Potatoes have a short window between “perfect” and “why is it growing tentacles?” These 29 ways to use the bag of potatoes before they sprout help you hit that sweet spot while dinner still tastes like a win. No obscure ingredients, no culinary gymnastics, just real meals that make sense. Because nothing says “oops” like peeling a sprouted spud and pretending it’s fine.
Cauliflower & Sweet Potato Soup
When dinner needs to be warm, filling, and not bland, this one gets the job done. Cauliflower & Sweet Potato Soup makes the kind of meal that disappears fast without anyone asking what else there is. It’s built for lazy nights that still call for something that tastes like someone cared. Also great for stretching the life of a sweet potato that’s about to cross the line. Use it now, or lose it in a week.
Get the Recipe: Cauliflower & Sweet Potato Soup
Au Gratin Potato Stacks
If you’ve been ignoring your potato stash, this is the recipe that reminds you why you bought them. Au Gratin Potato Stacks are the kind of thing that makes a regular dinner feel like it has side dish standards. They’re neat, stackable, and just fancy enough to fool people into thinking you planned something. It’s a smart way to clean out the bag before anything grows eyes. Also, no one complains when the potatoes look like an effort.
Get the Recipe: Au Gratin Potato Stacks
The Backyard Table
Get it NOW and level up your outdoor dining! The Backyard Table - Recipes for Summer Cookouts features 34 of Chef Jenn's BEST recipes for outdoor eating and entertaining.
You'll get ad-free recipes like:
- Grilled Corn Guacamole
- Grilled French Onion Burgers
- Deviled Egg Pasta Salad
- Blueberry Grunt
- and so many more!
Every recipe is created, tested and loved by Chef Jenn and her family - there's no AI here!
Get it now, at a special introductory price of $7.99. That's over 50 pages of foodie love at your fingertips!
Buy Now!Steak & Potato Soup
Soup night hits differently when it feels like an actual meal and not just a warm-up. Steak & Potato Soup is built for that moment when you want something that tastes like food with substance. It’s filling, straightforward, and gives you a reason to put the potatoes to work before they get weird. This one makes leftovers feel like a good idea, not a fridge burden. It’s one of those meals that earns its spot without trying too hard.
Get the Recipe: Steak & Potato Soup
Fully Loaded Baked Potato Skins
These are for the nights when no one wants a full meal but everyone wants something better than chips. Fully Loaded Baked Potato Skins make the whole potato situation feel like a party trick. They disappear quickly, use up straggler spuds, and come with built-in crunch therapy. Bonus: they make leftovers suddenly exciting again. Honestly, it’s hard to stop at just one.
Get the Recipe: Fully Loaded Baked Potato Skins
Sweet Potato Chili with Quinoa
It’s the kind of chili that doesn’t require a cold snap to make sense. Sweet Potato Chili with Quinoa takes those sweet potatoes right before they go soft and turns them into a meal that actually fills you up. It’s a solid answer to the “what’s for dinner” question when groceries are running low. Also good for doubling up and pretending you enjoy meal prep. Nobody needs to know it started with a bag on the brink.
Get the Recipe: Sweet Potato Chili with Quinoa
Potato & Green Pea Chowder
This one works when you want something warm but not overly heavy. Potato & Green Pea Chowder keeps things straightforward, reliable, and actually feels like food with a plan. It’s perfect for stretching a bag of potatoes into something you can eat all week without complaints. Also ideal when peas are the only green thing left in your freezer. Soup’s a move, and this one doesn’t miss.
Get the Recipe: Potato & Green Pea Chowder
Yellow Bean & Potato Salad
Not every salad has to be leafy, and not every potato has to be hot. Yellow Bean & Potato Salad steps in when the fridge looks empty but there’s still half a bag left on the counter. This is the kind of dish that turns “I guess we’ll eat at home” into something people ask for again. It also travels well, which is great if you’re feeding more than yourself. Cold potatoes don’t sound exciting, until they are.
Get the Recipe: Yellow Bean & Potato Salad
Potato Salad with Herbs & Green Garlic
The good news is you remembered you bought those potatoes. The better news is that Potato Salad with Herbs & Green Garlic gives them a second chance before they go soft and strange. It’s built for meals that need a solid side without a lot of fuss. You’ll look like you put in more work than you actually did. Also, cold potato salad makes an excellent argument for skipping anything complicated.
Get the Recipe: Potato Salad with Herbs & Green Garlic
Potato Leek Soup
When the bag’s almost empty and the clock’s working against you, soup is the smartest move. Potato Leek Soup has a way of making dinner feel like it’s supposed to be slow, even if it wasn’t. It’s simple, satisfying, and tastes better than it has any right to, considering how close that last potato was to sprouting. Great for lunches, too, if you manage to save any. Most don’t.
Get the Recipe: Potato Leek Soup
Copycat Domino’s Cheddar Bacon Loaded Tots
This is a fast-food favorite without the drive-thru guilt. Copycat Domino’s Cheddar Bacon Loaded Tots put your potatoes to good use in a way that makes it hard to stop eating. They’re crisp, cheesy, and just messy enough to feel like comfort food with low expectations. A great plan for using up those lingering spuds before they start turning soft. Bonus: People will think you ordered in.
Get the Recipe: Copycat Domino’s Cheddar Bacon Loaded Tots
Sweet Potatoes in Air Fryer
Sweet potatoes don’t wait around forever, and this method gives them a last-minute purpose. Sweet Potatoes in the Air Fryer turn almost-forgotten root vegetables into something that’s actually worth putting on a plate. There’s no drama, no big plan, just fast food that isn’t pretending to be healthy but sort of is. This is the rescue mission for anything almost too soft to save. And you won’t even need to clean a pan.
Get the Recipe: Sweet Potatoes in Air Fryer
Spring Salad with Asparagus, Peas & Potatoes
Just because it’s a salad doesn’t mean it has to be boring or green. Spring Salad with Asparagus, Peas & Potatoes brings some actual substance to the table. It works as a full meal or a no-effort side that looks more put-together than it should. Plus, it lets you put those potatoes to use before they go from sprout-ready to compost. Light, useful, and surprisingly solid.
Get the Recipe: Spring Salad with Asparagus, Peas & Potatoes
Greek Lemon Potatoes
These are the potatoes you make when plain just isn’t going to cut it. Greek Lemon Potatoes give the last of your stash a second act with way more flavor than effort. It’s the kind of dish that goes with anything, so it’s hard to mess up. Plus, they’re good enough to stand alone when dinner plans go off-script. When in doubt, roast and don’t look back.
Get the Recipe: Greek Lemon Potatoes
Potatoes with Sour Cream & Bacon
This one’s for when you need a fast win and have zero desire to think about it. Potatoes with Sour Cream & Bacon always show up like a reliable favorite, no matter how many times you make it. It’s simple, it fills the plate, and it uses up the extras before they hit the point of no return. People don’t ask questions; they just eat it. That’s a kitchen victory.
Get the Recipe: Potatoes with Sour Cream & Bacon
Copycat Domino’s Philly Cheesesteak Loaded Tots
This is comfort food disguised as something bold. Copycat Domino’s Philly Cheesesteak Loaded Tots turn your remaining potatoes into a pile of crispy, cheesy nonsense, in the best way possible. It’s one of those things you make when nobody wants to cook but everyone wants to eat. It disappears fast, reheats like a dream, and doesn’t ask much of you. If you’ve got potatoes, this is the move.
Get the Recipe: Copycat Domino’s Philly Cheesesteak Loaded Tots
Fully Loaded Baked Potato Soup
When the bag of potatoes is half soft and full of regret, this soup steps in to save the day. Fully Loaded Baked Potato Soup gives you all the comfort without any of the pressure. It’s thick, rich, and feels like more than the sum of its parts. Perfect for pretending you meant to make something warm and filling all along. No one has to know it was plan B.
Get the Recipe: Fully Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Grandma’s Mashed Potato Casserole
This one doesn’t ask for much, except that you use the potatoes before they become science experiments. Grandma’s Mashed Potato Casserole feels like something you’ve had a dozen times and wouldn’t mind eating again tomorrow. It’s the definition of freezer-friendly and fridge-clearing at the same time. Great for feeding a crowd, or just feeding yourself with leftovers that don’t get old. You’ll be glad you didn’t toss the bag.
Get the Recipe: Grandma’s Mashed Potato Casserole
Smoked Double Stuffed Baked Potatoes
When dinner needs to feel like a big deal without becoming a project, these come through. Smoked Double Stuffed Baked Potatoes take those last few spuds and turn them into something that might actually cause arguments over seconds. The name sounds fancier than it is, but it still hits like a full meal. Great for using up what’s left without scraping a plan together. Also: it looks good even when dinner wasn’t planned.
Get the Recipe: Smoked Double Stuffed Baked Potatoes
Eggless Breakfast Casserole with Sausage
This one pulls together the last of your fridge and keeps the potatoes from hitting the trash. Eggless Breakfast Casserole with Sausage works for breakfast, lunch, or just something that lasts longer than one meal. It’s a solid move for when you’re trying to use things up without making a mess. Plus, it reheats well, which always helps on mornings where time is a joke. No eggs, no problem.
Get the Recipe: Eggless Breakfast Casserole with Sausage
Copycat Jason’s Deli Irish Potato Soup
Soup that tastes like something you paid for but didn’t have to wait in line for. Copycat Jason’s Deli Irish Potato Soup makes a great case for using up the last potatoes before they hit sprout status. It’s smooth, filling, and hits the table looking like you meant business. No extra steps, just a warm meal that doesn’t need explaining. Easy to make, easier to eat.
Get the Recipe: Copycat Jason’s Deli Irish Potato Soup
Parisian Potatoes
Small, round, and to the point, this one works when you need a side that feels like something more. Parisian Potatoes put the bag to good use with zero complaints and minimal thinking. They’re good hot, decent cold, and somehow still work the next day. It’s the dish you didn’t know you needed until it was gone. Easy to make, even easier to disappear.
Get the Recipe: Parisian Potatoes
Grilled Air Fryer Smashed Potatoes
Crunchy, quick, and a solid way to deal with the last of the batch. Grilled Air Fryer Smashed Potatoes take things right up to the edge of snack and side. It’s the best move for spuds that aren’t quite fresh but still have some life left. They look impressive but require almost nothing from you. Best of all, they don’t need utensils or manners.
Get the Recipe: Grilled Air Fryer Smashed Potatoes
Copycat La Madeleine Country Potato Soup
This soup is what happens when you’re down to pantry basics but still want something solid. Copycat La Madeleine Country Potato Soup is thick, filling, and doesn’t leave you feeling like you just drank a cup of broth. It’s perfect for rainy days, lazy nights, or just avoiding a grocery run. You’ll use up the potatoes and maybe even make people ask for seconds. Nobody needs to know it started with almost-spoiled spuds.
Get the Recipe: Copycat La Madeleine Country Potato Soup
Cabbage and Potatoes with Bacon
This combo keeps things simple, hearty, and to the point. Cabbage and Potatoes with Bacon makes a great excuse to use up what’s in the fridge before it turns questionable. It’s reliable, familiar, and somehow always hits harder than expected. It cooks down fast, fills you up, and doesn’t waste a thing. Perfect for the “use it or lose it” stage of the week.
Get the Recipe: Cabbage and Potatoes with Bacon
Potato Cheese Bread
When you’re trying to keep dinner interesting with what you already have, this bread comes through. Potato Cheese Bread takes your spuds and stretches them into something that actually feels like an effort. It works great on the side but holds its own for a quick meal, too. Bonus points for being freezer-friendly if you don’t eat the whole thing in one sitting. Spoiler: most people do.
Get the Recipe: Potato Cheese Bread
Sweet Potato Casserole
This is the move when the sweet potatoes are getting soft and Thanksgiving isn’t coming to save them. Sweet Potato Casserole brings them back to life in a way that actually makes sense outside of November. It’s sweet, filling, and somehow still qualifies as dinner if you try hard enough. You don’t need a holiday to make this one worth it. You just need a bag that’s about to turn.
Get the Recipe: Sweet Potato Casserole
Cream of Butternut Squash & Sweet Potato Soup
This soup lands somewhere between cozy and clean-out-the-fridge. Cream of Butternut Squash & Sweet Potato Soup helps you use up those sweet potatoes before they try sprouting on the shelf. It’s smooth, filling, and doesn’t require much to taste like a real meal. Great for lunch, especially if you’re trying to eat something without thinking too hard. Low effort, high reward.
Get the Recipe: Cream of Butternut Squash & Sweet Potato Soup
Sweet Potato Pancakes
These hit when you want breakfast-for-dinner and your sweet potatoes are one day from sprouting. Sweet Potato Pancakes are light, fast, and get the job done without requiring anything complicated. They work on weekdays, weekends, or whenever brunch sounds like a better idea than real food. Bonus: you can make extra and pretend you’re meal prepping. Mostly, it’s just a smart way to not waste a single one.
Get the Recipe: Sweet Potato Pancakes
Garlic & Rosemary Braised Potatoes
When you need a side that feels intentional, this is it. Garlic & Rosemary Braised Potatoes clean out the bag while making your meal look thought-out. They go with anything and somehow work even if you skip most of the steps. It’s a solid move when the potatoes are one wrinkle away from being tossed. This way, they get a last shot and it’s a good one.
Get the Recipe: Garlic & Rosemary Braised Potatoes