We vote the mashed potato bowls as the new cozy midwestern classic. Smothered with a rich miso gravy, layered with gooey cheese and crisp corn, and topped with your favorite vegetable “meat” balls, this recipe is one to keep.
The vegetarian mashed potato famous bowl is the ultimate comfort food, and it comes together with a few components.
- Mashed potatoes: This is based on our beloved Thanksgiving recipe. Pull out all the stops for mashed potatoes with creamy butter and a generous amount of tangy sour cream. They should be fluffy and indulgent and so so good.
- Miso gravy: Once you make this gravy, you’ll never want anything else. Disappointing meatless gravy no more! Miso is the star here, and its perfectly balanced with soy sauce, veggie broth, and butter. It is rich, umami, and salty (but not too salty). It’s so good, we gave it its own recipe (coming soon!) for the next time you want to add miso gravy to your meals.
- Veggie meatballs: for this recipe, we used pre-made frozen ‘meat’balls, and recommend that you use your favorite here. There are tons of tasty brands out there. If you are feeling up to making homemade veggie balls, we love these eggplant meatballs (coming soon!), which can be prepped in advance and stored in the fridge or freezer.
- Shredded cheese
- Corn: we recommend using frozen corn but you could easily use other varieties.
Though there are a few different elements in this vegetarian mashed potato famous bowl, it can come together pretty quickly if you get something started and then work on the other element while it cooks.
First, read the packaged meatball directions and preheat your oven. Cook these while you prep the rest of the mashed potato bowls.
Next, cook your potatoes. Make sure you boil the water with the potatoes in it, otherwise you will have to navigate getting the potatoes in the water without splashing boiling water on yourself (we learned this a long time ago the hard way).
While the potatoes are boiling, make your miso gravy. Once it thickens, after about 5 minutes, keep it on low heat.
Then, make your mashed potatoes. Drain and combine potatoes with sour cream, butter, half and half, salt, and vegetable broth.
Finally heat up your frozen corn on the stove and assemble your mashed potato bowls, combining mashed potatoes, miso gravy, veggie meatballs, corn, and cheese.
Enjoy!
Mashed Potato Famous Bowl with Veggie Meatballs and Miso Gravy
Ingredients
Mashed Potato Bowl
- 4 large russet potatoes
- 1 and ½ cups sour cream
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp half and half (can substitute milk or heavy whipping cream)
- 2 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp vegetable broth (or more as needed)
- frozen vegetable meat balls prepared according to package directions
- 1 and ¼ cups shredded cheese
Miso Gravy
- 2 tbsp white or red miso
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp corn starch (or sub flour / GF flour)
- 1 tbsp water
Instructions
- Prepare packaged veggie meatballs of choice: preheat the oven. Cook veggie meatballs according to package directions while you prepare the potatoes and gravy.
- Cook the potatoes. Chop potatoes into medium pieces and place into a large pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Boil for 15-20 minutes, until the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork.
- Meanwhile, prepare the miso gravy. Into a medium saucepan, add vegetable broth, butter, miso, and soy sauce and bring to a boil. In a separate dish, whisk 2 tbsp corn starch with 1 tbsp of water until combined into a smooth and thick paste. Stir in corn starch paste into the broth saucepan. Reduce heat to low and cook while whisking mixture, stirring until the gravy thickens, about 5 minutes.
- When the potatoes are finished cooking, drain water. In the large pot (or in a separate mixing bowl), combine potatoes, sour cream, butter, half and half, vegetable broth, and salt. Puree with a hand mixer until smooth or your desired texture. If potatoes look dry, add in additional tablespoons of vegetable broth until fluffy and creamy.
- Heat frozen corn. Sautee frozen corn plus a pinch of salt on the stove until warmed.
- Assemble. For each bowl, place a generous serving of mashed potatoes and layer with miso gravy, corn, one serving of veggie meatballs, and about ¼ cup cheese.
