Skillet potato cake with spinach and mozzarella, a tasty, budget-saving and fridge-clearout recipe that is simple and quick to make. You can stuff it with spinach, but also with any other vegetables you have in the fridge and want to use, and as everyone knows the recipes with potatoes are always the best if you want to prepare an economical and quick dinner.
This is a one-dish meal, but also a tasty main course, made up of a shell of creamy potatoes that hides a soft, gooey center of spinach and mozzarella, a triumph of flavors perfect even for vegetarian cooking: the right dish to bring to the table when you have little time but don’t want to give up taste. A perfect recipe at any time of year, even in summer, that is cooked without an oven and, when accompanied by fresh salads, becomes the right solution for dinner! Let’s go to the kitchen, our skillet potato cake with spinach and mozzarella is waiting for us, but before going to the kitchen I remind you that if you want to stay updated on all my recipes you can follow my Facebook page (here) and my Instagram profile (here).
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very inexpensive
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 6
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients to make the Skillet Potato Cake with Spinach and Mozzarella
- 2.2 lb potatoes
- 1.1 lb spinach
- 2/3 cup Parmesan cheese (grated)
- 7 oz mozzarella for pizza (of good quality)
- 7 oz provola cheese
- to taste salt
- to taste black pepper
- 1 clove garlic
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 2 eggs
Tools
- Frying pan 10.25 in
- Lid
- Bowls
- Parchment paper
- Stove
- Potato masher
Steps to make the Skillet Potato Cake with Spinach and Mozzarella
Peel one clove of garlic, let it soften slightly in a generous drizzle of oil and add the spinach (already cleaned and drained). Season with salt and cook until wilted, then collect them in a bowl and chop them up with scissors.
Put the potatoes in a pot, cover with water, add salt and cook for 35-40 minutes from the boil or until a skewer goes through them easily. Drain them and let them cool gently at room temperature. Or do as I do: place them in a bowl after washing, pour in half a glass of water and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Cook in the microwave at 750W for 20 minutes, then remove and let them cool a few minutes before mashing with a potato ricer (no need to peel them — the skins will stay in the ricer).
Gather the mashed potatoes in a bowl, add salt, pepper, the eggs and the grated cheese. Mix the dough and line the bottom of the pan (choose one with a thick base) with parchment paper.
Drizzle a good amount of oil and spread half of the potato mixture over it, using oiled hands and slightly raising the edges. Spread the spinach as well, sprinkle some of the grated cheese from the total, and finish with the cheese cubes.
Cover with the remaining potato mixture, brush with a little oil and sprinkle with some breadcrumbs taken from the total.
Cook on very low heat with the lid on a medium burner for 15 minutes.
After this time, place a large sheet of parchment paper over the cake and, using some force and a plate of the right size, flip everything so that it slips back into the pan with the new sheet of parchment paper underneath and in contact with the pan.
After another 15 minutes turn off the heat and let rest for 10 minutes without the lid before inverting onto a serving plate and enjoying.
Store any leftover cooked cake in the fridge in an airtight container and consume within 24 hours after reheating.
If you need to get organized in advance, you can assemble the cake a few hours ahead and keep it in the fridge covered with plastic wrap until the moment you cook it and bring it to the table. If you prefer, you could also assemble it in a baking dish and bake at 392°F for 35-40 minutes.
