These goat cheese and spinach mashed sweet potatoes are the perfect healthy side dish for dinner.
Yesterday while starring at a PowerPoint presentation about capital spending on college campuses, I started thinking about sweet potatoes.
Because obviously there’s a correlation between $/gross square foot spent on college buildings and my side dish for dinner.
Duh.
There are certain things that I always have on hand.
Wrinkly sweet potatoes on the verge of going soft (ha!), baby spinach (which my little Asian produce market spells “spinage” on the plastic box it comes in), goat cheese and this plastic baggy of dried thyme that I’ve had well over a year for the sole reason that I have severe issues throwing things out.
I eat them all individually, but why not mashed together to make a creamy, veggie filled side dish?
Add in some sautéed shallots for some extra flavor and this was the perfect side to the filet mignon we ate last night for dinner.
Basically, I did a Valentine’s dinner a day late and I think it tasted even better than it would’ve on Valentine’s Day simply because I spent 24 hours dreaming about it after seeing too many pictures of other people’s delicious filet dinners.
A juicy, medium rare filet (or balsamic dijon crusted tenderloin) is exactly why I could absolutely never be a vegetarian.
It’s all that’s right in this world in one perfect forkful.
These mashed sweet potatoes are creamy from the goat cheese and yet sweet from the shallots.
You don’t even know the spinach is there except for it’s texture so it’s a great way to sneak in some extra greenery.
Could you eat this alongside tofu or tempeh?
Sure…I guess.
But if you eat meat, go splurge on the best cut you can find and get this on your dinner table with it.
Or, go the comfort food route and serve this alongside the best bomb meatloaf recipe.
Wine is mandatory optional.
Prefer white potatoes? These garlic Greek yogurt mashed potatoes are excellent too. Goat cheese is also great stirred into some creamy grits for another side dish option.
How about purple potatoes? Try these stunning mashed purple sweet potatoes with the easy herb butter sauce that comes with them. Delicious!
Or, mashed rutabaga, creamy cauliflower pumpkin mash and carrot parsnip puree are all great lower-carb options with the same mashed comfort food vibe.
Goat Cheese Spinach Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
- 1 ounce goat cheese
- 1 cup baby spinach, finely chopped
- 1 shallot, sliced
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup milk
- salt & pepper
- 2-3 sprigs of dried, or fresh thyme
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil with sweet potatoes in it and cook for about 15 minutes until fork tender. Drain and set aside.
- While potatoes cook, saute shallots with olive oil in a medium pan over medium heat until softened and just starting the brown (about 5-7 minutes).
- Combine cooked potatoes, sauteed shallots, spinach, goat cheese, milk and thyme if using in a medium bowl.
- Mash together with a potato masher or fork until well combined.
- Add salt & pepper to taste and mash again.
- Serve warm.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
i want to eat the entire bowl! no filet for me please!
WOW!! That looks like a bowl of pure comfort!! Amazing! :)
Any chance I get to sneak handfuls upon handfuls of spinach in anything I make, I take full advantage of. This looks delicious. Love the colors! I can just eat this by itself with a nice piece of bread.
Oh Wow!! This looks amazing!! I love goat cheese, so much! I would eat this all for me breakfast lunch and dinner!!
xxoo
This sounds as gorgeous as it looks. Nice post!
What a pretty bowl of comforting goodness! Your lighting makes me jealous :)
Ohmygoodygosh this dish has my favorite things all in it, genius!
I’ve never tried goat cheese – is it a really stinky cheese? I feel like so many people use it so I might have to get on board!
Cait- not stinky at all! Do you like cream cheese? That’s the best comparison I can think of. Kind of tart and creamy.
I LOVE cream cheese! And good to know! I definitely have to dabble in the goat cheese world now :)
OMG I think you’ve outdone yourself with this one — I am practically drooling on my keyboard over here. That looks FREAKIN’ amazing. All of my favorite things in one bowl – *and* you paired it with filet. I love how your mind works!!
Oh yum! I have all the ingredients to make this! Yah!!! I can’t wait to try it! I love goat cheese with sweet poatoes or butternut squash. Yummy, yummy!!