50 Dinner ideas with Mashed Potatoes

If you are drowning in leftover mashed potatoes, we are sharing 50 Dinner ideas with Mashed Potatoes the whole family will love!

Thanksgiving dinner (or any special occasion) comes and goes, and you’ve got a bunch of creamy mashed potatoes leftover.

What to do?

We all know that a homemade mashed potatoes recipe is a classic comfort food that is served up often during the holiday season. While they make the perfect side dish for your holiday meal, we think they can also shine as an ingredient in your main dishes. 

 Some of our all time favorite recipes are made using leftover traditional mashed potatoes! If you’ve ever enjoyed some shepherd’s pie, potato cakes, or a mashed potato casserole, you’ll know exactly what we mean. 

What Are the Best Potatoes To Use For Mashed Potatoes?

The great thing about potatoes is, they are one of those basic ingredients that are super versatile. The truth is, you can make mashed potatoes using any type of potato. However,  for the creamiest mashed potatoes we recommend using Russet potatoes or Idaho potatoes because of their high starch content. Yukon gold potatoes or red potatoes are another good option. Though these are little more buttery and less starchy in texture. You can even use sweet potatoes for a fun twist on traditional mashed potatoes. We think the BEST mashed potatoes recipe is our Slow Cooker Creamy Mashed Potatoes Recipe which will give you creamy potatoes every single time. Or another great way to make mashed potatoes is in your Instant Pot! Or just use your best mashed potato recipe.

You can’t go wrong!

Now that you are caught up on how to make the best mashed potatoes, let’s make some dinner ideas!

Are you ready to use up those leftover potatoes?

Which of these leftover mashed potato recipes has caught your eye? 

Leftover Thanksgiving Dinner Casserole Recipe

Use your Thanksgiving leftovers and make a delicious casserole for your family! Absolutely amazing and so easy!

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Poor Man’s Hamburger Steaks and Mashed Potatoes Recipe

Poor man’s hamburger steaks and mashed potatoes is such a fun way to jazz up your classic hamburger meal. It is like the Amish steak recipe filled  with crackers, butter, and sauces to add delicious flavors in every bite.

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Instant Pot Beef Daube Stew with Mashed Potatoes Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Enjoy a delicious family dinner with our Instant Pot beef daube stew with mashed potatoes. The flavor is unbelievable with tender pieces of beef and veggies plus it is a wonderfully hearty dish.

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Quick and Easy Shepherd’s Pie Casserole Recipe

This is one of my “go-to” recipes when I need something quick. With only a few ingredients, it's the perfect weeknight meal.

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Slow Cooker Ground Beef Shepherd’s Pie Recipe

Get ready for a deliciously filling recipe when you make our slow cooker ground beef shepherd’s pie recipe.

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Meatloaf Cupcakes Recipe

Meatloaf cupcakes are a fun take on the traditional family dinner recipe. The meatloaf and mashed potatoes make for a delicious yet cute dinner or appetizer!

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Easy Ground Beef Shepherd’s Pie Recipe

5 from 6 votes

To me, Shepherd's Pie is the ultimate comfort food – meat and potatoes, topped in melted cheese. It just doesn't get any better than that.

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Instant Pot Meatloaf AND Mashed Potatoes

Did you know you can make meatloaf and mashed potatoes at the same time in the same pot? Now you can!

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Easy Meatballs & Mashed Potatoes

This Meatballs & Mashed Potatoes meal is straight up comfort food. The rich gravy brings it all together for one satisfying meal.

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Ground Beef and Gravy Over Mashed Potatoes

This ground beef and gravy dinner recipe is quick, easy, and cheap, passed down from my grandma to my mom and now served to my own kids.

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Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole

This make ahead loaded mashed potato casserole is full of bacon, cheese, sour cream and chives – it’s the perfect no-fuss side dish for a holiday meal.

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Chicken with Creamy Dijon Sauce and Mashed Potatoes

Juicy chicken and mashed potatoes smothered in insanely delicious dijon mustard cream sauce is an easy and flavorful dinner.

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Mashed Potato Beef Casserole

This recipe came out of my mother’s cookbook. The smudges and splatters show that Mom used it extensively to feed our large family. The tarragon really comes through to make a flavorful main dish. Now I prepare this recipe for our four children and six grandchildren.

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Easy Shepherd’s Pie

Favorite shepherd’s pie recipe, a classic casserole of Britain and Ireland done American-style. Cook ground beef and savory vegetables, top with mashed potatoes, and bake to perfection.

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Ground Beef Stew over Garlic Mashed Potatoes

The gang’s all here, so make dinner special with ground beef simmered in a delicious sauce and then topped with everyone’s favorite—garlic mashed potatoes.

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Chilli bean bake with soured cream mash recipe | BBC Good Food

A comforting supper for a crowd that you can freeze ahead to save time on the night, from BBC Good Food.

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Loaded Potato Meatloaf Casserole

Loaded Potato Meatloaf Casserole Recipe. Delicious meatloaf topped with garlicky mashed potatoes, melted cheese and bacon.

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Beef Burger, Mashed Potato and Vegetables

The Beef Burger, Mashed Potato and Vegetables recipe out of our category Meat! EatSmarter has over 80,000 healthy & delicious recipes online. Try them out!

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Mini Swedish Meatballs with Mashed Potatoes

A deliciously rich and cozy recipe for Mini Swedish Meatballs with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy. Perfect of any night of the week!

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This Week’s Fuss-Free Recipes | Dinnerly Menu

Salisbury Steak & Buttery Peas

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Italian Meatballs with Mashed Potatoes – aninas recipes

A comforting meal of fluffy mashed potatoes topped with a tomato and chili sauce and herby beef meatballs – perfect for a family dinner.

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Cheesy Mashed Potato And Hot Dog Casserole With Ham And Eggs

Nothing says comfort food quite like mashed potatoes do. Actually, we take that back – casseroles are pretty up there on the comfort food list, too! Since they’re both so delicious, we decided to combine the 2 kings of comfort food in this recipe for a mashed potato & hot dog casserole.

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Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Drumsticks In A Bed Of Cheesy Mashed Potatoes

Bacon-wrapped drumsticks, which are crispy on the outside and moist on the inside, are enough to make any meat lover’s heart skip a beat.

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Leftover lamb & potato pie recipe | BBC Good Food

This spin on cottage pie is a great way of using up leftover meat and potatoes, from BBC Good Food.

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Creamy Chicken and Mashed Potatoes | Get On My Plate

This Creamy Chicken and Mashed Potatoes has perfectly seasoned chicken breasts cooked in a rich, flavorful sauce that’s quick and easy!

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Garlic Butter Steak Bites with Mashed Potatoes for Meal Prep

Garlic Butter Steak Bites with Mashed Potatoes are comfort food at it's finest!

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The Perfect Valentine’s Ribeye with Mashed Potatoes

This cast iron seared ribeye is perfect for date night or Valentine’s Day. It’s simple but absolutely luscious and delicious.

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Make perfectly cooked steak with creamy mashed potatoes for date night

Make date night easy and delicious with pan-seared steak and mashed potatoes.

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Easy Shepherd’s Pie Recipe 30 Minute|Four Generations One Roof

Get dinner on the table in just 30 minutes with this easy shepherd’s pie recipe. Try with ground beef, turkey, and cheese for a twist!

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Irish Beef Stew with Mashed Potatoes – The Comfort of Cooking

The best stew you'll taste made with mashed potatoes!

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Homestyle Chicken Mashed Potato Bowls

These Homestyle Chicken Mashed Potato Bowls are filled with fluffy mashed potatoes, crispy chicken and topped with a brown gravy!

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Copycat KFC Bowls

If you love takeout but would rather make it at home then you need to whip up these KFC Bowls. With only 5 ingredients and only minutes to make it’s a quick and easy dinner recipe.

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Balsamic Baked Chicken & Mashed Potatoes

We’re elevating seared chicken in this dish by whipping up a vibrant combo of dijon mustard, honey, oregano, and more, which both coats the chicken before baking and creates an easy sauce for serving. Simple sides of mashed potatoes and sautéed green beans and carrots tie together the classic meal.

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Bangers & Mash with Guinness Onion Gravy Recipe | Yummly

Bangers & Mash With Guinness Onion Gravy With Garlic Sausage, Gravy, Butter, Medium Yellow Onion, Flour, Guinness, Beef Broth, Dijon Mustard, Worcestershire Sauce, Brown Sugar, Salt, Ground Pepper, Mashed Potatoes, Russet Potatoes, Butter, Milk, Salt!

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Turkey Shepherd’s Pie Recipe | Yummly

Your favorite shepherd's pie made healthier with ground turkey!

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Southwestern Shepherds Pie Recipe | Yummly

Give this classic English pub food a Southwestern kick with savory Hillshire Farm® Smoked Sausage in this sausage shepherd’s pie recipe.

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Chicken and mashed potato dinner

Chicken and mashed potato dinner, a one pot comfort food recipe that will please everyone at your dinner table. Tender, juicy chicken breasts in delicious mushroom sauce topped with mashed potatoes.

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Chicken with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy Recipe

The gravy is the standout in Chicken with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy-perfect for stirring into the mashed potatoes. Serve Chicken with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy with quick-cooking greens like spinach or kale for an easy, family-friendly meal.

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Quick Chicken and Gravy

This quick chicken and gravy is creamy, comforting and ready in just 25 minutes using on-hand ingredients. Serve over mashed potatoes with plenty of extra gravy for a delicious dinner everyone will enjoy.

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Piccata Chicken and Mashed Potatoes +Video -Kevin is Cooking

No pounding out thin chicken pieces. This Chopped Chicken Piccata is served in a rich, lemony caper sauce over mashed potatoes. Easy, tasty comfort food!

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Creamy Garlic Chicken

This Creamy Garlic Chicken is smothered in a rich and flavorful gravy that’s easy to make in a single skillet. Caramelized garlic cloves add the perfect balance of gourmet flavor. There is plenty of savory

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Cheddar Broccoli Chicken & Mashed Potatoes | Campbell’s® Recipes

We eat Cheddar Broccoli Chicken & Mashed Potatoes because it’s yummy, but it’s also a balanced meal in a bowl!

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This Week’s Fuss-Free Recipes | Dinnerly Menu

Chicken-Fried Chicken with mashed potatoes

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Chicken and Mashed Potato Bowl KFC Copycat Recipe

Want a super easy dinner idea? You will LOVE these easy and delicious chicken and mashed potato bowls!

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Mashed Potato & Chicken Patties | Chicken.ca

Here’s a quick patty recipe, good for lunch or supper, that combines lean ground chicken with mashed potatoes.

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Pan-Fried Chicken with Mashed Potatoes

Pan-Fried Chicken with Mashed Potatoes is a speedy nutrient-packed lunch recipe to keep the body and mind working efficiently through the day.

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Beef & Mushroom Stew with Mashed Potatoes

This beef and mushroom stew is spiked with beer and served with creamy mashed potatoes for a shepherd’s pie vibe.

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Beefy Shepherd’s Pie

You can never have too many classic, standby recipes! This mashed potato topped pie is full of savory Ground Beef, peas and onions in a beefy gravy.

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Skirt Steak with Cheesy Mashed Potatoes

Get Skirt Steak with Cheesy Mashed Potatoes Recipe from Food Network

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Beef Tips with Gravy

Beef tips with gravy served over mashed potatoes is pure comfort food.

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