Rich & Creamy Vegan Mashed Potatoes with Roasted Green Beans

Suffice it to say mashed potatoes need no introduction. There are a zillion and one mashed potato recipes out there, but making a great bowl of rich and creamy mashed potatoes doesn’t require any fancy tinkering, just the right techniques and a little patience. My goal with this vegan mashed potatoes recipe was not to reinvent the wheel, but to simply make a crowd-pleasing batch of spuds that even non-vegans would want a second helping of.

I had some extra green beans in my fridge that I wanted to use up, so I figured what better companion for my potatoes. I decided to approach the green beans the same way as the potatoes, and keep them simple and straightforward. In my mind, it doesn’t make sense to overcomplicate something that’s already delicious with minimal effort. Sometimes a little salt and pepper is all you need, and anything else would just ruin it. I think that wisdom applies to green beans.

Rich & Creamy Vegan Mashed Potatoes with Oven Roasted Green Beans Recipe

For the Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 3 lb russet potatoes (about 6 to 7 potatoes)
• 2 cups soy milk or milk of choice
• 2 tbsp vegan margarine
• 4 cloves chopped garlic
• 1 1/2 tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tbsp black pepper
• 1/2 tbsp crushed red pepper (optional)

Directions:

1. Add the soy milk, margarine, and chopped garlic to a small sauce pan. Bring the liquid to a boil, then cover and turn off the heat.
2. Rinse, peel, and chop the potatoes, then put them in a bowl of room temperature water and let them soak for approximately 30 minutes.
3. Pour the potatoes and water into a large pot along with 1 1/2 tbsp of salt. The potatoes should be fully submerged, and there should be about 1 inch of space between the potatoes and the top of the water. Bring the water to a boil, then cover and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes.
4. Turn the heat off and drain the liquid from the potatoes. It’s okay if you don’t drain all of the water, just as long as you drain most of it.
5. Pour the garlic and margarin sauce into the pot with the potatoes and stir, then mash with a potato masher, fork, or wooden spoon, and stir again until the potatoes are the desired consistency.
6. Stir in the rest of the seasonings, then let stand for 5 minutes.

Tips:

• Stir the garlic and margarine sauce occasionally while the potatoes are simmering.
• If your mashed potatoes look too watery, let them simmer for a few more minutes with the lid off.

For the Green Beans

Ingredients:

• fresh green beans
• vegan margarine
• salt
• pepper

Directions:

1. Rinse the green beans and cut the tips off.
2. Coat a baking sheet with margarine, then lay the green beans on it and sprinkle them with salt and pepper.
3. Roast in the oven at 425º F for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring halfway through.

Tips:

• If your green beans look like they’re getting too dry, spray them with some water or drizzle some on them.

We hope you enjoyed this recipe for vegan mashed potatoes and green beans. If you would like to find other recipes like this one, check out more of VeganFoodLover.com.