About
Make this for: Dinner
Category: Rice, Beans & Potatoes
This Recipe Makes: 8 Serving(s)
Summary
A surefire dinner favorite, these mashed potatoes are lightened with fat free cream cheese and a homemade, lower fat pesto featuring basil and spinach.
What you’ll need
2 lb medium yellow fleshed potatoes
1 cup firmly packed fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup torn fresh spinach leaves
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup pine nuts or almonds
2 small cloves garlic, quartered
1/4 tsp. salt (optional)
2 tbsp. olive oil or cooking oil
2 tbsp. water
4 oz fat free cream cheese (1/2 of an 8-ounce package)
1 dash salt and pepper, to taste
2 1/2 tbsp. fat free milk
Instructions
Step 1
Peel and quarter potatoes. Cook, covered, in a small amount of boiling lightly salted water for 15 to 20 minutes or until tender; drain.
Step 2
Meanwhile, for pesto, in a food processor bowl combine basil, spinach, Parmesan cheese, pine nuts or almonds, garlic, and, if desired, 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cover and process with several on-off turns until a paste forms, stopping the machine several times and scraping down the sides. With machine running, gradually add oil and water. Process to the consistency of soft butter.
Step 3
Mash warm potatoes with a potato masher or an electric mixer on low speed. Add cream cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Gradually beat in enough milk to make potatoes light and fluffy. Top each serving with 1 teaspoon of the pesto. Cover and chill or freeze remaining pesto for another use.
Step 4
Make-Ahead Tip: Prepare pesto. Cover and chill pesto for up to 2 days or pack in an airtight container and freeze for up to 1 month.
