Potato and spinach cakes, no mold required, grandma’s recipe for a simple and tasty vegetarian main course and for an appetizing side dish, just like all the single-portion potato cakes made so far — a recipe also perfect as a starter in any season.

Potato and spinach cakes, like the potato and mushroom cakes, are a simple, indulgent and flavorful dish made with mashed boiled potatoes, spinach and just a few other ingredients. These are small single-serving molds with a soft, melty, generous center you’ll love at first bite — perfect for a rustic vegetarian menu suitable for everyone and ideal for a family or friends’ dinner. An extremely easy recipe, also great for holidays, and perfect to add to the selection of a savory rustic buffet: tasty, original and economical. Now let’s go to the kitchen to discover our potato and spinach cakes recipe. Before you hurry off to cook, I remind you that if you want to stay updated on new recipes you can follow my Facebook page and my Instagram profile, and here you’ll also find many equally delicious Spinach Recipes.

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Difficulty: Very easy
Cost: Very inexpensive
Rest time: 5 Minutes
Preparation time: 20 Minutes
Portions: 7
Cooking methods: Oven
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: All seasons

Ingredients to make potato and spinach cakes

1 1/2 lb potatoes
1 egg
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
to taste parsley
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 pinch black pepper
to taste salt
to taste extra virgin olive oil
1 onion
1 1/8 lb spinach (already cleaned)
5 oz provola cheese
to taste extra virgin olive oil
to taste breadcrumbs

Tools

Bowls
Pots
Oven
Parchment paper
Potato ricer

Steps to make the potato cakes

Place the potatoes in a pot, cover with water, add salt and cook for 35–40 minutes from the boil or until a skewer slides in easily. Do not overcook them; it’s better to stop a little early because they’ll continue cooking by residual heat. Drain and let them cool gently at room temperature. Do not run them under cold water because they would break apart. Or, do as I do: place them in a bowl after washing, pour in half a cup of water and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Cook in the microwave at 750W for 17 minutes, then remove and let sit for a few minutes before mashing with a potato ricer.
Add salt, pepper, one egg, the grated cheese and the breadcrumbs, mixing to obtain a homogeneous, workable mixture (you may need to add more breadcrumbs). With lightly oiled hands, form balls of about 5 oz (approximately 150 g).
Peel and chop the onion, let it soften in a good drizzle of oil and add the spinach (already cleaned and drained). Season with salt and cook until the spinach is soft.
Shape the balls, forming a cavity to hold the filling and fill them with a little cheese, the spinach and a bit more cheese (I recommend roughly chopping the spinach before distributing it on the cakes — it will be easier to eat).
Drizzle with a little more olive oil, sprinkle with breadcrumbs and bake in a conventional oven at 392°F for 15–20 minutes or until the surface has taken color. Do not over-bake, as they would break apart.
Remove from the oven and let rest for 5–6 minutes before serving; they should be enjoyed hot and melty.
If you need to organize ahead, you can assemble the cakes a few hours in advance and store them in the fridge covered with plastic wrap until the moment you bake and serve them.
Store any leftover cooked cakes in the fridge in an airtight container and consume within 24 hours after reheating.