Bubble & Squeak (2024)

Bubble & Squeak is the tastiest way to use up leftover vegetables. Perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner; you will find yourself making more vegetables so you know you have leftovers to make this!

What is bubble & squeak?

Bubble & Squeak is a British dish made with leftover mashed potatoes and vegetables. These are mixed together and fried.

The unusual name, Bubble & Squeak is thought to come from the sound that is made whilst cooking. Back in the 18th century when the dish was first recorded, it was just beef and cabbage mixed together and fried.

Over the years this changed and potato and other vegetables were added and the beef was removed.

which vegetables to use?

Savoy cabbage and carrots are common vegetables to use in Bubble & Squeak, but you really can use what you have.

The whole idea of Bubble & Squeak is to use up leftover vegetables, usually after a roast dinner. So whatever you have will work.

I do tend to always add carrots to mine and I have been known to use tenderstem broccoli instead of cabbage because I always have this in my fridge.

If you have some leftover roast potatoes you can definitely add these in too. You could even use leftover boiled potatoes if you wanted. They aren’t traditional but use what you have!

I now make sure I cook extra vegetables so that I will definitely have enough to make Bubble & Squeak. I look forward to it as much as the first meal!

a very easily adapted recipe

Bubble & Squeak is a very easily adapted recipe and definitely not written in stone.

As I have mentioned already, you can use different vegetables. Broccoli, parsnips, brussels sprouts are other vegetables that would all work well. You can use as many or few as you like.

You can also use different quantities of the vegetables. My recipe is much more a guide and very flexible. I don’t expect you to have exactly 300g of leftover mashed potato.

If you don’t have as many leftovers as you wanted, you can always cook up a few more vegetables to add to make enough to serve everyone.

You could also go back to the original recipe and add some chopped up leftover meat from your roast to the patties if you wanted.

is dusting the patties in flour essential?

You do not have to dust the Bubble & Squeak patties in flour before frying them. I like to because it gives them a more even and crisp coating and helps them bind together.

But it isn’t essential. I often make them without dusting them in flour to make it even quicker and easier.

how to cook bubble & squeak

My favourite way to cook these is to fry them. You don’t need to use too much oil, just enough to prevent them from sticking to the pan.

Once I have fried them, I put them on a baking tray in the oven to keep warm while I cook the next batch.

You can also bake them in the oven if you prefer but this takes a little longer and you might not get the same colour.

If you’re looking for a more hands off cooking method, check out my air fryer bubble & squeak.

How many people does this recipe serve?

How many people this serves really depends on how big you make your patties.

I use a very large ice cream scoop to portion up the patties and I make eight with the quantities below. You can make them whatever size you like obviously.

Also it depends which meal you are serving them for as to how many people it will serve. For example for breakfast or brunch you might only want one with an egg; but for dinner you may want three.

I know I sound like a broken record at this point, but this recipe is really flexible so you can easily use more leftover vegetables to feed more people.

Is bubble & squeak gluten free, vegetarian and vegan?

This Bubble & Squeak is naturally vegetarian and vegan as long as you haven’t added any dairy products to the mashed potatoes previously.

If you are not coating the patties in flour then it is also gluten free. You can however use gluten free flour to coat your patties.

what to eat with bubble & squeak

Bubble & Squeak is versatile and can be served with lots of different options.

It makes a lovely brunch served with a fried or poached egg. You could also add some bacon for an extra delicious meal.

When it comes to main meals, it is most commonly served with leftover roasted meat. At Christmas when most people have lots of leftovers Bubble & Squeak is a popular Boxing Day meal with leftover turkey.

My personal favourite way of serving it is with cold Honey Glazed Ham, Pressure Cooker Red Cabbage with Apple and a fried egg. I am not exaggerating when I say how much I love this meal!

How long will it keep?

Leftover mashed potato and vegetables will keep in the fridge for up to three days.

Once you have made the Bubble & Squeak you can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. I would then eat them the next day. You can reheat them in the oven to keep them crisp or the microwave.

Other recipes you might like

• Chicken & Hock Filo Pie
• Slow Cooker Beef & Ale Stew
• Slow Cooker Pork & Mustard Stew
• Store Cupboard Slow Cooker Chicken Casserole
• Leftover Potato Patties

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