A few years ago I saw an advertisement for KFC bowl meals, I don’t know if they still make them. They served with mashed potatoes, fried chicken pieces and cheese in a bowl.

Apronese thinks that having many colors in a bowl of mashed potatoes is interesting and unique, the food is both delicious and beautiful and has many different flavors. It’s a must-try side dish.

It’s not too difficult to make this dish, are you ready to treat your family?

More Toppings, More Toppings, More Toppings!

In addition to making my Loaded Mashed Potato Bowls vegetarian, I decided to combine a mixture of fire roasted corn and black beans as the main topping for my bowls.

Cheddar cheese, jalapeos and green onions to add a splash of freshness, and a light drizzle of BBQ sauce for a little extra zing. Yeah, BBQ sauce. Trust me on this one.

Nevertheless, if you don’t want to eat meat with this, you could go with diced grilled chicken for a more smoky flavor. I would suggest some diced grilled chicken pieces so you can keep with that theme.

Make Your Own Mashed Potatoes

Your mashed potato base will be made according to your favorite recipe, but the more flavorful it is, the better your bowl will be. Because I prefer Instant Pot mashed potatoes and it’s so easy to make, I made some quick mashed potatoes with vegetable broth rather than chicken broth.

This Apple Spice Pork Chop Meal Prep blog post has my Instant Pot mashed potatoes recipe. There are also two other options you can choose from, which are my dairy-free olive oil mashed potatoes or my classic garlic herb mashed potatoes.

A fork digging into Loaded Mashed Potato Bowls, cheese pulling

Loaded Mashed Potato Bowls

With this Loaded Mashed Potato Bowl, a perfectly creamy potato base is the perfect base for a pile of colorful and flavorful toppings. Perfect for meal preparation, this recipe is perfect for any occasion.

Prep Time: 20 mins/ Cook Time: 0 mins/ Total Time: 20 mins

Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 6 cups prepared mashed potatoes ($2.17)
  • 2 cups frozen corn kernels* ($1.49)
  • 1 15oz. can can black beans ($0.79)
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder** ($0.10)
  • 4 oz. cheddar, shredded ($1.00)
  • 1/2 cup BBQ sauce ($0.68)
  • 2 green onions, sliced ($0.22)
  • 1 jalapeño, thinly sliced (optional) ($0.33)

Instructions

  • The corn kernels must be thawed before adding them to the bowl, or they can be heated through if you plan to eat them right away. The black beans should be drained, rinsed, then stirred with the chili powder until they are coated with it.
  • There are several ways to put together the bowls. The easiest is to place about 1.5 cups of mashed potatoes in each bowl, then top with half of a cup corn kernels, one-third cup of black beans, one-quarter cup of shredded cheddar, and two tablespoons of BBQ sauce, along with a sprinkle of sliced green onion and jalapeño.
  • If you would like to serve the bowls immediately, you can either do so or refrigerate them until ready to serve. To reheat the bowls, simply microwave the mashed potatoes and cheese until hot and melted.

*I used frozen corn kernels from Trader Joe’s that were “fire roasted”, which are more expensive but impart a wonderful smoky flavor to the dish.
**In this case, we are not talking about spicy red chile powder, but rather a mild, earthy blend of herbs used to season American chili dishes.

Nutritional

Serving: 1 Serving ・ Calories: 705.6 kcal ・ Carbohydrates: 102.9 g ・ Protein: 22.48 g ・ Fat: 24.8 g ・ Sodium: 2452.55 mg ・ Fiber: 15.78 g

The nutritional values shown here are only estimates. Please see our nutrition disclaimer.

Close up of Loaded Mashed Potato Bowls

How to Make Loaded Mashed Potato Bowls – Step by Step Photos

Season Black Beans

Let’s assume that you have already made 6 cups of your favorite mashed potatoes. If you intend to consume your Loaded Mashed Potato Bowls within a short period of time, remove 2 cups frozen corn kernels from the freezer and let them thaw (or heat them through if you plan to eat them immediately).

In addition to rinsing and draining one 15 ounce can of black beans, add 1/2 teaspoon of chili powder to the beans and stir until well coated.

Prep Toppings

As for the rest of the toppings, prepare them as well by shredding about 4 oz of cheddar cheese, thinly slicing one jalapeo, and slicing two green onions.

Start bowls with a layer of mashed potatoes

One of the bowls I made today was eaten for lunch, and the other 3 are being prepared for meals later this week in the afternoon and evening. To make each bowl, start by mashing 1.5 cups of potatoes.

Add cheese to mashed potatoes

The amount of shredded cheese that should be added to each bowl should be about 1/4 cup.

Add seasoned black beans to bowls

There should be about 1/2 cup of corn kernels and about 1/3 cup of black beans added to each of the bowls once the corn kernels are added.

Add jalapeños, green onion, and sauce to bowls

After that, drizzle a few tablespoons of BBQ sauce over each bowl and garnish with some sliced green onion, sliced jalapeos (optional), and refrigerate or serve immediately. If you want your cheese to be melted, pop it in the microwave for a minute or so.

A fork digging into the Loaded Mashed Potato Bowls

I am pleased to report that I have not found any sign of beige in this bowl at all.

The colorful version of mashed potatoes that Apronese introduces to you above is both delicious and easy to make and inexpensive, with easy-to-find ingredients. What do you think of this recipe, share it with everyone in the comments section.