Best, quick and easy one pot Colcannon recipe, made with simple ingredients for St.Patrick's Day. An old fashioned, traditional Irish side dish with rich and creamy mashed potatoes, cabbage, onions and bacon.
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This side dish tastes just as good as my Fried Cabbage with Bacon (One Pot) and Fried Sausage and Cabbage (One Pot). It's hearty, comforting and can be made with leeks or even kale. However, my family prefers cabbage, hands down! Over the years, I have given this recipe even more depth and flavor by adding some garlic, green onions and lots of bacon. Which, by the way, if you are a bacon lover, too, you'll definitely want to try these Bacon Wrapped Smokies (One Pan).
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Key ingredients
- Bacon- This should be pre-cooked and in pieces.
- Butter- Use unsalted butter for the best taste.
- Garlic- I like to use fresh for the more pungent flavor and aroma.
- Onions- Just use your simple yellow ones, chopped small.
- Spices- Including black pepper and salt.
- Mashed potatoes- Make sure they are nice and smooth.
- Cabbage- I like to use the classic green kind for this recipe.
- Green onions- This adds subtle flavor as well as a pop of color.
- Heavy cream- Brings in so much creaminess to the overall dish.
Variations
- Turn this into a soup- Add a lot of broth and heavy cream to thin it out into a soup-like consistency. It will end up having a very similar consistency to my Instant Pot Potato Soup, which is beyond delicious!
- Make it spicy- Add 1 finely chopped jalapeno or you can add 1-2 teaspoon red chili flakes. Adjust the spice factor, based on your preference.
- Cheesy version- Add ½ cup of your favorite cheese (ricotta, feta, cream cheese, cheddar e.t.c.).
- Add leeks or kale- These can be added instead of cabbage.
- Add other herbs and spices- Such as parsley, dill, sage, or rosemary.
- Use some breakfast sausage- Instead of bacon for a slightly different flavor and more filling dish.
- Mustard option- Add a spoonful of Dijon or whole-grain mustard for a sharp, savory kick.
- Try purple cabbage- Just keep in mind it will likely turn the whole dish a light purple color and add some subtle flavor differences. One of my favorite recipes to use purple cabbage is this Fried Sausage and Cabbage (One Pot).
How to make easy one pot colcannon recipe?
- Saute- Garlic, onion, and cabbage in butter.
- Add- Potatoes, green onions, cream, butter, spices.
- Sprinkle- Bacon on top and enjoy.
What to serve with them?
Any time you are planning on serving Creamy Mashed Potatoes (One Pot) or these Mashed Sweet Potatoes (One Pot) as a side dish, consider replacing them with this Irish side. Serve it alongside the following mains:
- Irish stew with beer- Or my Easy Beef Stew Recipe (One Pot) or even this Instant Pot Irish Dublin Coddle.
- Corned beef- The most classic choice!
- Bangers - Similar to fried sausages like you'll find in this other Irish dish of Instant Pot Dublin Coddle.
- Pot Roast- Here are some of my favorites: Instant Pot Red Wine Pot Roast or Instant Pot Pot Roast or Easy Slow Cooker Pot Roast.
- Ham- Such as this popular Slow Cooker Ham (With Pineapples and Brown Sugar).
- Beef bourguignon- Add some Guinness beer to it and really take it over the top.
Tips and Techniques
- Heavy cream substitute- Half and half, evaporated milk, cream cheese, sour cream all work well but heavy cream is truly the best.
- Use unsalted butter- Because this prevents this side dish from becoming too salty.
- Butter vs. Oil- I highly recommend using butter because it has more flavor that oil just does not have. The only other fat I would recommend is bacon grease because that's simply amazing!
- Use leftover mashed potatoes- From a previous meal because it's so much easier and convenient.
- Use full fat ingredients- Such as real butter and heavy cream because that makes this side very rich and creamy.
- Double the recipe- To serve a bigger crowd.
- Use nonstick pot- To prevent burning and sticking.
- Adjust amount of heavy cream- This determines the creamy factor. Add more to make it more smooth and creamy. It should not be "soupy."
Recipe FAQs
It's an Irish side dish that's composed of boiled mashed potatoes, cabbage, onions, green onions, lots of butter and heavy cream. Then, it's seasoned with salt and pepper and topped off with crumbled bacon and additional butter.
Starchy potatoes are best, so I recommend Russet or Yukon Gold for the creamiest version.
Based on my research, it seems that traditionally cabbage and potatoes were boiled together. However, I think that makes everything very green and "mushy" and I prefer the texture of stir-fried cabbage better.
Use them to make Leftover Mashed Potato Pancakes (One Pan) or potato cakes or even in a Shepherd's pie.
Storage
- Refrigerate- Place in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freeze- I don't recommend this, because abbage and potatoes hold a lot of moisture already and upon thawing, this becomes a watery mess and the texture is just not the same.
- Reheat- Place in the microwave and heat until warmed.
- Make ahead- This can be made 1 day in advance if kept in a sealed container in the fridge. Be sure to warm before serving for best flavor.
More one pot vegetarian side dishes
- Vegetable Chow Mein (One Pot)
- Roll Up Pinwheel Sandwiches (One Pot)
- Easy Crispy Onion Fritters/Pakora (One Pot)
- Quick Pickled Vegetables (One Pot)
- Zucchini Noodles With Pesto (One Pot)
Recipe
One Pot Colcannon (Irish Mashed Potatoes With Cabbage)
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Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon Butter Unsalted
- 1 tablespoon Garlic Finely minced, Optional
- ¾ cup Onion Finely chopped
- 5-6 cups Cabbage Roughly shredded, E.g. 1 small head
- 3 pounds Potatoes Peeled, Boiled, Mashed
- ¼ cup Green onions Thinly sliced
- ½ cup Heavy cream
- ¼ cup Butter Unsalted
- Salt To taste
- Pepper To taste
- ¼ cup Bacon Cooked, Crumbled
- 2-3 tablespoon Butter Unsalted, For topping
Instructions
- In a large nonstick pot, heat butter over medium high heat.
- Add garlic, onion and cabbage and saute until cabbage is tender.Â
- Add mashed potatoes, green onions, heavy cream, butter, salt, pepper and mix everything together gently. Â
- Sprinkle cooked, crumbled bacon and top off with more butter. Enjoy!
Notes
- Consider adding other veggies like cauliflower or leeks or even kale.
- Add other herbs and spices for a different flavor profile.Â
- Make it spicy by adding some red chili flakes.Â
- Use a nonstick pot to prevent sticking and burning. I didn't have the best experience with stainless steel since the mashed potatoes kept sticking to the sides.Â
- Use unsalted butter to prevent this dish from becoming too salty.Â
- If you are out of heavy cream, you can use half and half or evaporated milk but I truly believe heavy cream yields the best creamy texture.Â
- For a cheesy version, mix in your favorite cheese at the end such as mozzarella, feta, mascarpone, cream cheese or even parmesan.Â
- Read additional tips and variations above.Â
- Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days and reheated in the microwave.Â
Nutrition
An automated tool is used to calculate the nutritional information. As such, I cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information provided for any recipe on this site.
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