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If you want to make something truly special with basic staple ingredients, then this Papas Rellenas recipe is calling your name! These delicious fried mashed potato balls are stuffed with savory ground beef and fried golden, making them fun to make and fun to eat!
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Papas Rellenas Ingredients
- Mashed potatoes - like my Creamy Mashed Potatoes or Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes recipes!
- Butter
- Ground beef
- Tomato sauce
- Minced garlic
- Dried oregano
- Salt
- Seasoned bread crumbs
The optional olives and chow mein noodles in the ingredients photo below are if you're making my Halloween potato balls!
How to Make Potato Balls
- Preheat your oven to 400°F. While the oven is preheating, add olive oil and ground beef to a frying pan and cook until brown, stirring occasionally.
- Add in the tomato sauce, minced garlic, oregano and salt to the beef, then mix it all together.
- Set the heat to low and let the sauce and meat mixture simmer for 30 minutes. Then, remove the pan from the heat to let it cool down completely.
- Get out a large dish (I love square casserole dishes for this) and pour in the bread crumbs.
- Place a spoonful of cooled mashed potatoes in the palm of your hand. Using a spoon or your fingers, make a dent in the center of the potatoes, then place 1 Tablespoon of meat mixture into the indent.
- Place another spoonful of mashed potatoes on top, then roll it in your palm until it forms a neat ball with the meat mixture enclosed inside.
- Roll the potato ball in the dish of bread crumbs until coated on all sides, then place it on a lined baking sheet. Repeat this process until no meat and potatoes remain.
- Melt the butter in the microwave or a pan. Using a baking brush, brush the top of each potato ball with melted butter. Then place the pan in the oven, and bake for 15 minutes or until golden-brown. Remove, cool, and serve!
Papas Rellenas de Carne
My family loves mashed potatoes and seasoned ground beef in recipes, so combining them into one delicious dish is a no-brainer! This classic recipe for potato balls with meat is my favorite so far.
The great thing about this potato balls recipe is you don't need any fancy equipment to make it! No deep-fryer necessary. I make this more wholesome alternative to typically fried papas rellenas con carne in the oven! It's so easy and mess-free!
This is also a perfect recipe for using up leftover taco meat or mashed potatoes. Give your leftovers a whole new spin and they'll be the centerpiece of your next meal! Or, for a spooky twist, check out the amazing Halloween themed treat shown below.
Papas Rellenas FAQs
Papas Rellenas couldn't be more simple- they're balls of mashed potatoes stuffed with seasoned ground beef! Rolling them in bread crumbs helps them fry or bake to a lovely crisp.
Baking instead of deep-frying potato balls keeps them nice and well-shaped through the entire cooking process. However, if you want to fry them, chill the formed potato balls before frying. Colder potatoes firm up, keeping them from falling apart in the oil!
You can freeze potato balls. The best time to freeze and store Papas Rellenas is right before you bake them. When you want to cook them, just pop them in the oven for an extra 15 minutes- you don't need to let them thaw!
Halloween-Themed Spider Potatoes
Everyone's allowed to have a little extra fun when cooking, and what's more fun than making a spooky Halloween dinner? I always get so excited to try out new creative ways to add a festive spin to supper, and this is an absolute favorite!
After all, Halloween sweets are classics, but why be limited to deserts? How about whipping up some cute and creepy Spider Spuds- I just know your family will love them!
They're as easy as they are delicious, and just so cute! All you need is chow mein noodles to make their tiny little legs, and olive slices (or black sesame seeds!) for eyes.
And it's so quick to do! Just follow the recipe to form and bake the potato balls, then:
- Slice 2 olives into tiny little squares to be the eyes. Using a little extra mashed potatoes as "glue", stick two slices side-by-side on the potato ball.
- Use 4 noodles per side to add 8 cute legs to the potato spider. They're strong enough to be stuck right into the soft potato!
- That's it! Your legion of tiny, tasty spiders are ready to delight your family at dinner!
Mashed Potato Balls Recipe Tips
- These potato balls are perfect for making ahead! Whip up a big batch and then freeze them before baking. They'll last for up to 4 months in the freezer and just take an extra 15 minutes of baking time from frozen!
- Cooling your mashed potatoes to room temperature before using them to create the balls will make it SO much easier to work with!
- Gluten free? Never fear! Just swap out the breadcrumbs for a gluten-free alternative.
- All sorts of seasonings work for the beef in this recipe, so try out all sorts to make it perfect for your family! Or if you want to be extra adventurous, try a different ground meat entirely!
More Ground Beef Recipes
- Puerto Rican Empanadas
- Ground Beef Stroganoff
- Taco Casserole
- Ground Beef Enchiladas
- ...Or other amazing ground beef recipes!
Mashed Potatoes Recipes
Potato balls are a great way to use up leftover mashed potatoes!
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📋 Recipe
Papas Rellenas Recipe
Equipment
- Frying pan
- Wooden spoon or rubber spatula
- Large dish
- Baking sheet
- Oven
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Mashed Potatoes
- 3 Tablespoons Butter melted
- 1 lb. Ground beef
- 8 Tablespoons Tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon Garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons Dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 2 Cups Seasoned bread crumbs
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F. While the oven is preheating, add olive oil and ground beef to a frying pan and cook until brown, stirring occasionally.1 lb. Ground beef
- Add in the tomato sauce, minced garlic, oregano and salt to the beef, then mix it all together.8 Tablespoons Tomato sauce, 1 teaspoon Garlic, 2 teaspoons Dried oregano, 1 teaspoon Salt
- Set the heat to low and let the sauce and meat mixture simmer for 30 minutes. Then, remove the pan from the heat to let it cool down completely.
- Get out a large dish (I love square casserole dishes for this) and pour in the bread crumbs.2 Cups Seasoned bread crumbs
- Place a spoonful of cooled mashed potatoes in the palm of your hand. Using a spoon or your fingers, make a dent in the center of the potatoes, then place 1 Tablespoon of meat mixture into the indent.2 Cups Mashed Potatoes
- Place another spoonful of mashed potatoes on top, then roll it in your palm until it forms a neat ball with the meat mixture enclosed inside.
- Roll the potato ball in the dish of bread crumbs until coated on all sides, then place it on a lined baking sheet. Repeat this process until no meat and potatoes remain.
- Melt the butter in the microwave or a pan. Using a baking brush, brush the top of each potato ball with melted butter. Then place the pan in the oven, and bake for 15 minutes or until golden-brown. Remove, cool, and serve!3 Tablespoons Butter
Notes
- These potato balls are perfect for making ahead! Whip up a big batch and then freeze them before baking. They'll last for up to 4 months in the freezer and just take an extra 15 minutes of baking time from frozen!
- Cooling your mashed potatoes to room temperature before using them to create the balls will make it SO much easier to work with!
- Gluten free? Never fear! Just swap out the breadcrumbs for a gluten-free alternative.
- All sorts of seasonings work for the beef in this recipe, so try out all sorts to make it perfect for your family! Or if you want to be extra adventurous, try a different ground meat entirely!
Leave a comment or question - we love to hear from you!