White Bean and Mashed Potato Soup: A Cozy Solution to Leftovers

Turn your leftover ingredients into a creamy, filling soup

You know how we recently made an excessive amount of mashed potatoes? ...We also made an excessive amount of white beans when we made quesadillas. So now we have slightly less in the container of potatoes but also a large pot of beans to work through. Time for us to get creative and combine them!

Not so long ago, we tried a white bean soup at a local restaurant. Theirs was very tasty and very filling, and it became a jumping-off point for what we've done here.

In the event you aren't starting with a bunch of leftovers like we did, please take the time to prepare potatoes and beans as needed. Using instant potatoes and canned beans are totally options if time is tight and you need food on the table soon!

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked white beans

1 whole yellow onion

1 rib celery

3 tablespoons minced garlic

1 cup mashed potatoes

1/2 cup milk

2 tablespoons butter (optional; see notes)

3 tablespoons dried parsley

1 bay leaf

2 tablespoons better than bouillon variety of choice (we used chicken)

5-6 cups water

salt and pepper, to taste

Tools:

large stock pot with lid or Instant Pot/pressure cooker

food processor or blender

measuring cups and spoons

serving spoon or ladle

knife

cutting board

Any produce you plan to work with that isn't washed and ready to eat will, of course, need a quick bath before you get to chopping. You already know this, we're sure, but we'd feel like we failed you if we didn't give you the reminder each time. If you’re making your beans from scratch for this recipe, make sure to consider whether you want to soak them or not, and how that will affect the recipe as well. 

Open up the food processor or blender, checking for loose pieces because you really don't want to find out the bottom ring of the blender jar is loose or that the food processor blade isn't seated /after/ you've already put food in... Ask us how we know.

Rough chop your onion (we were a little lazy and just quartered it, which was enough to fit the chunks between the blades) and add it to the food processor. Dice and add your celery, then measure in your minced garlic. Put the lid in place, make sure it's secure, and pulse until you have a vegetable slush of mostly uniform consistency.

You can add your potatoes at this point if there's room in the food processor. We ran out of space and ended up mixing those in by hand later, so we hope you've got some space to spare.

Take your cooked beans and transfer them to the stock pot or pressure cooker. Add your mashed potatoes and the contents of the food processor and stir. If the food processor couldn't take care of the potatoes for you, reheat them before adding and melt in the butter - cold mashed potatoes have a tendency to be congealed and lumpy, and this will help them mix better

Measure in your dried parsley, Better than Bouillon, bay leaf, salt and pepper. As you can see in the photo, we used a LOT of pepper, but that's a preference thing. (Probably don't use that much. We just like pepper here.)

Add the milk and water, put the lid on the pot and bring it up to temperature.

If you're doing this on the stove top, set the burner to medium and bring the contents of the pan up to a simmer. Cover and cook for at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

If you're using a pressure cooker, set to low pressure for 20 minutes and allow natural pressure release. Also, watch out for the "food burn" warning; our Instant Pot can be annoyingly sensitive, and it set off the warning alarm twice because of, as far as we could tell, a lump of potato stuck to the edge. May you have fewer headaches with yours.

This soup works great as a main dish or as a side along with something else. It would even work great as an easy lunch for the week, if you’re into food prep. We enjoyed it served alongside some slices of thick bakery bread. 

If you’re working specifically with your Instant Pot (or similar small appliances) because your oven is giving you trouble, we’re here to help. At Appliance Rescue Service, our goal is to get your home running smoothly again, whether it’s your oven or your dryer, your refrigerator or your dishwasher. You can reach out to us via our website below or by giving us a call. We’ll work with you to find a date and time that works best for your situation. 

Website
Call: (214) 599-0055

Additional Reading

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 Layered Veggie Bowl

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Too Many Potatoes? Try These Tasty Crescent Pockets

Crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside—your leftovers never tasted this good

We made the critical error of asking for help peeling potatoes two nights ago. Our helper was a little too helpful, went on autopilot and peeled... basically all of them. For one dinner. We ended up with five. whole. pounds. of peeled potatoes. It was not a holiday, and no guests were expected.

Suddenly, we had a lot more mashed potatoes than we originally bargained for. Waste is not an option with perfectly good food, and we had to come up with something to avoid "potatoes again?" complaints over the three or more consecutive days of potato side dishes. In case you ever find yourself in a similar bind, here's a silly little recipe to dress up said potatoes. Another one will follow, for sure. Stay tuned.

Ingredients:

1 can crescent rolls

2 cups plain mashed potatoes

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 tablespoons sour cream

3 tablespoons butter, melted

salt and white pepper, to taste

1/2 pound assorted cooked mixed vegetables

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon celery salt

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

2 tablespoons cold water

1 tablespoon flour

shredded cheese, if desired

Tools:

baking sheet

parchment paper

measuring cups and spoons

mixing bowl

spoon(s)

We elected to leave the potatoes plain when we cooked them and to add seasoning in batches to keep things from getting too boring as we worked through what appeared to be a bottomless bucket of potatoes. If you're beginning with some leftover potatoes that are already seasoned, please feel free to skip the seasonings here or dress up your spuds with something else.

Preheat your oven to 375 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a microwave safe mixing cup, stir together the two tablespoons of cold water and the single tablespoon of flour to make a slurry. Once well combined, pour the cup of chicken stock and the half teaspoons of celery salt and onion powder into the slurry. Heat in the microwave for 45 seconds. Remove, stir well, and repeat the heat-remove-stir process until the mixture thickens into gravy.

Reheat your mashed potatoes in a mixing bowl or other microwave safe container. Measure in the garlic, melted butter, sour cream, salt and pepper. Stir well to combine. Taste test, because some potatoes just need more flavor. Add more as necessary.

Unroll the can of crescent rolls and place the dough on the baking sheet. While we chose to use the eight triangular pieces the sheet is perforated into and show the filling poking out, you may prefer to do four larger pockets and fully enclose them, or press the perforated lines back together and re-cut into rounds or squares. Play around with it if you'd like.

After you've decided on a shape and laid out all your dough, place a quarter cup of potatoes on each portion of dough. Press a scoop of vegetables into each mound of potatoes, and drizzle just a little gravy over the vegetables. (Set the remaining gravy aside to top the pockets later.)

If you'd like to add some cheese, feel free to do so at this point. We had some other cheesy food planned for the dinner plate this time around and skipped the extra here. Be sure to add only a low-moisture cheese to prevent the crescent dough getting soggy.

Fold the edges of the dough over to trap all the filling inside. Pinch to fully enclose, if you'd like. The parchment paper makes for easy cleanup even if the filling leaks out a little during baking, so that's totally optional.

Bake for 10-15 minutes until dough has begun to turn golden-brown and any exposed filling is sizzling. Allow to cool at least two minutes before attempting to remove from the baking sheet. Drizzle with remaining chicken gravy and serve as a side.

If while cooking you find that your oven is only cooking half of this delicious dinner, it might be an issue with the heating elements. We’ve got a link in the additional reading section below for different issues that can crop up with your range. And if you’re already aware that your range needs servicing, you can reach out to us today. We’ll work with you to find a date and time that works for your schedule, and send out our technicians. At Appliance Rescue Service, keeping your home in tip top shape is our goal. 

Website
Call : (214) 599-0055

Kitchen Hazards Unveiled 

Crispy Bottoms to Raw Centers: A Chef's Nightmare

 37 Reasons To Have Your Appliances Maintained Regularly

How We Fixed the Holiday’s Most Divisive Dish

 More veggies, more flavor, and way less salt—this is green bean casserole done right.

It seems like every holiday season, every gathering is subjected to the "classic" green bean casserole. You know the thing - a giant dish of canned green beans, cream of mushroom soup, sometimes bacon, usually fried onion... Always buckets of salt, and the same cloying, sticky mass lacking both flavor and texture.

Ingredients:

2 14-oz bags frozen Prince Charles vegetable blend

1 smoked sausage rope

1 yellow onion

5 ounces shredded cabbage

2 tablespoons minced garlic

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus a little extra to grease the dish

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon dried parsley

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 cup low sodium broth (chicken or vegetable)

1 cup 2% milk

 salt and pepper, to taste

2 ounces shredded cheddar or Colby jack cheese (optional)

Tools:

Sauté pan with lid

Colander

Cutting board

Knife

Whisk

Tongs

Measuring cups and spoons

9x13 baking dish

The guys in particular are adamantly anti-green bean casserole. One (beloved) grandparent has made it the same Campbell's-approved way for FORTY FIVE YEARS. Dad won't even look at it any more, after a childhood of the siblings sneaking their portions onto his plate. The teen won't touch it, or any other canned vegetable, having been rather spoiled by a combination of hidden vegetables and as-fresh-as-possible at all other occasions. The rest of us look at it and kind of sigh internally, but will consume it in the name of family harmony. There are a few left in the family who truly enjoy it, but we feel it was long past time for a change. 

While it took us a while, we believe we have finally tackled the challenge of a non-standard green bean casserole. Something with visual impact, depth of flavor, and a variety of textures. And also a LOT less salt. Some of us are sensitive to it, after all. In short, we think we've devised something to put on the table next year that hopefully won't be ignored like the usual casserole. Try it on the in between so you have most of the year to make it yours, and you can really take the family by surprise next Thanksgiving.

The big difference maker in this is the fact we're using five vegetables instead of just the bland, mushy singular. Green beans are fantastic - but canned green beans are just sad. Fresh is always the best option, but in the names of frugality (out of season produce is expensive!), availability (does your grocery store have fresh wax beans? Ours doesn't) and convenience, we're opting to use frozen.

If you're not familiar with the Prince Charles blend of vegetables, it's just green beans, wax beans and carrots. We feel like the mix is normally a little light on the carrots, so we like to add in an extra handful of baby carrots. Whether or not you do the same is your choice.

As always, wash any produce that didn't make its way to you already washed, prepped and ready to eat.

Toss your green beans, wax beans and carrots into the sauté pan with just a little water (half a cup at most). Set the heat to medium, put the lid on the pan and let them steam for six to eight minutes.

While they steam, chop your onion, shred your cabbage and cut the rope sausage to whatever size pieces you prefer. In this case, larger chunks of sausage will not affect the cook time, since it's precooked. You can choose any flavor of smoked sausage, but we used the Hillshire Farm roasted garlic chicken sausage.

After you've steamed the vegetable mix, pour it all into the colander to get rid of the excess water, then transfer it to a large mixing bowl. If you started with frozen like we did, it won't be cooked through, and this is a desirable outcome. We don't want mushy green beans after they've been baked - the whole point here was to flip the script on squishy, sad casserole - so we don't want them floppy before they've even made it to the oven.

Put the sauté pan back on the stove and flip the sausage, cabbage and onion into it. Add the garlic. Replace the lid and allow that to cook, covered, until the onion is translucent, stirring occasionally. When the onions are translucent and the cabbage has changed color, use tongs to transfer all of it into the mixing bowl with the beans and carrots. Stir to combine.

Preheat the oven to 350 and grease the bottom of a 9x13" baking dish. Pour the big mixing bowl of veggies into the baking dish and arrange them into an even layer. Add a little salt and pepper, if you so desire.

That same sauté pan, which probably would like to know when it gets a break by this point, needs to go back on the burner, still on medium. Melt the two tablespoons of butter and sift the flour into it, whisking it together to make a roux. As the color starts to deepen, add the smoked paprika, parsley and thyme. Continue to whisk to combine. Measure in your broth and milk, stirring constantly. Make sure to scrape sides and the bottom of the pan as you go, stirring until the sauce thickens.

Once your sauce has reached the desired consistency, pour it evenly over the vegetables and set that poor sauté pan down to cool (its work here is finally done for the day). Grate a thin layer of cheese over the top if desired, move the dish into the oven and allow it to bake uncovered for 20 minutes.

The holidays are all about tradition, but there’s nothing wrong with giving those traditions a little refresh—especially when it means bringing bold flavors and vibrant textures to the table. And just like a good holiday dish, your home’s appliances need a little care to keep everything running smoothly. Whether it’s a finicky oven or a fridge that’s working overtime, our team at Appliance Rescue Service is here to help. Because the only thing that should be bubbling over this season is your excitement—not your appliances!

Website

Call   (214) 599-0055

Additional Reading

Berry Bliss: A Delectable Mixed-Berry Clafouti Recipe

Ladle Love: Wholesome Potato Leek Soup Recipe

Fall Comfort Food: How to Make Perfectly Creamy Pumpkin Pasta

Herby, Cheesy Perfection: A Mac and Cheese Recipe You’ll Love

A rich blend of cheeses and herbs to take your mac and cheese to the next level

There’s something about the first bite of homemade macaroni and cheese that takes you straight back to childhood, comforting you like a warm hug on a cold day. But this isn’t your average mac and cheese – it’s packed with rich, creamy cheese and an aromatic blend of herbs that elevate this classic dish to something extraordinary. Whether you’re feeding a crowd or simply indulging in some much-needed comfort food, this herby mac and cheese will hit the spot every time. Ready to dig in?

Ingredients:

1 pound dry medium pasta shells

1/2 cup water

1 stick unsalted butter

1/4 cup all purpose flour

2 cups half and half

8 ounce brick of mozzarella cheese

5 ounce tub of shredded parmesan cheese

2 cups dry grated pecorino romano cheese

2 eggs

2 cups 2% milk

3 tablespoons minced garlic

2 tablespoons oregano

1 tablespoon fennel seed

1 tablespoon basil

1 tablespoon parsley

1 teaspoon marjoram

1 teaspoon sage

1 teaspoon tarragon

salt and black pepper, to taste

Tools:

stock pot

colander

Dutch oven

measuring cups and spoons

cheese grater

whisk

spoons

mixing bowl

While we would love for this to be a one-pot meal, there's really not an efficient way to manage that (at least, not one we've found - if you've got one, please share!). So, for better or for worse, there will be a couple pots to wash at the end of this. But the GIANT pot of homemade macaroni and cheese makes up for it, in our opinion.

After making it through the holidays, we're usually tired of eating food that fits everyone else's preferences. Once we're home again from whatever traveling we did, it's time for comfort food. Lots of comfort food, usually, because we're still of a mindset to cook for a crowd. That tends to linger.

Enter macaroni and cheese, the ultimate, kid-pleasing, crowd-feeding dish of comfort food. Use it as a side, use it as a main course, eat it as a snack... It's versatile like that.

Strangely enough, there's not a veggie to be found in this recipe. It's a rarity for us, we know, but allow it to be a testament to the fact we are /exhausted/ in general. (The fact we also spent a week in a vegetarian household during the holiday break may also have had some influence.)

Fill the stock pot with water enough for your pound of pasta, crank up the heat to bring it to a boil, and salt it generously. We'll need to cook the pasta all by its lonesome, so set a timer and have the colander ready. We like to shave a couple minutes off the box directions because the pasta will still absorb more moisture from the cheese sauce when we reach the baking step.

Set the heat under your Dutch oven to low and melt the butter while you wait for the water to come to a boil. (Yes, we are aware that an entire stick of butter is a lot. Perhaps you've seen this recipe is rather heavy on the fatty dairy stuff. Our little concessions are half and half instead of heavy cream and 2% reduced fat milk instead of whole milk... mostly because it's what we keep on hand. Feel free to make other substitutions of your own design - this recipe is yours now.)

While the butter melts, preheat the oven to 350 and shred up the brick of mozzarella cheese. Don't cheat and use pre-shredded, as it will change the entire texture of the cheese sauce later. Set the mozzarella aside, as it will still be a few minutes before you need it.

To the now melted butter, add the garlic, oregano, parsley, basil, fennel seed, sage, marjoram, tarragon and pepper. Stir it all up with a whisk and allow it to heat until fragrant, maybe two minutes.

Add the all-purpose flour to the pan and stir it in. Yes, it will be pasty and look unappealing, but it's all part of the process of making a roux. Increase the heat a little, and stir frequently until the scent of the mixture begins to change, as does the color.

Around now, it should be time to drain your pasta. Make sure not to leave it in the colander for it to get sticky and cold - return it to the pot after draining and put a lid on it.

Measure in the half and half at this point, increase the heat further to medium-high, and bring it up to a boil. Be sure to stir constantly. Continue stirring over medium-high heat for two minutes, then cut the heat, remove the pan, and add in the mozzarella, parmesan and pecorino romano cheeses. Trade the whisk for a spoon and stir until melted. It'll be extremely dense and stretchy, but don't worry, this isn't the final version of the sauce.

In a mixing bowl, whisk the two eggs and your salt and pepper into the milk. Once combined, add this to the still-hot Dutch oven and stir thoroughly. It may look like it'll never mix in, but it will. And once it does, you'll be left with a glossy off-white cheese sauce flecked with herbs. After you've achieved the glossy stage, pour your pre-cooked pasta into the sauce and stir to cover.

Bake, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes. Feel free to garnish with more herbs before serving.

When it comes to comfort food, it’s hard to beat the creamy, cheesy goodness of mac and cheese. With a generous sprinkle of aromatic herbs and a rich blend of cheeses, this dish is sure to please even the pickiest eaters. Plus, it's so versatile – serve it as a side, main course, or snack, and it’ll always steal the show. And while you're whipping up meals like this, don’t forget about your kitchen appliances! If you ever find yourself in need of repairs, our team at Appliance Rescue Service is here to help ensure your kitchen stays in tip-top shape, so you can focus on creating delicious dishes like this one without a hitch.

Website

Call: (214) 599-0055

Additional Reading

Halloween Drunken Noodles: Perfect for Chilly Nights

Fall Comfort Food: How to Make Perfectly Creamy Pumpkin Pasta

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Halloween Drunken Noodles: Perfect for Chilly Nights

 Get cozy this fall with a simple and delicious sausage pasta meal, featuring Halloween-themed pasta!

Although the only thing particularly festive about this recipe is the shape of the pasta, it's most assuredly a warm, comforting, carb-heavy meal great for cooler weather. It's a go-to, quick recipe that frequently appears on our table every fall and winter.

We saw adorable tricolor Halloween shaped pasta at Aldi and just had to make this. It's not even cool here yet - the thermometer reads 82 degrees as we write this, and was pushing 90 last night when this dish reached the table - but it is October, and that means spooky season is in full swing under this particular roof. The neighbors have already complained about our skeleton lawn flamingoes.

Anyway, back to the reason you're actually here - the food.

Tools:

Knife

Cutting board

Measuring cups and spoons

Can opener

Large, heavy-bottomed pan or stock pot with lid

Slotted spoon

Ingredients:

+/- 1 pound pasta of choice

3 1/2 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup alcohol of choice (vodka or white wine recommended)

1/2 pound ground Italian sausage (sweet or hot)

1 yellow bell pepper

1 orange bell pepper

1 shallot

1 28-ounce can crushed tomato

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 tablespoons minced garlic

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon dried parsley

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar

black pepper and crushed red pepper to taste

Although the only thing particularly festive about this recipe is the shape of the pasta, it's most assuredly a warm, comforting, carb-heavy meal great for cooler weather. It's a go-to, quick recipe that frequently appears on our table every fall and winter.

We saw adorable tricolor Halloween shaped pasta at Aldi and just had to make this. It's not even cool here yet - the thermometer reads 82 degrees as we write this, and was pushing 90 last night when this dish reached the table - but it is October, and that means spooky season is in full swing under this particular roof. The neighbors have already complained about our skeleton lawn flamingoes.

Anyway, back to the reason you're actually here - the food.

Before doing anything else (you already know what we're going to say) - wash your produce!

Dice your peppers and shallot to desired size, but leave them on the cutting board for now.

Place your pan on a burner and turn the heat up to medium. Add your olive oil to the pan and allow it to heat up for a minute, then add the minced garlic and the black pepper. You may think this looks like a lot of garlic. We feel it is barely enough. Adjust to your own liking as necessary. Let the garlic and pepper cook until fragrant.

Add in your Italian sausage, crumble it and let it brown. Be momentarily awed at how little fat it lets off, side-eye the colander or similar implement you had out despite it not being in the list of tools, and put it back where it belongs. Open the can of crushed tomato while you wait for the sausage to finish browning.

Add the oregano, basil, parsley and onion powder and sugar to the pan. Sprinkle in a little crushed red pepper if your family is spice tolerant; otherwise save it to add to your own plate later. Give everything a good stir, then add in the peppers, shallot and whole can of crushed tomato. Stir again. Cover the pan and reduce the heat by half. If you have a stubbornly hot electric burner (we do) that HATES to drop even a degree, remove it from the heat entirely while you wait for the burner to cool down, or shift it to another burner that has been set where you want it. Letting it sit on a too-hot burner will scorch the sausage to the bottom of the pan and make cleanup much more demanding.

Wait a couple minutes until you see the tomato start to bubble, but don't bring it up to full boil... mostly because boiling tomato sauce makes a BIG mess.

Tear into the box or bag of pasta you plan to use. We paused a minute to move some of the pasta to a dish in order to show off the cute shapes - owls and pumpkins and witches and bats and spiders! - in a photo for you. You probably have no reason to waste time or energy on that step, but do what makes you happy. Dump the pasta into the pan.

Measure your alcohol (we used white cooking wine because we rarely keep anything else on hand, but vodka would be fantastic if you have it around) and pour it into the pan. Measure your chicken broth in the same measuring cup, then add it, too.

Keeping the heat no higher than medium, allow the pasta to simmer uncovered in the tomato/broth/booze mixture for 10-12 minutes or until the pasta has reached the desired tenderness level.

Definitely enjoy with garlic bread if at all possible.

As you enjoy this delicious meal, spend a minute thinking about your stove. All of this was done with just one pot but there were a few steps that could go wrong if your stove isn't functioning properly. Whether you have a gas or an electric stove, it is vital to your cooking for it to function properly. You know that and so do we. So if you have started noticing that maybe your food is coming out burnt more often, or burners are staying on for too long, you might want to call in the professionals. 

Some electric stoves, like ours, just stay hot longer. It's part of the way that they're constructed and the reason why professionals love gas stoves so much. But if you know something is wrong with yours or if you know that it is staying hotter for far longer than it should, we can help. You can reach out to appliance rescue service via our website link below, or by giving us a call. We will work with you to find a time and date that fits your schedule and send our technicians to diagnose the problem. Whatever the problem, we are here to help.

Website

Call  (214) 599-0055

Additional Reading

Halloween Horrors In Your Home? 

Pumpkin Soup From Picking to Serving 

Harvest Bliss: Cranberry Pumpkin Nut Bread