.

If you like this Tabbouleh Salad Recipe you might also like:

Yield: Serves 8

Tabbouleh Salad

Overhead view of tabbouleh salad in a large white bowl with bright red tomatoes peeking through like jewels.

Fresh & healthy Middle Eastern salad full of fresh veggies, herbs, and bulgur. Easy to make and saves great in the fridge this salad is great as part of a mezze platter or a side dish!

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup uncooked bulgur (course)
  • 3 bunches parsley
  • 2 tomatoes
  • 1 lemon
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • pinch of kosher salt

Instructions

  1. Add uncooked bulgur to a large bowl. Boil 4 cups water and add over top the bulgur. Let the bulgur soak for 30 minutes. Drain the water with a colander and run the bulgur under cold water to cool down. Set aside.
  2. Remove the parsely from the stems and chop the parsely down. Cut the tomatoes into wedges and carefully remove the wet seeds, dice the deseeded tomatoes.
  3. Add parsley, tomatoes, and bulgur to a large bowl. Cut the lemon in half and juice all of it into the bowl. Add the olive oil and a pinch of salt to the bowl and toss everything together. Make sure to taste and add more olive oil or lemon juice if needed. Serve immediately or the tabbouleh is best when left to rest in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

Notes

Tabbouleh keeps really well in the fridge overnight although sometimes it might dry out in which case you just need to add another dash of olive oil and/or lemon juice.

I prefer curly parsley but flat leaf parsley works just as well.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1 cup
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 88Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 20mgCarbohydrates: 7gFiber: 2gSugar: 1gProtein: 1g

Nutritional data is automated, final nutritional information will depend on ingredients used and any changes made.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment below on the blog or share a photo with me tag @the_schmidty_wife! Can't wait to see what you made!

© Lauren Schmidt
Cuisine: Mediterranean / Category: Salads

And make sure you are following me on TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for all the latest recipes!

Peace & Love

Lauren, The Schmidty Wife

https://www.pinterest.com/theschmidtywife/

Easy Deviled Eggs

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A basic recipe for Easy Deviled Eggs. Just 6 simple ingredients makes this crowd favorite snack or appetizer. Plus instructions to make your hard boiled eggs in the pressure cooker or on the stovetop!

This post may contain Affiliate Links.

Wooden platter filled with many easy deviled eggs, garnished with sprinkles of red paprika.

Easy Deviled Eggs Recipe

Deviled Eggs are a classic snack and appetizers, these beauties are worthy enough to grace many holiday meals but are also easy enough to make for a snack!

This is a pretty classic recipe but not so classic in the sense that I picked out certain ingredients for a little more taste. AKA I think that Djion mustard has a much deeper flavor than Yellow Mustard so you will see Dijon Mustard in this recipe.

Supplies for Deviled Eggs

For this recipe you (hopefully its obvious) will be making hard boiled eggs. Making hard boiled eggs might be the biggest factor in holding people back from making this recipe more often. I have included 2 ways to make your deviled eggs, on the stovetop or in the pressure cooker so you will need either:

  • A Pressure Cooker or a Pot with a Lid
  • You will also need basic kitchen accessories like a small bowl, measuring spoons, ect…
  • If you want to get fancy, let’s say this is for a holiday table you can use a Piping Bag with a star top to make these look really fancy.

Note if you enjoy hard boiled eggs and you have yet to get a pressure cooker it might be something you might want to consider investing in. It is a little hard to believe but making hard boiled eggs in the pressure cooker is:

A) Foolproof, they come out perfect every time.

B) They are incredibly more easy to peel, I swear sometimes the peel just slides off.

Something to think about… anyways let’s see what else we need.

Focus on a deviled egg in the center of a wooden platter full of deviled eggs garnished with paprika.

Ingredients

A nice short list, chances are you most likely have what you need at home!

  • Eggs
  • Mayonaise
  • Apple Cider Vinegar
  • Dijon Mustard
  • Kosher Salt
  • Paprika

For a complete detailed list of the ingredients continue towards the bottom of the page.

Ingredients to make deviled eggs laid out on a white plate.

Instructions for Easy Deviled Eggs

First off you will make hard boiled eggs, using one of the following methods:

For Pressure Cooker (Instant Pot): Add your trivet and 1 cup of water to the pressure cooker pot. Lay eggs on the trivet. Seal lid, turn steam vent to sealing, and select manual/pressure cook. Set to high pressure for 5 minutes. Quick release when done, once the float drops carefully open the lid and transfer the eggs to a bowl of ice filled water to cool down.

For Stovetop: Add eggs to the bottom of a pot. Add cold water to the pot until the eggs are fully covered. Transfer the cold pot to the stovetop and heat to medium-high. Wait for the water to come to a boil, once the water comes to a rolling boil, remove the whole pot from the heat, cover, and let sit for 10 minutes. After the 10 minute waiting period transfer the eggs to a bowl of ice filled water to cool down. 

Once you have your hard boiled eggs cooled down you are ready to go with the rest of the recipe. Note that you can definitely make the eggs in advance, keeping them cool in the fridge until you are ready to go.

Peel the eggs and cut each egg in half. Carefully scoop out the hard yellow yolk out of each half and place it in a small mixing bowl. Lay the egg whites on a plate or platter.

Once all the yolks are in the bowl gently mash them with a spoon or fork to break them up getting rid of any large chunks and mashing them together. Once the yolk is broken up add in the mayo, apple cider vinegar, dijon mustard, and the salt. Mix everything together until a smooth and creamy filling appears, use a whisk if necessary.

Either scoop the filling back into the egg whites with a spoon OR for a nice presentaion add the filling to a piping bag and pipe the filling back in. Grab a pinch of paprika and lightly dust the tops of the deviled eggs. Cover and refrigerate or serve immediately. 

Flatly of an octagonal shaped wood cutting board filled with easy deviled eggs next to a blue and white striped towel.

Tips, Tricks, and Questions

  • If you are hesitant to use apple cider vinegar replace it with pickle juice, but do not leave it out.
  • I like the flavor dijon mustard brings but you may use plain yellow mustard if you prefer. 
  • You can use plain or smoked paprika for garnishing. 
  • This is a basic recipe, feel free to add in more flavors to the fillings like black pepper, hot sauce, pickle relish, or bacon bits to name a few.
Close up of a deviled egg on a platter showing off the paprika garnish.

If you like Easy Deviled Eggs you might also like:

Yield: 6 servings

Easy Deviled Eggs

Overhead close up shot of a wooden platter filled with simple deviled eggs topped with a sprinkle of paprika.

A basic recipe for Easy Deviled Eggs. Just a few ingredients makes this crowd favorite snack or appetizer. Plus instructions to make your hard boiled eggs in the pressure cooker or on the stovetop!

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 6 eggs
  • 1/4 cup mayo
  • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
  • 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
  • pinch paprika

Instructions

Make hard boiled eggs, using one of the following methods:

For Pressure Cooker: Add trivet and 1 cup of water to the pressure cooker pot. Lay eggs on trivet. Seal lid, turn steam vent to sealing, and select manual/pressure cook. Set to high pressure for 5 minutes. Quick release, when the float drops carefully open the lid and transfer the eggs to a bowl of ice filled water to cool down.

For Stovetop: Add eggs to the bottom of a pot. Add cold water to the pot until the eggs are fully covered. Transfer the cold pot to the stovetop and heat to medium-high. Wait for the water to come to a boil, once the water comes to a rolling boil, cover, remove the whole pot from the heat and let sit for 10 minutes. After the waiting period transfer the eggs to a bowl of ice filled water to cool down.

  1. Once your hard boiled eggs are cool, gently peel each egg. Cut each egg in half. Carefully scoop out the hard yellow yolk of each half and place it in a small mixing bowl. Lay the egg whites on a plate or platter.
  2. Once all the yolks are in the bowl gently mash them with a spoon or fork to break them up getting rid of any large chunks and mashing them together. Once the yolk is broken up add in the mayo, apple cider vinegar, dijon mustard, and the salt. Mix everythinging together until a smooth and creamy filling appears, you might need to use a whisk.
  3. Either scoop the filling back into the egg whites with a spoon OR for a nice presentaion add the filling to a piping bag and pipe the filling back in. Grab a pinch of paprika and lightly dust the tops of the deviled eggs. Cover and refrigerate or serve immediately.

Notes

If you are hesitant to use apple cider vinegar replace it with pickle juice.

I like the flavor dijon mustard brings but you may use plain yellow mustard if you prefer.

You can use plain or smoked paprika for garnishing.

This is a basic recipe, feel free to add in more flavors to the fillings like black pepper, hot sauce, pickle relish, or bacon bits to name a few.

If you have a pressure cooker I prefer using that method, it makes the hard boiled eggs so easy to peel, which makes this recipe that much easier to make!

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

2 deviled eggs
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 135Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 190mgSodium: 194mgCarbohydrates: 0gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 6g

Nutritional data is automated, final nutritional information will depend on ingredients used and any changes made.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment below on the blog or share a photo with me tag @the_schmidty_wife! Can't wait to see what you made!

© Lauren Schmidt
Cuisine: American / Category: Appetizers

And make sure you are following me on TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for all the latest recipes!

Peace & Love

Lauren, The Schmidty Wife

Easy Antipasto Salad

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This Easy Antipasto Salad goes a little off trend using easy salad ingredients like chickpeas and giardiniera pickled vegetables, but it sure packs a flavor filled punch! This salad involves just a little prep and a very quick easy oregano dressing. This is an Antipasto Salad Recipe you will be coming back to again and again.

This post may contain Affiliate Links.

Overhead view of a glass bowl with the toppings for easy antipasto salad laid out evenly over a bed of arugula lettuce.

The Best Antipasto Salad

What is an ‘Antipasto Salad’?

Great question, if we break it down ‘antipasto’ is the first course in an Italian meal. So an Antipasto Salad is the first course salad in an Italian meal.

Traditionally antipasto dishes include ingredients like cured meats, olives, peperoncini, mushrooms, anchovies, artichoke hearts, cheeses like provolone or mozzarella, and vegetables in oil or vinegar.

This leaves a lot open to interpretation which is why you will see many versions of an antipasto salad, especially in present day American cuisine.

My inspiration for this version of Antipasto Salad came from one of my favorite cookbooks Healthyish by Lindsay Maitland Hunt. In one of her recipes she uses giardiniera pickled vegetables for her ‘pizzeria salad’ and I was instantly hooked.

I quickly made this salad my own. Adding in other traditional and non-traditional (chickpeas?!?) ingredients in this salad.

In my opinion this is the perfect salad to go with pizza, pasta, or really an Italian inspired dish!

Another awesome aspect of this dish is it is great to prep ahead, making it perfect for cookouts or picnics!

Dressed topping over a bed of arugula make up this easy antipasto salad.

So let’s see what we need…

Supplies

This recipes requires nothings fancy:

  • Knife & Cutting Board
  • Large bowl for tossing salad (and serving bowl if you want a nicer one for presentation)
  • Tongs
  • Measuring cups & spoons
  • either a small bowl with whisk OR a jar for making the quick dressing

Ingredients

  • Baby Arugula
  • Salami
  • Chickpeas
  • Giardiniera
  • Provolone
  • Olive Oil
  • Red Wine Vinegar
  • Dried Oregano
  • Salt
  • Black Pepper

For a complete detailed list of the ingredients continue towards the bottom of the page.

Ingredients for an easy antipasto salad laid out on a table top.

A nice thing about a salad like this is that a lot can be substituted and/or added.

  • add olives if you see fit
  • use mozzarella instead of provolone
  • add tomatoes
  • use romaine instead of arugula
  • add artichoke hearts

While I do think this salad is pretty darn good as written, feel free to make it your own!

Overhead view of a tossed antipasto salad in a glass bowl showing off salami, cheese, chickpeas, and pickled Italian vegetables.

Instructions

You will begin by prepping all the toppings. Dice the salami into bite size pieces. Cube the provolone into small pieces. After draining the liquid from the giardiniera mix chop the overly large pieces for easier eating. Lastly drain and rinse the chickpeas. 

Next you will make the quick dried oregano dressing aka my quick cheat version of an Italian dressing but just as effective. Combine the olive oil, red wine vinegar, oregano, salt, and pinch of pepper in a small jar. Close the jar and shake to combine (or whisk together in a bowl).

Now you will just build your salad, in a large bowl add the arugula, salami, chickpeas, giardiniera, provolone, and dressing. Toss well to mix. Serve immediately.

Homemade oregano dressing being poured over a bowl of antipasto salad.

How to prep this Antipasto Salad ahead of time

This salad works wonderfully for making ahead. Perfect for a picnic. I also have found it easy to prep for lunches.

Do do this simply add all the toppings to a large bowl that has a lid, make the oregano dressing and add it to the toppings. You are basically marinating the toppings, which yes makes it a little better. Keep the toppings/dressing separate from the arugula and when it is time to eat just mix them together!

A tossed easy antipasto salad in a glass salad bowl showing off cheese cubes, salami, and pickled vegetables.

You might also like:

Yield: serves 6 small plates

Easy Antipasto Salad

Overhead view of a glass bowl with the toppings for easy antipasto salad laid out evenly over a bed of arugula lettuce.

Easy to make and prep ahead this antipasto salad with chickpeas is sure to delight as a great side salad or as a tasty main dish!

Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 5 ounces baby arugula
  • 3 ounces salami
  • 1 (14oz) can chickpeas
  • 16 ounce jar giardiniera
  • ½ cup provolone

For the Oregano Dressing

  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • ¼ cup red wine vinegar
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • pinch black pepper

Instructions

  1. Prep the toppings. Dice the salami into bite size pieces. Cube the provolone into small pieces. After draining the liquid from the giardiniera mix chop the overly large pieces for easier eating. Drain and rinse the chickpeas.
  2. To make the oregano dressing combine the olive oil, red wine vinegar, oregano, salt, and pinch of pepper in a small jar. Close the jar and shake to combine (or whisk together in a bowl).
  3. Build your salad, in a large bowl add arugula, salami, chickpeas, giardiniera, provolone, and dressing. Toss well to mix. Serve immediately.

Notes

To prep for a picnic or cookout. Combine prepped topping and mix with dressing, keep in an airtight container separate from arugula. Once ready to eat combine the toppings with dressing and the aruglua.

This could easly feed about 3 people as a main course.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1/6 of salad
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 221Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 22mgSodium: 521mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 3gSugar: 2gProtein: 9g

Nutritional data is automated, final nutritional information will depend on ingredients used and any changes made.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment below on the blog or share a photo with me tag @the_schmidty_wife! Can't wait to see what you made!

© Lauren Schmidt
Cuisine: Italian / Category: Salads

And make sure you are following me on TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for all the latest recipes!

Peace & Love

Lauren, The Schmidty Wife

https://www.pinterest.com/theschmidtywife/

Baked Sweet Potato Wedges

by Leave a Comment

Looking for a great healthy side dish? Look no further these Baked Sweet Potato Wedges are easy to make and a crowd pleaser. With just a few pantry ingredients you can have perfect crispy and golden brown baked sweet potato fries!

This post may contain Affiliate Links.

Close up of a white plate sitting on blue towel the plate in piled high with crispy sweet potato wedges and a little cup of ketchup.

Crispy Sweet Potato Wedges

I have taken this recipe for Sweet Potato Wedges very seriously, because I absolutely do not like it when a sweet potato fry in any form is just a floppy slice of potato.

BUT with that being said I wanted these SIMPLE and EASY, those are a must.

So I tested and tested until I got what I wanted. A Crispy Sweet Potato Wedges that was easy to make, could actually be picked up and dipped in sauce with out flopping over, and for it to be baked so that it could remain a fresh healthy side dish.

So I decided to give these Sweet Potato Wedges the hot pan treatment…What does that even mean?

I discovered a while ago that preheating an oiled sheet pan and getting it nice and hot before putting the potato wedges on can make a big difference. Placing the wedges down on the hot surface helps them to crisp up the outside faster than if you were to just toss them in oil and put them on a cold tray.

So with a super easy coating of cornstarch and an oiled hot sheet pan at the right temperature I was able to get what I wanted, I hope you like it.

Hand dipping a crispy sweet potato wedge into ketchup.

Supplies

A simple recipe calls for kitchen basics right…

  • Cutting Board & Knife
  • Bowl (for tossing the wedges)
  • Measuring Cups & Spoons
  • Sheet Pan (with side lip)
  • Tong or Spatula

Ingredients

  • Sweet Potatoes – medium sized, too large and they won’t fit on the tray
  • Cornstarch – in this recipe the cornstarch will be used to coat the baked sweet potato wedges to give them a slight crispy coating, it isn’t a lot because I didn’t want it over powering but just enough to add something
  • Salt – for flavor, if you are looking for something a little more you can add some more spices to the cornstarch and salt, like a dash of chili powder or garlic powder would be good
  • Canola Oil – OR vegetable oil… or any other high smoke point oil but please try not to use olive oil, you might get smoked out because of the higher oven temperature, Extra Virgin Olive Oil has a smoke point of about 375º F so because the oven is quite a bit hotter your oil will begin to smoke, probably ruining your meal. Whereas Canola or Vegetable Oil has a higher smoke point.

For a complete detailed list of the ingredients continue towards the bottom of the page.

The 4 ingredients needed to make sweet potato wedges on a white background, sweet potatoes, oil, salt, and cornstarch.

How to Make Baked Sweet Potato Wedges

Start off by putting the oil in your sheet pan. Transfer sheet pan to the oven, pre-heat oven to 425º F. Now remember that from now on your sheet pan will be full of HOT OIL, use caution.

While the oven is heating peel sweet potatoes and slice into wedges. Try to keep all of your wedges as uniform in size as possible, I usually will get 12 wedges per potato. To be more specific about my wedge cutting, I cut the potato into quarters and then cut 3 wedges from each of those quarter wedges.

Once they are all cut add the sweet potato wedges to a large bowl and add in the salt and cornstarch. Toss together to coat the wedges. The coating doesn’t have to be perfect here.

The steps being shown to toss the sweet potato wedges in the cornstarch and salt.

Now carefully remove the sheet pan with oil out of the oven. Add the coated wedges in a single layer spread out as much as possible. Use caution when adding the potato wedges, oil might splatter. 

Transfer sheet pan back to the oven. Bake 15 minutes. 

Carefully flip all the sweet potato wedges over. At this point the wedges might still appear pretty floppy, they will crisp up a lot more in the final half of baking.

Transfer back to the oven. Bake an additional 15 minutes or until golden brown and slightly crispy. Serve immediately.

Overhead shot of a white plate sitting on blue towel the plate in piled high with crispy sweet potato wedges and a little cup of ketchup.
A white plate with pile of crispy sweet potato wedges with kid's grabbing the sweet potatoes and a little cup of ketchup.

Tips, Trick, & Questions

  • TIP: These might have a hard time cooking properly if you put other things in the oven to cook at the same time

You might also like:

Yield: 4 servings

Baked Sweet Potato Wedges

A white plate sitting on blue towel the plate in piled high with crispy sweet potato wedges and a little cup of ketchup.

Easy & Simple to make these Sweet Potato Wedges are perfectly crispy and delicious. This healthy side dish is baked in the oven and ready to go along with any meal!

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 sweet potatoes
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoons canola oil

Instructions

  1. Add oil to a sheet pan. Transfer sheet pan to the oven, pre-heat oven to 425º F.
  2. While oven is heating peel sweet potatoes and slice into wedges. Try to keep wedges as uniform in size as possible, I usually will get 12 wedges per potato.
  3. Add sweet potato wedges to a bowl, add the salt and cornstarch. Toss together to coat the wedges.
  4. Carefully remove the sheet pan with oil from the oven. Add the wedges in a single layer spread out as much as possible. Use caution when adding the potato wedges, oil might splatter.
  5. Transfer sheet pan back to the oven. Bake 15 minutes.
  6. Carefully flip all the sweet potato wedges over. Transfer back to the oven. Bake an additional 15 minutes or until golden brown and slightly crispy. Serve immediately.

Notes

*vegetable, refined coconut, or refined avocado all work in the recipe too

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

6 wedges
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 157Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 550mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 2gSugar: 4gProtein: 1g

Nutritional data is automated, final nutritional information will depend on ingredients used and any changes made.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment below on the blog or share a photo with me tag @the_schmidty_wife! Can't wait to see what you made!

© Lauren Schmidt
Cuisine: American / Category: Side Dishes

And make sure you are following me on TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for all the latest recipes!

Peace & Love

Lauren, The Schmidty Wife

https://www.pinterest.com/theschmidtywife/

Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows & Oat Streusel

by Leave a Comment

The perfect holiday side dish, Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows and Oat Streusel. So easy to make ahead this is a simple three part side dish is made up of mashed sweet potatoes, mini marshmallows, and a mouthwatering oat topping. The perfect addition to a Thanksgiving dinner!

This post may contain Affiliate Links.

Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows and Oat Streusel in a white baking dish with a gold serving spoon sitting on a white kitchen towel.

Make Ahead Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows

An American tradition, sweet potatoes topped with marshmallows and plenty of sugar!

This dish actually originated in 1917 as a marketing ploy of a marshmallow manufacturer. The company Angelus Marshmallows hired the lovely people at the Boston Cooking School Magazine to use marshmallows in everyday cooking, as a result marshmallows ended up on sweet potatoes! (Also btw this is where marshmallows in hot chocolate started too). How it solidified to become a Thanksgiving tradition is anyone’s guess, but one thing I will say is that it has stuck!

My version of this beloved dish is made up of 3 layers:

  1. Mashed Sweet Potatoes
  2. An Oat Streusel
  3. Marshmallows

Each is simple in it’s own form and these can also be made ahead of time to make whatever occasion all that much easier!

Supplies

For this dish you will need standard kitchen items such as knifes and measuring spoons but you will also need:

  • A large pot for boiling the potatoes
  • A potato masher OR a large spoon for mashing
  • A baking dish for the final recipe, a 2.5 quart dish works best here
  • If prepping ahead of time you will want containers for storing

Ingredients

Everything in this recipe is pretty standard:

  • sweet potatoes – you will want medium sized potatoes, think about the average women’s hand, the potato should comfortably fit in the size of the hand
  • kosher salt – kosher salt is best for cooking, sea salt would work okay for this recipe as well, in a pinch you can use table salt
  • unsalted butter – use the unsalted variety, you will already be salting the potatoes
  • milk – I use whole milk and it turns out great, although really any variety of milk should be okay here
  • pumpkin pie spice – do yourself a solid and Make Your Own Homemade Pumpkin Spice (No Pumpkin Pie Spice? No fret, sub in half the amount of ground cinnamon)
  • brown sugar – I use light in this recipe but there isn’t any reason you couldn’t use dark brown sugar if that is all that you have
  • flour – all purpose flour, I have not tested this with any other variations so I cannot say for certain how a gluten-free variety would work
  • rolled/old fashioned oats – Old Fashion Oats and Rolled Oats are the same thing, different brands just use the different wording, use this variety to give the full oat texture that is really nice
  • baking powder – just a little for the streusel
  • mini marshmallows – mini marshmallows work best for this recipe because they will melt quicker because they are smaller, if only regular marshmallows are available you can cut them into 4 pieces

For a complete detailed list of the ingredients continue towards the bottom of the page.

Ingredients for Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows and Oat Streusel laid out on a table with a kitchen towel.

Instructions for How to Make Sweet Potato Casserole with Oat Topping and Marshmallows

This recipe is easiest when broken down into three sections. The sweet potato mixture, the oat topping/streusel, and the marshmallows. All three of these pieces can be prepped in advance!

Notes on Make Ahead

First off let’s just touch on some notes about how to prep this Sweet Potato Casserole. This dish can be prepped ahead of time up to 2 days in advance!

To prep ahead you will make and store the 3 different layers separately and then easily layer them when it is time to bake. I recommend storing the sweet potatoes in the dish that you will cook it in (it makes it so much easier). Then for the streusel a small container in the fridge. For the marshmallows you don’t technically have to ‘store’ them but if I am feeling extra organized I will measure them out and keep them in a separate bag for ease.

When it is time to make the dish, take the potatoes out of the fridge about 30 minutes before it is time to cook (especially if you are baking in the dish you stored it in). When it is time to put it in the oven quickly layer the marshmallows and then the streusel. And bake as stated below!

The three different parts of Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows and Oat Streusel made ahead of time and ready to be stored before cooking in airtight containers.

So let’s look at these layers:

For the Sweet Potatoes:

Peel and slice the potatoes into 1 inch rounds. Add the sliced potatoes and the salt to a large pot. Cover the potatoes with cold water. 

Transfer the pot to the stovetop over high heat. Cover and cook about 20-25 minutes until potatoes are tender and easily pierced with a fork. 

Carefully drain the water from the pot. Return the pot to the stove over medium heat uncovered for about 1 to 2 minutes to steam off any extra water in the pot or on the pototes to ensure they are dry. 

Remove from heat and add the butter, milk, and pumpkin pie spice to the pot. Gently mash the potatoes. Set aside until it is time to build the dish or transfer to an air-tight container to store in the fridge.

The three steps of cooking the sweet potatoes, uncooked, in water, and cooked.
The steps of making the sweet potato mixture, adding butter, milk and spices, and mashing together.

For the Oat Streusel:

Cut the cold butter into marble sized pieces. Add the butter, brown sugar, flour, oats, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and a pinch of salt to a medium sized mixing bowl. 

Using two forks, a pastry cutter, or clean fingers cut the butter into the mixture. Mixing the butter and dry ingredients together until crumbs form about the size of large peas. If making ahead transfer the streusel mixture to an air-tight container for the fridge. 

Ensure that the streusel stays chilled, if it gets too warm before it is time to cook the butter will start begin to melt and for best results you will want the butter to stay solid.

Steps of making oat streusel, adding the ingredients to a bowl and mixing until a corse crumb in achieved.

Making & Cooking the Casserole:

This casserole works best in a 2 ½ quart baking dish, although a close size will work as well.

The oven should be preheated to 350ºF. Note that this dish can be cooked simultaneously with others. Some other dishes might need to be at a different temp, so I tested it at 375ºF and it can be done it just took about 9-14 minutes instead, most importantly just watch the marshmallows on top to make sure they don’t get overdone.

Now to build the casserole, gently grease the baking dish. Transfer the mashed sweet potatoes to the dish. Spread the potatoes out evenly and smoothly. 

Showing steps of adding the sweet potato mixture to the baking dish and spreading it evenly throughout.

Layer the marshmallows over the sweet potatoes. Gently sprinkle the streusel overtop the marshmallows. 

Showing the steps of adding mini marshmallows and then oat streusel to the tops of the sweet potatoes.

Transfer to the oven and bake 18-20 minutes, being mindful to watch the top to ensure the marshmallows don’t get overcooked.

Remove from the oven and let sit at least 10 minutes. Letting it rest will give it time to solidify a bit, cutting in to early might cause the butter and marshmallows to be watery. 

Hands holding a white baking dish with Sweet Potato Casserole with golden Marshmallows and crunchy Oat Streusel.
Overhead view of Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows and Oat Streusel in a white baking dish on top of a white kitchen towel.

Tips, Tricks, & Questions

Why is my casserole watery and how can I thicken it?

Your casserole may become watery for a couple different reasons:

  • Not letting it rest and serving it too soon out of the oven. -The fix, just let it rest a little longer before continuing to serve.
  • Not letting the potatoes dry off after being cooked thus being made into a watery sweet potato mixture resulting in a final watery base. (AKA don’t skip the step where you let the potatoes steam off the extra water after being drained) – The fix, you could try cooking it a little longer to see if it will dry out a little more, just keep an eye on the toppings to make sure it doesn’t dry out.

Can I Double it?

Yes! Just use a slightly bigger dish, if you are doubling it use at least a 9×13 baking dish.

Sweet Potatoes vs. Yams?

Are they the same thing? Different?

In what you see at the grocery store they are the SAME. The whole Sweet Potatoes/Yams is basically a marketing ploy back from the turn of the last century.

If you are at the grocery store, you are safe to grab either sweet potatoes or yams. It probably will depend on the store and location about what they call it.

In real life there is an actual difference between the two vegetables but real yams, close a yucca in texture and flavor are hard to find at stores in the United States and are often found in West African cooking.

Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows and Oat Streusel in a white casserole dish with brown marshmallows.
Close up of a scoop missing from Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows and Oat Streusel showing the inside of the casserole.

Need more Thanksgiving and holiday dishes? You might like these:

Yield: 8 servings

Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows and Oat Streusel

Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows and Oat Streusel in a white baking dish with a gold serving spoon sitting on a white kitchen towel.

Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows and Oat Streusel. So easy to make ahead this is a simple three part side dish is made up of mashed sweet potatoes, mini marshmallows, and a mouthwatering oat topping. The perfect addition to a Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner!

Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 18 minutes
Total Time 53 minutes

Ingredients

For the Sweet Potatoes:

  • 3 medium sweet potatoes
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

For the Oat Streusel:

  • 4 tablespoons butter, cold
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1/4 cup rolled/old fashioned oats
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • pinch salt

For the Marshmallows:

  • 3 cups mini marshmallows

Instructions

For the Sweet Potatoes:

  1. Peel and slice the potatoes into 1 inch rounds. Add sliced potatoes and the 1 teaspoon of salt to a large pot. Cover the potatoes with cold water.
  2. Transfer the pot to the stovetop over high heat. Cover and cook about 20-25 minutes until potatoes are tender and easily pierced with a fork.
  3. Carefully drain the water from the pot. Return the pot to the stove over medium heat uncovered for about 1 to 2 minutes to steam off any extra water in the pot or on the pototes to ensure they are dry.
  4. Remove from heat and add the butter, milk, and pumpkin pie spice to the pot. Gently mash the potatoes. Set aside until it is time to build the dish or transfer to a air-tight container to store.

For the Oat Streusel:

  1. Cut the cold butter into marble sized pieces. Add the butter, brown sugar, flour, oats, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and a pinch of salt to a medium sized mixing bowl.
  2. Using two forks, a pastry cutter, or clean fingers cut the butter into the mixture. Mixing the butter and dry ingredients together until crumbs form about the size of large peas. If making ahead transfer the streusel mixture to an air-tight container for the fridge.

Making & Cooking the Casserole:

  1. This casserole works best in a 2 ½ quart baking dish, although a close size will works as well. Oven should be preheated to 350ºF*.
  2. Gently grease the baking dish. Transfer the mashed sweet potatoes to the dish. Spread the potatoes out evenly and smoothly.
  3. Layer on the marshmallows over the sweet potatoes. Gently sprinkle the streusel overtop the marshmallows.
  4. Transfer to the oven and bake 18-20 minutes, being mindful to watch the top to ensure the marshmallows don't get overcooked.
  5. Remove from oven and let sit at least 10 minutes. Letting it rest will give it time to solidify a bit, cutting in to early might cause the butter and marshmallows to be watery.

Notes on Make Ahead

  1. This dish can be prepped ahead of time up to 2 days in advance! To prep ahead you will make and store the 3 different layers separately and then easily layer them when it is time to bake. I recommend storing the sweet potatoes in the dish that you will cook it in. Then for the streusel a small container in the fridge. For the marshmallows you don't technically have to 'store' them but if I am feeling extra organized I will measure them out and keep them in a seprate bag for ease. When it is time to make the dish, take the potatoes out of the fridge about 30 minutes before it is time to cook (especially if you are baking in the dish you stored it in). When it is time to put in the oven quickly layer the marshmallows and then the streusel. And bake as stated above!

Notes

*Note that this dish can be cooked simultaneously with others which some other dishes might need to be at a different temp, so I tested it at 375ºF and it can be done it just took about 9-14 minutes instead, most importantly just watch the marshmallows on top to make sure they don't get overdone.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1/8 of the dish
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 235Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 416mgCarbohydrates: 37gFiber: 2gSugar: 19gProtein: 3g

Nutritional data is automated, final nutritional information will depend on ingredients used and any changes made.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment below on the blog or share a photo with me tag @the_schmidty_wife! Can't wait to see what you made!

© Lauren Schmidt
Cuisine: American / Category: Side Dishes

And make sure you are following me on TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for all the latest recipes!

Peace & Love

Lauren, The Schmidty Wife

Simple Egg Drop Soup At Home

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You won’t believe how easy it is to make Simple Egg Drop Soup at home! This recipe uses basic ingredients like chicken broth & eggs, and it is ready to eat in 10 minutes! A perfect healthy side dish to homemade Chinese food or great for a light lunch!

This post may contain Affiliate Links.

Four small Chinese blue and white bowls laid out on a table filled with egg drop soup and garnished with sliced green onions.

Easy Egg Drop Soup

Such a Chinese restaurant classic but you are going to be shocked on how easy this is to make at home!

With a few super simple ingredients this soup is ready to go, perfect to pair with dishes like Teriyaki Noodles, General Tso Chicken, or Healthy Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps.

I have found myself even whipping this one together for a comforting lunch as well! Something about those silky strings of egg, it really is a family pleaser.

At its simplest Chinese Egg Drop Soup is literally broth and eggs. In my version I have added slight addition (very small and simple) to make sure that this soup has a great umami flavor (aka savoriness). So in addition to the heart of this soup you will also see soy sauce, dry ginger, and dry mustard.

Small blue & white bowls of egg drop soup.

What you need

  • chicken broth
  • soy sauce – use low sodium if you are sensitive to salt
  • ground ginger
  • ground mustard
  • eggs
  • green onions – sliced thin for garnishing the soup

For a complete detailed list of the ingredients continue towards the bottom of the page.

The simple ingredients needed to make egg drop soup sitting on a wooden tray.

You can also feel free to use some simple add-ins to make this soup a little more filling. Some popular additions are:

  • sliced mushrooms
  • corn
  • cabbage
  • tofu
  • spinach
  • tomato
  • a little bit of miso paste or sesame oil for extra flavor
  • also if you like your soup a little thicker add a cornstarch slurry
Overhead view of 4 blue and white Chinese bowls filled with egg drop soup and garnished with green onions.

How to make Simple Egg Drop Soup

Add chicken broth, soy sauce, ginger, and mustard to a large pot. Bring to a boil over Medium-High heat. 

While the chicken broth is coming to a boil, beat the eggs together well in a small bowl.

Once the chicken broth is at a rapid boil use a large spoon to make large circles in the broth creating a whirlpool effect.

With the broth moving in circles slowly drizzle the beaten eggs into the broth. Let the broth come back to a slight boil, only about 1 minute. Remove from heat, stir, and serve with sliced green onions in each bowl.

Close up of a bowl of egg drop soup showing silky egg ribbons in flavorful broth and garnished with green onions.
A spoon in a bowl of egg drop soup, garnished with green onions.

TIPS, TRICKS, & QUESTIONS

  • Ensure the chicken broth is boiling, if the broth isn’t hot enough the egg won’t form into a silky noodle shape but instead will blend into the broth making it creamy
  • A tip I noticed after making this a few times is to not actually stir the eggs until a few moments after they have been in the hot broth. Give them about 30-60 seconds to cook before stirring the soup so that they have time to cook, stirring too quickly might make the egg blend into the soup instead of forming the silky noodle shape.
  • If you want a truly vegetarian soup you can make this with a different broth like a veggie broth.

You might also like:

Yield: 4 servings

Egg Drop Soup

Four small Chinese blue and white bowls laid out on a table filled with egg drop soup and garnished with sliced green onions.

A simple Chinese soup, this egg drop soup only takes 10 minutes to make with simple ingredients. Perfect as a light lunch or as a side dish to your favorite Chinese food.

Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 2 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground mustard
  • 3 eggs
  • 2-3 green onions, sliced thin

Instructions

  1. Add chicken broth, soy sauce, ginger, and mustard to a pot. Bring to a boil over Medium-High heat.
  2. While the chicken broth is coming to a boil, whisk the eggs together well in a small bowl.
  3. Once the chicken broth is at a rapid boil. Use a large spoon to make large circles in the broth creating a whirlpool effect. With the broth moving in circles slowly drizzle the beaten eggs into the broth. Let the broth come back to a slight boil, only about 1 minute. Remove from heat, stir, and serve with sliced green onions in each bowl.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

~1 cup
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 77Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 144mgSodium: 1417mgCarbohydrates: 3gFiber: 0gSugar: 2gProtein: 7g

Nutritional data is automated, final nutritional information will depend on ingredients used and any changes made.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment below on the blog or share a photo with me tag @the_schmidty_wife! Can't wait to see what you made!

© Lauren Schmidt
Cuisine: Chinese / Category: Soup

And make sure you are following me on TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for all the latest recipes!

Peace & Love

Lauren, The Schmidty Wife

Rice Pilaf with Cranberries

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Perhaps the best side dish ever this Rice Pilaf with Cranberries pairs perfectly with so many meals like chicken and seafood! Easy to make with only a handful of ingredients this rice with cranberries is one you will be making again and again.

This post may contain Affiliate Links.

Rice Pilaf with Cranberries in a white oval serving dish with a matte gold serving spoon, garnished with dried cranberries and fresh parsley.

Cranberry Rice Pilaf

I LOVE cranberries. Anything cranberry flavored or has cranberries in it, it could probably be assumed I love it. Dried or fresh I think they have such a unique flavor that adds so much to any dish.

So when I was playing around with different pilaf recipes this past summer to pair with grilled chicken I felt like I hit a huge winner with this dish.

It is simple yet delicious and can be paired with so many meals.

And if cranberries remind you too much of thanksgiving good news for you my favorite paring for this side dish is poultry. This could definitely be a new fun side dish to add to your Thanksgiving table if you are looking for something new!

Aside from Thanksgiving I actually have been pairing this recipe a lot with Mediterranean inspired dishes like my Greek Chicken Kabobs or Grilled Chicken Shawarma. It is really quick and simple to make so I found myself making this a lot during grilled dinners over the summer. Besides dried cranberries are all-year-round food!

A white serving dish with a gold spoon in white rice pilaf with dried cranberries and fresh parsley.

So what is Pilaf and how it it different from Rice?

Pilaf is rice, Pilaf actually refers to the method of cooking the rice. And as Americans we are actually being redundant when we say Rice Pilaf, but that is a whole rabbit hole we could go down.

Pilaf refers to how the rice is cooked. Traditionally Pilaf is made by cooking the rice with broth, spices, and other add-ins such as meat or veggies. Whereas just plain rice you cook with water.

So this is a Rice Pilaf with Cranberries. Pilafs in general are a pretty global dish, although they will differ greatly region to region by using local items. So really some of the most famous regional dishes are spinoffs of rice pilaf, in India the famous Biryani dish is actually a form of Rice Pilaf as well as the Spanish Paella.

But this side dish keeps it simple…

Ingredients

The nice thing about this side dish is that most of the ingredients are pantry items. You will need:

  • butter – Unsalted works best.
  • white or yellow onion
  • white rice – A longer grain white rice like basmati or jasmine works best.
  • bay leaf
  • better than bouillon chicken base – One of my favorite fridge items, but if you don’t have any regular chicken broth can be used.
  • fresh parsley
  • dried cranberries

For a complete detailed list of the ingredients continue towards the bottom of the page.

Ingredients needed for cranberry rice pilaf laid out on a table with a kitchen towel.

How to make Rice with Dried Cranberries

This recipe should come together fast, the hardest part is probably dicing an onion!

Start by melting the butter in a small pot (that has a lid) over medium-high heat. Add the diced onion to the melted butter and sauté 1-2 minutes. 

Next add the rice, bay leaf, and chicken bouillon base to the onions. Sauté 2-3 minutes spreading out the chicken base and slightly toasting the rice. 

Add the water and cover. Bring to a rolling boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook covered for 10 minutes until the rice is tender. 

Take off the heat, remove the bay leaf from the rice and fluff the rice a bit. Gently stir in the cranberries and parsley into the rice, serve immediately.

Voilá so easy to make Rice Pilaf with Cranberries right?!

Overhead view of a serving dish full of white rice with onions, dried cranberries, and parsley to garnish.
Close up of a dish filled with white rice pilaf garnished with dried cranberries and parsley.

What Pairs well with this Cranberry Rice Pilaf?

I love this dish with poultry or seafood like mentioned above, I also think it would be good with:

Obsessed with Cranberries like me?? You might like any of these recipes:

Yield: 4 servings

Rice Pilaf with Cranberries

Rice Pilaf with Cranberries in a white oval serving dish with a matte gold serving spoon, garnished with dried cranberries and fresh parsley.

The perfect side dish to poultry and seafood this rice pilaf is super easy to make! With tons of sweet flavor from the cranberries your family will want this rice side dish again and again.

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • ½ white or yellow onion, diced
  • 1 cup white rice
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 teaspoon better than bouillon chicken base
  • 1 ½ cups water
  • 1/4 cup chopped parsley
  • 1/3 cup dried cranberries

Instructions

  1. In a small pot that has a lid melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onion to melted butter and sauté 1-2 minutes.
  2. Add rice, bay leaf, chicken bouillon base to the onions. Sauté 2-3 minutes spreading out the chicken base and slightly toasting the rice.
  3. Add water and cover. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook covered 10 minutes until rice is tender.
  4. Remove from heat, remove the bay leaf from the rice. Gently stir in the cranberries and parsley into the rice, serve immediately.

Notes

Recipe works best with a longer grain white rice like Basmati or Jasmine.

Instead of water and the better than bouillon chicken base 1 ½ cups of chicken broth may be used.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1/4 of the final dish
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 198Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 35mgSodium: 187mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 1gSugar: 10gProtein: 7g

Nutritional data is automated, final nutritional information will depend on ingredients used and any changes made.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment below on the blog or share a photo with me tag @the_schmidty_wife! Can't wait to see what you made!

© Lauren Schmidt
Cuisine: American / Category: Side Dishes

And make sure you are following me on TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for all the latest recipes!

Peace & Love

Lauren, The Schmidty Wife

The BEST Homemade Au Gratin Potatoes Recipe

by 2 Comments

The BEST recipe for Homemade Au Gratin Potatoes. This super cheesy recipe is honestly easy to make and a huge holiday table crowd pleaser! Thinly sliced potatoes get layered with cheddar cheese and a cream sauce then baked to perfection, the result heavenly melt in your mouth potatoes with a golden brown cheesy crust that no one can resist.

This post may contain Affiliate Links.

hands with towels holding a freshly made casserole full of Au Gratin Potatoes

Cheesy Au Gratin Potatoes

Homemade Au Gratin Potatoes might be my favorite side dish EVER. Tender potatoes baked in cream and cheese, not to mention the crust of golden brown cheese on top?! Droolworthy!

Lucky for all of us making Cheesy Au Gratin Potatoes at home isn’t difficult at all! Although this dish does take a while to bake the end result will impress all of your family and guests!

a spatula in the Au Gratin Potatoes ready to take a scoop of potatoes out

What is Potatoes Au Gratin?

I think that there can be a little confusion on the different potato dishes like what the difference is between Au Gratin Potatoes, Scalloped Potatoes, and Funeral Potatoes? They are all different even though they are closely related all at the same time.

“Au Gratin” is French and it essentially refers to a crispy baked top, this top is often comprised of cheese and/or breadcrumbs. So basically Au Gratin Potatoes are a potato dish baked in a cheesy creamy sauce with a cheese crust.

Whereas Scalloped potatoes technically are made without cheese on top and usually covered with cracker or bread crumbs. And Funeral Potatoes, a largely regional dish are usually made with a cream soup and crushed potato chips.

All of this dishes are delicious but today lets concentrate on How to make Au Gratin Potatoes!

In my version I try to keep it as simple as possible. Some recipes will have you unnecessarily make a cheese sauce on the stovetop before adding it to your dish. Not me, everything bakes together for so long in the oven that you do not need to do that.

You will slice the potatoes. Make a super simple cream sauce (not on the stove), and shred cheese. You will then layer them and bake, it is really that simple, but let’s go into a little more detail…

side view of a white casserole dish full of freshly made Au Gratin potatoes

How to make Homemade Au Gratin Potatoes

As far as special appliances to make this dish you don’t technically need a whole lot. You will make the potatoes in a 9×13 baking dish, and beside the usually kitchen utensils like measuring cups, grater, knife, and whisk a mandolin slicer can be handy for this recipe!

No mandolin slicer?? No fret you can definitely slice these potatoes by hand it just might take you a few extra minutes. (I actually prefer cutting them by hand because I detest cleaning my mandolin, its only 5 to 6 potatoes so not that many to slice.)

Ingredients for Au Gratin Potatoes

  • Russet Potatoes: Two pounds worth which is about 5-6 medium potatoes. The potatoes will be peeled and sliced thin by hand or with a mandolin slicer, about 1/8 inch.
  • Butter: Melted, you can use salted or unsalted in this dish.
  • Heavy Cream: Heavy cream has to be what makes it so delicious right? The only thing special to not about the cream is you will want it room temperature to lukewarm, this is to prevent the butter from solidifying when mixed together. So it is as simple as warming the cream in the microwave 45-60 seconds.
  • Garlic: Just a little minced garlic for the dish, but just enough to give it some aroma.
  • Paprika & Onion Powder: Just like the garlic not a ton goes into this dish, just enough to give it a little something extra. Traditionally there aren’t a ton of spices in Au Gratin Potatoes but I think just a little gives it something extra.
  • Cheddar Cheese: Shredded, by you not the store. There is a huge melting difference between freshly shredded cheese from a block and pre-shredded cheese from the store. The shredded cheese from the store comes covered in preservatives which while ‘keep it fresh’ slows down melting, and trust me when making Au Gratin Potatoes you want melty, so grab your grater and get shredding!
ingredients, potatoes, cheese, cream, butter, and spices to make Au Gratin Potatoes

So now that you know what you need let’s get cooking!

  • Preheat your oven to 375º F. Lightly grease a 9×13 baking dish.
  • Peel cleaned potatoes. By hand with a sharp knife or with a mandolin thinly slice the potatoes, the thickness should be about 1/8 inch.
  • Prep the cream sauce for the potatoes. Combine melted butter, cream, garlic, paprika, and onion powder together in a large measuring cup. Whisk together to combine.
  • Now to prepare the dish layer 1/3 of the potatoes evenly across the bottom of the dish. Now layer 1 cup of the cheese over the potatoes, followed by 1/3 of the sauce over top of the cheese. Repeat those layers once more. You will make one more layer but the last one in a different order, the third and final layer will be the remainder of the potatoes, then sauce, and cheese last. Cover the dish tightly with tin foil.
photos showing the steps for the first layer of potatoes, cream sauce, and cheese
photos showing the 2 layering of potatoes, cheese, and cream sauce
photos showing the final layering step of potatoes, cream sauce, and the shredded cheese
  • Transfer the dish to the oven and bake 60 minutes. Uncover and turn the oven temperature up to 425ºF. Cook 15 more minutes uncovered until the cheese makes a brown bubbly crust on top of the potatoes. Let rest at least 10 minutes before serving.

Note that it is important to give it time to rest before serving. First off so that people don’t burn their mouths but also because it will give the dish time to thicken!

Au Gratin Potato Casserole dish sitting on a table with forks

What to serve with Au Gratin Potatoes

Seeing that Au Gratin Potatoes are mostly known as a holiday side dish here are some other dishes that you can make part of your meal.

homemade au gratin potatoes in a white casserole dish with a some on a plate next to it
Yield: 8 servings

Homemade Au Gratin Potatoes

hands with towels holding a freshly made casserole full of Au Gratin Potatoes

The BEST recipe for Homemade Au Gratin Potatoes. This super cheesy recipe is honestly easy to make and a huge holiday table crowd pleaser! Thinly sliced potatoes get layered with cheddar cheese and a cream sauce then baked to perfection, the result heavenly melt in your mouth potatoes with a golden brown cheesy crust that no one can resist.

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Rest Time 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds russet potatoes, about 5-6 medium potatoes
  • 4 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1 cup heavy cream, room temperature to lukewarm
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
  • 3 cups cheddar cheese, shredded*

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375º F. Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish.
  2. Peel the cleaned potatoes. By hand with a sharp knife or with a mandolin thinly slice the potatoes, the thickness should be about 1/8 inch.
  3. Prep the sauce for the potatoes, combine melted butter, cream, garlic, paprika, and onion powder together in a large measuring cup. Whisk together to combine.
  4. To prepare the dish layer 1/3 of the potatoes evenly across the bottom of the dish. Now layer 1 cup of the cheese over the potatoes, followed by 1/3 of the sauce over top of the cheese. Repeat those layers once more. You will make one more layer but the last one in a different order, the third and final layer will be the remainder of the potatoes, sauce, and cheese last. Cover the dish tightly with tin foil.
  5. Transfer to the oven and bake 60 minutes. Uncover and turn the oven temperature up to 425ºF. Cook 15 more minutes uncovered until the cheese makes a brown bubbly crust on top of the potatoes. Let rest at least 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

The heavy cream should be room temperature to lukewarm to avoid the melted butter hardening back up when mixed together. Simply microwave the cup of cream 45 to 60 seconds to achieve this. Now the melted butter and cream should incorporate together when whisked.

*For best results do NOT use pre-shredded cheddar. Buy a block of cheddar and shred it yourself. The pre-shredded cheddar comes coated in preservatives that prevent the cheese from melting. For the best version of this dish use freshly shredded cheese.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 434Total Fat: 31gSaturated Fat: 19gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 91mgSodium: 346mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 3gSugar: 2gProtein: 14g

Nutritional data is automated, final nutritional information will depend on ingredients used and any changes made.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment below on the blog or share a photo with me tag @the_schmidty_wife! Can't wait to see what you made!

© Lauren Schmidt
Cuisine: American / Category: Side Dishes

And make sure you are following me on TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for all the latest recipes!

Peace & Love

Lauren, The Schmidty Wife

Easy Pressure Cooker Baked Potatoes + How To Get Crunchy Skins

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Pressure Cooker Baked Potatoes are simple to make and ready to eat in under 40 minutes! Plus with my trick you can get delicious crunchy skins just like they were baked in the oven! Perfect as a main dish or side dish, pressure cooking baked potatoes will be your new favorite way to make potatoes!

This post may contain Affiliate Links.

Baked Potato made in the pressure cooker sliced open revealing fluffy perfectly cooked inside

Baked Potatoes in the Pressure Cooker

To be honest I put off getting a pressure cooker for a long time. I just believed that I truly didn’t need one. Then I had a baked potato made in the pressure cooker…IT BLEW MY MIND!

Some magical fairy lives inside that pressure cooker because hands down making a baked potato in there is a hundred times better than any other way.

The white insides become fluffy, warm, moist, and magical. (Sorry for the use of moist for those of you that hate that word.) But the one thing missing from it being the perfect baked potato was the skin.

I love when the skin has a little crunch to it and of course sprinkled with a good helping of salt and pepper. So I made a little ‘hack’ at the end that only takes an extra 5 minutes to achieve that.

They get BROILED in the oven once they finish cooking. Not for very long but the extra few minutes is so worth it in my opinion.

Once the baked potatoes are done cooking in the pressure cooker they get transferred to a sheet pan. On the sheet pan they get a quick spray of oil and a good helping of salt and pepper. The sheet pan gets placed under the hot broiler in the oven for about 5 minutes and that is all it takes!

So now that you are completely sold on that you truly can make a perfect baked potato lets see how easy making baked potatoes in the pressure cooker really is.

Tray full of freshly sliced open crispy baked potatoes

Some things to note for this Baked Potatoes Recipe

To make baked potatoes in the pressure cooker any size electric pressure cooker will do. I have the Mealthy Multipot (affiliate link) and absolutely LOVE it, if you are still in the market for a pressure cooker or need an upgrade I think you should check it out.

So the nice thing about this recipe is that you can really make as many potatoes as you can fit in your pot. So if you have a bigger pressure cooker you might be able to fit up to 8, I have a 6 quart and have managed to fit 7 successfully before but a lot of this will have to do with the size off your potatoes.

No matter how many potatoes you do fit the amount of time cooked will stay the same.

The biggest factor in cook time is actually how big the potato is. So an average size russet should fit comfortable in a hand like the picture below.

average size russet potato in women's hand

If you have potatoes that seem smaller than this I recommend taking a minute off the cooking time, so 14 minutes.

If your potatoes seem very large I recommend adding a minute to the cooking time, to about 16 minutes.

The most important thing to note about the size though is that all of the potatoes should be as uniform in size as they can be. So when choosing the potatoes at the store try to get all of them to be the same size.

pressure cooker with raw potatoes on a trivet

Instant Pot Baked Potatoes Recipe

To start add 1 cup of water and a trivet (affiliate link) to the pressure cooker pot.

Prep potatoes by stabbing gently with a fork 5-6 times all around each potato. Stack potatoes on the trivet.

Seal lid, turn steam vent to sealing, and select manual/pressure cook. Set to high pressure for 15 minutes. The pressure cooker will take between 7-10 minutes to preheat before cooking.

When the timer goes off natural release the steam for 10 minutes (leave the vent set to seal). To crisp your potatoes set your oven to broil.

After 10 minutes release the steam vent, once the float has dropped carefully open the lid (this might happen before the 10 minutes are up). Carefully transfer the potatoes to a sheet pan.

Spray potatoes lightly with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Transfer sheet pan to a middle rack in the oven. Broil potatoes 4-6 minutes until crispy. Remove from oven and use/serve immediately.

baked potatoes in a tray slices open with sour cream and chives
pressure cooker baked potatoes on a tray after getting crispy under the broiler

I highly recommend topping off your potatoes with one of my other baked potato recipes:

Or if your potatoes are side dishes, you might want to pair them with one of these recipes:

Yield: 4 servings

Pressure Cooker Baked Potatoes

Close up of baked potato with butter and chives

Pressure Cooker Baked Potatoes are simple to make and ready to eat in under 40 minutes! Plus with my trick you can get delicious crunchy skins just like they were baked in the oven!

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Additional Time 15 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 medium russet potatoes, rinsed clean
  • spray oil
  • salt and pepper

Instructions

  1. Add 1 cup of water and a trivet to the pressure cooker pot.
  2. Prep potatoes by stabbing gently with a fork 5-6 times all around each potato. Stack potatoes on the trivet.
  3. Seal lid, turn steam vent to sealing, and select manual/pressure cook. Set to high pressure for 15 minutes. The pressure cooker will take between 7-10 minutes to preheat before cooking.
  4. When the timer goes off natural release the steam for 10 minutes (leave the vent set to seal). To crisp your potatoes set your oven to broil.
  5. After 10 minutes release the steam vent, once the float has dropped carefully open the lid (this might happen before the 10 minutes are up). Carefully transfer the potatoes to a sheet pan.
  6. Spray potatoes lightly with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Transfer sheet pan to a middle rack in the oven.
  7. Broil potatoes 4-6 minutes until crispy. Remove from oven and use/serve immediately.

Notes

Depending on the size of your pressure cooker as long as you can fit more you can add more potatoes to the pot. Use the same cooking time for more potatoes, I have fit up to 7 in my Multipot with no issues.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 168Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 24mgCarbohydrates: 37gFiber: 4gSugar: 2gProtein: 5g

Nutritional data is automated, final nutritional information will depend on ingredients used and any changes made.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment below on the blog or share a photo with me tag @the_schmidty_wife! Can't wait to see what you made!

© Lauren Schmidt
Cuisine: American / Category: Crockpot

Still don’t have a pressure cooker yet but looking to still make awesome baked potatoes? Check out my Oven Baked Potatoes Recipe!

And make sure you are following me on TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for all the latest recipes!

Peace & Love

Lauren, The Schmidty Wife

Please note that my links above may be affiliate links, and I will earn a commission if you purchase through these links. I recommend them because they are helpful, and are companies that I trust, not because of the commissions that I may earn from you using these products.

Simple Spinach Salad

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Simple Spinach Salad is a healthy side salad for any meal! Made easy with baby spinach, olive oil, lemon juice, walnuts, and parmesan cheese, you will be making on a regular basis.

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a white platter full of simple spinach salad with cheese and walnuts

Spinach Side Salad

Today I am sharing this simple Spinach Salad that goes with EVERYTHING.

Pasta? Yep.

Chicken? Yep.

Casserole? Yes

Soup? YES.

Brunch??? YOU BET.

simple spinach salad on a white platter garnished with lemon wedges

It is seriously so easy and probably would be a great side salad for most meals any given night. With a limited ingredients list this salad can be made with things commonly found in the fridge and pantry.

So how simple is this Simple Spinach Salad? Lets take a look.

Simple Spinach Salad Recipe

For this side salad you will need:

  • Baby Spinach
  • Lemon Juice
  • Olive Oil
  • Romano or Parmesan Cheese
  • Diced Walnuts
  • Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
ingredients to make a simple spinach salad

See how simple it is?

The most complicated part of this salad is deciding if you want to toast the walnuts.

I marked the toasting of walnuts optional, I highly recommend you do, plus it is really not that hard. But in a pinch you can leave them as is.

So to start you want to get the walnuts toasting. Add walnuts to a small ungreased skillet over medium heat. Let the diced walnuts warm up, stirring occasionally, until the walnuts begin to darken and become fragrant, this usually takes about 4-5 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and let the walnuts rest on the warm skillet 2-3 more minutes to finish toasting until ready to add to the salad.

Note the walnuts will start to burn fairly quickly if left unattended.

Meanwhile the rest of the salad only takes minutes to put together while the walnuts toast.

Add the spinach to a large bowl and drizzle lemon juice and olive oil over the top.

Toss the spinach to coat in the lemon juice and olive oil. Add cheese, walnuts, and a dash of freshly cracked pepper. Toss again and serve immediately.

spinach salad on a white platter with lemon wedges, cheese, and nuts

Things to note:

  • I use baby spinach for its smaller leaves, milder taste, and ease to find at the grocery store. Other varieties of spinach could be used if you want.
  • I prefer Romano cheese in general over Parmesan, so I think it tastes better in this salad but they are interchangeable here so use what you have
  • You can buy diced walnuts at the store so you don’t have to chop them yourself. I like the convince plus the diced walnuts are great to have for baking recipes. I like the added crunch that adding walnuts to this salad brings so if you aren’t a fan of walnuts I suggest subbing out something else crunchy like a different nut or seed.
  • Lastly a note on the pepper. If you aren’t going to be grinding your own fresh black pepper leave it out, using fine pre-ground pepper will give it a slightly different taste than using a grinder. (Need grinders? I LOVE this Wooden Grinder Set that I have.)
  • And of course as simple as this salad is you can swap out the nuts for a more allergy friendly seed.
overhead view of a simple spinach salad on a white platter with gold serving utensils
close up of a piece of spinach in the simple spinach salad

Love salads? You might like one of these:

Yield: 4 servings

Simple Spinach Salad

a white platter full of simple spinach salad with cheese and walnuts

Spinach salad with a simple dressing made from lemon juice & olive oil topped with cheese, walnuts, and cracked black pepper.

Prep Time 3 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 8 minutes

Ingredients

  • 5oz baby spinach
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/3 cup grated parmesan or Romano cheese
  • 2 tablespoons diced walnuts
  • fresh ground black pepper

Instructions

    1. Optional: To toast the walnuts*. Add walnuts to a small ungreased skillet over medium heat. Let the diced walnuts warm up, stirring occasionally until they just begin to darken and become fragrant, this usually takes about 5-6 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat, give the walnuts a little shake, and let the walnuts rest on the warm skillet 2-3 more minutes to finish toasting until ready to add to the salad.
    2. Meanwhile add the spinach to a large bowl and drizzle with lemon juice and olive oil.
    3. Toss the spinach to coat in the lemon juice and olive oil. Add cheese, walnuts, and a dash of freshly cracked pepper. Toss again and serve immediately.

Notes

*The walnuts are great toasted if you have the time, if not just use them as is!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 154Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 7mgSodium: 178mgCarbohydrates: 3gFiber: 1gSugar: 0gProtein: 4g

Nutritional data is automated, final nutritional information will depend on ingredients used and any changes made.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment below on the blog or share a photo with me tag @the_schmidty_wife! Can't wait to see what you made!

© Lauren Schmidt
Cuisine: American / Category: Salads

And make sure you are following me on TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for all the latest recipes!

Peace & Love

Lauren, The Schmidty Wife

Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes for a Crowd

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These Pressure Cooker Mashed Potatoes for a crowd feature 5 pounds of russet potatoes, garlic, and herbs to make enough delicious mashed potatoes to feed an army OR a family on Thanksgiving. This Instant Pot Mashed Potato Recipe will declutter your stovetop during the holiday season giving you more time to relax and less time worrying about the potatoes boiling over.

This post may contain Affiliate Links.

instant pot mashed potatoes for a crowd with melted butter and parsley

Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes for a Crowd

Mashed potatoes are such an epitome of a Thanksgiving and holiday meal. I am pretty sure it is on every family’s table right? So this year I decided to make the mashed potatoes in the pressure cooker and boy is it nice!

By doing the mashed potatoes in the pressure cooker that leaves my stovetop and mind free to think about other foods that need to be made!

Now by doing the potatoes in the pressure cooker I don’t think it saves any time but I definitely think it is easier and a more consistent result!

garlic herb mashed potatoes in a bowl made in the instant pot

5 Pounds of Russet Potatoes + Pressure Cooker

To top it all off this is definitely a recipe for a crowd because it makes a lot of mashed potatoes, like 5 pounds worth!

My pressure cooker is 6 quart Mealthy Multipot (affiliate link), so anything 6 quarts and larger should handle this recipe just perfect!

Now because there are so many potatoes this recipe does take a while to come to pressure because most likely you will be filling water to the max fill line to cover the potatoes.

Garlic & Herbs

Now I love good old plain potatoes but at the same time I find them a bit boring, so these potatoes are ‘spiced up’ with minced garlic and herbs so add some fantastic flavor.

On top of a huge tablespoon of garlic the herbs consist of parsley, basil, thyme, salt, and pepper.

The potatoes are also finished with butter, milk, and sour cream for maximum flavor and creaminess.

ingredients need to make pressure cooker mashed potatoes featuring 5 pounds of russet potatoes

Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes Recipe

You will start by peeling and quarter cutting all of the russet potatoes. Try to get all of the pieces about the same size.

Add prepped potatoes to the pot of the pressure cooker. Cover with water (Being careful to not exceed maximum level, leave potatoes slightly uncovered if needed).

pressure cooker full of potatoes and water

Seal lid, turn steam vent to sealing, and select manual/pressure cook. Set to high pressure for 15 minutes. With the large amount of water the pressure cooker will take between 20-30 minutes to preheat before cooking.

Meanwhile in a large bowl (large because you will transfer your potatoes into it). Add garlic, parsley, basil, thyme, salt, pepper, butter, sour cream, and milk.

bowl full of dairy, herbs, and garlic for seasoning and finishing off the mashed potatoes

When the timer goes off quick realease the steam vent carefully. Once the float has dropped carefully open the lid. Note that because this recipe contains a lot of water there will be a lot of steam, be prepared.

Using a slotted spoon transfer the potatoes to a large bowl on top of the other ingredients draining as much water from the potatoes as possible.

Let the potatoes rest on top of the other ingredients for 3-4 minutes warming up the milk, butter, and sour cream before proceeding. By giving the dairy a few minutes to warm up before mashing all of the ingredients will combine easier and make fluffier mashed potatoes.

freshly cooked potatoes in a stainless steel bowl ready to be mashed

Then using a potato masher mash the potatoes until your preffered consistency. Serve immediately or to keep warm simply drain the pot and return the mashed potatoes to the pot on the ‘keep warm’ setting before serving.

potatoes being mashed with a potato masher

Some notes on this recipes:

You can substitute fresh herbs for the dry herbs but double the amount of fresh herbs you use since fresh herbs are less concentrated than the dried ones.

Plain or Greek Yogurt can be subbed for the sour cream. I also recommend using whole milk and unsalted butter if available. And if you are looking for really rich potatoes you could even sub cream for the milk.

If need be you could whip/mash the potatoes in a stand or electric mixer but using a real potato masher makes the biggest difference! I promise the consistency using a real masher makes the best mashed potatoes.

Don’t skip the wait time and make sure you let the potatoes slightly warm up the butter, sour cream, and milk before mashing. Waiting for those ingredients to no longer be cold makes a big difference. Alternatively you could warm up the ingredients slightly in the microwave first but I figured the potatoes could do all the hard work and I wouldn’t have to add another step.

side view of a large bowl of pressure cooker mashed potatoes

How to Prep these Mashed Potatoes for a Crowd ahead of time.

You can do all the prep work ahead of time/the night before for these mashed potatoes to make the big day so much easier.

For the potatoes simply peel and cut. Then place submerged in water overnight in the fridge. This could be in a large bowl or a few separate containers. Once you are ready to make the mashed potatoes transfer the prepped potatoes to the pressure cooker and proceed as normal.

You can also prepare the rest of the ingredients ahead of time by measuring out and adding everything to an airtight container and in the refrigerator until it is time to make the potatoes.

By doing these two steps ahead of time you simply have to start the pressure cooker and mash the potatoes once cooked, no need to cut or measure anything at the time they need to be made!

close up of garlic mashed potatoes made in the pressure cooker

If you are looking for more dinner & holiday side dished check these recipes out:

garlic herb mashed potatoes in a bowl made in the instant pot
Yield: 10 servings

Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes for a Crowd

instant pot mashed potatoes for a crowd with melted butter and parsley

these delicious garlic and herb pressure cooker mashed potatoes are made from 5 pounds of russet potatoes and are easy to make and a perfect side dish for the holiday season

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Pressure & Release Time 37 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 7 minutes

Ingredients

  • 5 pounds Russet Potatoes
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 tablespoon dried parsley
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 cup milk

Instructions

  1. Peel and quarter cut all of the russet potatoes.
  2. Add prepped potatoes to the pot of the pressure cooker. Cover with water (Being careful to not exceed maximum level, leave potatoes slightly uncovered if needed).
  3. Seal lid, turn steam vent to sealing, and select manual/pressure cook. Set to high pressure for 15 minutes. With the large amount of water the pressure cooker will take between 20-30 minutes to preheat before cooking.
  4. Meanwhile in a large bowl (large because you will transfer your potatoes into it). Add garlic, parsley, basil, thyme, salt, pepper, butter, sour cream, and milk.
  5. When the timer goes off quick realease the steam vent carefully. Once the float has dropped carefully open the lid. Using a slotted spoon transfer the potatoes to the large bowl on top of the other ingredients draining as much water from the potatoes as possible.
  6. Let the potatoes rest on top of the other ingredinets for 3-4 minutes warming up the milk, butter, and sour cream. Then using a potato masher mash the potatoes until your preffered consistency. Add more liquid if needed.
  7. Serve immediately or to keep warm simply drain the pot and return the mashed potatoes to the pot to keep warm.

Notes

You can substitue fresh herbs for the dry herbs but double the amount of fresh herbs you use since fresh herbs are less concentrated.

Be careful releasing the steam on this recipe, since there is so much water in the pot I noticed it results in a lot of steam!

Plain or Greek Yogurt can be subbed for the sour cream. I also recommend using whole milk and unsalted butter if available.

If need be you could whip/mash the potatoes in a stand or electric mixer but using a real potato masher makes the biggest difference!

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

10

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 271Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 14mgSodium: 499mgCarbohydrates: 50gFiber: 5gSugar: 2gProtein: 7g

Nutritional data is automated, final nutritional information will depend on ingredients used and any changes made.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment below on the blog or share a photo with me tag @the_schmidty_wife! Can't wait to see what you made!

© Lauren Schmidt
Cuisine: American / Category: Side Dishes

And make sure you are following me on TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for all the latest recipes!

Peace & Love

Lauren, The Schmidty Wife

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