Meatball Potato Bowls

Forget pasta, these meatball and mashed potato bowls are going to be your new favorite way to eat meatballs. The whole meal comes together quickly and simply and can be made with prepared or homemade ingredients. And they are so easily customizable that even your pickiest eater will find a version they love. Hasta la vista, pasta.

I’ve done tons of recipes with meatballs and pasta, but recipes with meatballs and mashed potatoes? I had no idea this simple combination of two of my favorite foods could actually be so, so good. And that’s probably because it can also be made in a variety of different ways!

Much like my beloved copycat KFC famous bowls, meatballs and mashed potatoes is also an easy and kid favorite meal. Exactly what you need for busy nights and picky eaters. And you can use homemade or store-bought, prepared ingredients to make things even easier. 

It’s like the perfect meal. All in one bowl. 

Why You’ll Love These Meatball Bowls

• Easy dinner – Comes together quickly and easily. Perfect for busy weeknights.
• Customizable – Make an assembly line, and kids and picky eaters can grab what they want. It’s also perfect for game day spreads.
• Everyone loves them – This is a dinner my whole family always enjoys. Yours will too!

Ingredients For Meatball Mashed Potato Bowls

• Meatballs – You can usehomemade meatballs or frozen. I like the frozen ones from Costco made by Kirkland.
• Mashed Potatoes – You can use homemade or boxed potatoes.
• Corn – either frozen or strained canned corn will work
• Brown Beef Gravy – this is my standard choice. I usually just use jarred or packet brown gravy. See below for some other great options.
• Cheese – I use a shredded Mexican blend because it’s my favorite. You can use any shredded cheese you like. I sometimes switch up the cheese depending on what type of gravy or sauce I’m using.

Substitutions & Additions

• Meatballs – You can sub the beef meatballs for turkey meatballs or chicken meatballs. 
• Gravies – You can use any type of gravy for these. I’ll usually use brown gravy, but if I’m having turkey or chicken meatballs, I’ll switch up to a chicken or golden gravy.
• Alfredo sauce – When I’m really looking for something different, I’ll whip up a batch of my homemade alfredo sauce for a creamy, cheesy topping. Get the recipe → here.
• Potatoes – You can use any type of potato like gold or red potatoes or russet potatoes. This comes down to a personal preference. I like to use gold potatoes, but sometimes the russet is cheaper and so that’s what we use
• Other veggies – You can choose so many different veggies as additions to your bowl. I like to switch them up depending on what sort of meatball I’m using. Some of my favorites are peas and carrots, green beans, grilled squash and zucchini, chopped scallions, and sauteed onion. Not all at once, but with different types of meatballs.

How To Make Mashed Potato Meatball Bowls

Make the mashed potatoes (I break it down for you in the section below.)

Cook your meatballs (I’ve included a couple options for you below.)

Make your corn, gravy, and any additional toppings  

Assemble your bowls

Meatballs and Mashed Potatoes

Meatballs

I like to keep this recipe super simple by using frozen meatballs cooked in the air fryer. It’s an easy, no-fuss way to get dinner on the table quickly without almost no prep or cleanup required. You can check out my easy air-fryer frozen meatballs post → here.

You can also switch things up a bit with these sweet Crock Pot barbecue-jelly meatballs. They’re also made with frozen meatballs. Because they’re made in the slow cooker, they will take longer than the air-fried meatballs. But they are so worth the wait. You can find the recipe → here.

Mashed Potatoes

I love using my Homemade Garlic Mashed Potatoes for these potato bowls. I really like the way the garlicky potatoes blend with the seasonings and spices in the meatballs. If you are looking for a plainer taste to your taters, simply remove the garlic from the recipe. You can find the full recipe → here

How To Make Basic Mashed Potatoes

Peel your potatoes and cube them up to be boiled into mashed potatoes. I used gold potatoes to make our bowls but you can use any type of potato.

Once your water is at a boil add in the potatoes 

Allow the potatoes to boil until they are ready to be mashed down, normally you can slice one easily with a fork. 

Use a strainer to strain the water off of the potatoes. 

In the mixing bowl, add into your mixing bowl your cream cheese, butter, and minced garlic into the bowl with the potatoes. I like to use my Kitchen-Aid Mixer to make the mashed potatoes.

Slowly add in the milk or heavy cream to get the potatoes to the consistency that you want. 

Mix on low until well mixed and the consistency you want. 

Tips & Tricks

• I love using my go-to garlic mashed potato recipe with these. If you are looking for a super simple, hands-off mashed potato recipe. You can also make Crockpot Mashed Potatoes.
• Try different types of meatballs outside traditional Italian for different flavor profiles. There’s Greek, Swedish, Japanese, Spanish, Turkish, etc. Almost every culture in the world has a traditional “meatball”. 
• Meatballs and potatoes makes for great meal prep

How To Serve Meatballs and Mashed Potatoes

This is the fun part! Get the mashed potatoes and meatballs in the bowl and then proceed to grab your favorite toppings. You can also set out an assembly bar and let everyone do their own thing. My personal favorites are shredded Mexican blend cheese, buttered corn, and brown gravy. 

I also like to serve these bowls with a side of my Cheesy Pull-Apart Garlic Bread or Cheesy Monkey Bread.

How To Store Leftovers

You can store premade bowls, but I like to store the components of these bowls separately.

Store in a well-sealed and airtight container. Stored properly, ingredients will be at their best for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.

How To Reheat Mashed Potato Bowls

Reheat meatball potato bowls in the microwave on high for 2-3 minutes or until completely warmed through.

FAQs

Do meatballs and mashed potatoes actually taste good together?
Yes! Meatballs and potatoes are great together! It’s just basically beef and potatoes. Who doesn’t like that combo?

Can I use any kind of meatball in a meatballs and mashed potato bowl?
You can use any kind of meatball with this. Beef, chicken, turkey, even vegan meatballs – they all provide a great base for a variety of great toppings. And you don’t have to just stick to basic balls. Try Swedish meatballs, Spanish “Albóndigas” meatballs, and Japanese chicken meatballs (Tsukune). These are all amazing additions to really add some international flavor to these meatball bowls.

How do I know if my meatballs are cooked all the way?
Use a calibrated thermometer to verify meatballs are cooked through to an internal temperature of 160°F for safe consumption.

More Delicious Meatball Recipes

• Meatball Tater Tot Casserole
• Meatball Potato Bowls
• Homemade Meatballs
• Meatball Biscuit Casserole
• Crockpot Meatball Subs
• Instant Pot Meatballs and Pasta
• How To Air Fry Frozen Meatballs