Ok people, pressure’s on. Time to wow the most important, most respected critic, ever: our mom.
Yep, our parents will be here exactly one week from today to spend Passover with us. Do we even need to tell you how excited we are about it? Being able to spend the Holidays with them is priceless. It’s almost like being a kid again. Waking up to the amazing smells coming from the kitchen. Sitting down for coffee, talking and laughing for no reason. Happy childhood memories. If that’s not what the Holidays are all about, I don’t know what is…
And of course, having our mom’s cooking is always a (great) plus. But see, here’s the thing. Even though she’s the one who usually takes charge in the kitchen during the Holidays, she doesn’t eat any of the food she makes. My mom has been a vegetarian forever, which basically means that she makes all this wonderful food for everyone else to enjoy… but can’t have any of it.
So every year, we try to come up with something that we know she will enjoy. And this year, we are trying to step it up a notch with this recipe. Bite size, easy to make, light and elegant. And most importantly, “mom-approved”. No one deserves it more.
If you enjoyed this recipe, it would help us tremendously if you left us a star rating in the comments below or on the recipe card. Do you have any questions about the recipe? Do you need a swap for any of the ingredients? We are here to help, just leave us a question in the comments below.
Spinach Potato Nest Bites
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 mins
- Yield: 12 potato nests
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 4 large Yukon Gold Potatoes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ - ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2 ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 4 teaspoon avocado oil
- Cooking Spray ( unfortunately, the propellant spray works better than the natural one)
- 4 cups of frozen spinach, thawed (yields 2 cups cooked )
- 4 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 4 large eggs
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 400ºF
- Shred the potatoes, add ½ teaspoon of salt, mix well, and let them sit in a colander with a bowl under it for 20 minutes.
- In a large skillet, sauté spinach in olive oil. Season with 2 teaspoon garlic powder, 2 teaspoon onion powder, and ½ teaspoon salt. Cook until most of the water has evaporated, 6-8 minutes. Set aside.
- Squeeze as much water out of the grated potatoes as you can. Season with ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ tsp. onion powder, ½ teaspoon pepper. Add 4 teaspoon vegetable oil and mix well.
- Generously spray a 12-muffin tin pan with cooking spray.
- Arrange grated potatoes into each muffin cup, pressing against the bottom and up the sides.
- Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until they start to brown slightly. Remove from the oven and set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, beat the eggs, add a pinch of salt and spinach, and mix until well combined.
- Evenly spoon spinach in each potato nest.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until egg is cooked.
- Remove from the oven and let them cool slightly.
- Carefully unmold each potato nest using a butter knife around the edges of the nest.
- Makes 12 potato nests
- ENJOY!! From May I Have That Recipe.
Notes
IT IS IMPORTANT TO USE YUKON GOLD POTATOES, TO GET THE BEST AND CRISPIEST NESTS.
THEY ARE THE BEST WHEN MADE AND EATEN FRESH, BUT IF YOU NEED TO MAKE THEM AHEAD RE-HEAT THEM IN A 350ºF OVEN FOR ABOUT 8 MINUTES.
- Prep Time: 35 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Category: appetizer
- Method: oven
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 nest
- Calories: 192
- Sugar: 1.5 g
- Sodium: 264.2 mg
- Fat: 8.3 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 24.7 g
- Fiber: 4.2 g
- Protein: 6.7 g
- Cholesterol: 62 mg
Check out our contest-winning potato nest recipe with spinach and goat cheese
maryfollowsthelamb
The recipe sounds good AND easy. I'll try it!
Vicky & Ruth
Thank you!
Julie Hansen Intuitive
This looks really good and kid friendly!
Vicky & Ruth
Thank you. Fun way to make kids eat spinach 🙂
veghotpot
Really love the idea of a potato basket! They look so delicious
mayihavethatrecipe
Thank you!! We thought it was a really fun and elegant idea. And so easy to make!
Kayla
I made these and they were exceptionaly delicious! I added feta cheese to them. It turned out really yummy... i loved the saltiness the feta cheese added! I will surely be making these again!
Vicky & Ruth
We love making them with cheese as well. Thank you.
carabeth
I love making potato-crusted quiches and they sound even better in bite-size form. Chag Sameach 🙂
mayihavethatrecipe
chag sameach
Toni
Do you make these in a mini muffin tin or full size?
mayihavethatrecipe
This recipe was made in full size tins.
HillyG
Amazing!! I'm totally trying this during passover! Thank you for this recipe - I've been stumped this year when trying to find something relatively healthy! Much appreciated
mayihavethatrecipe
Thank you!!!! This is really delicious!!!! Please let us know what you think when you try it. We love feedback!
Heather
Would it work to just buy pre shredded potatoes?
mayihavethatrecipe
Yes, it will work with pre shredded potatoes. just make sure to squeeze as much moisture out of the potatoes as you can. Just watch the cooking time it may be a little different. Let us know how they come out
mattsgal06
I made these last night, and they were a huge hit! My husband proclaimed them delicious, Passover or not, and said I can make them any time :).
One word of advice...be really, REALLY generous with the cooking spray. I thought I had used a good amount, but my potatoes still stuck to the bottom and it was a little messy to get them out.
Thanks for a great idea!!
Vicky & Ruth
You are welcome. Thanks for the tip. We used a new muffin tin and we did not have trouble, but that was a really good suggestion. Thanks.
mattsgal06
I made these last night and they were a huge hit with everyone. My husband proclaimed them delicious, Pesach or not, and said I could make them anytime 🙂
One thing I noticed...you need to be really, REALLY generous with the cooking spray. I thought I had used a good amount, but my potatoes still stuck a little bit on the bottom and it was tough to get them out of the pans.
I followed the recipe exactly here, but next time I would cut down a little on the pepper in the potatoes, and I think I might try using fresh garlic and onion in the spinach.
Thanks for a yummy new Pesach recipe!
ER
These sound great! How long do they stay crispy for? (I'm thinking of making them in the morning for an evening meal). Have you tried them with sweet potatoes? This should be a good addition to my Friday night Passover meal this week. Thanks.
mayihavethatrecipe
We actually made these a day ahead for Passover and they definitely weren't as crispy as the "fresh" ones. You can re-heat them in the oven at 350F for 8 minutes, so they can crisp up again. So our suggestion would be to eat them soon after baking them. We also experimented with grated carrots and parsnips instead of potatoes, and they came out great! Sweet potatoes would be a delicious alternative! Hope you enjoy them!
Mari
SOOO happy to find your site! We are vegetarian, observant and passover is let's just say a challenge? I can't wait to try this tonight for shabbat! So sick of all the same potato kugels, etc....THANKS! 🙂
Vicky & Ruth
Thank you, so much. We are not big fans of Kugels either.
The Sparkle Queen
Hello!
I wanted to let you know that this post has been included in a collection on my blog. I am an Event Designer, and I put together a weekly post as part of my series, “The Sparkle Queen Events”. Each week a concept that I’ve designed is featured in detail on my site. The elements that make up these events are a combination ideas and images I’ve found all over the internet. I piece them together and turn them into a beautiful, coherent event concept.
This is a link to the direct post:
http://sparklysharpandfabulous.blogspot.com/2012/10/rustic-owl-baby-shower-mostly-diy.html
Links to your idea have been included in the post for my viewers to find easier! This event will be shared and showcased not only on my blog, but also on my social media accounts such as Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, etc.. , I’d love to connect pages via social media, so I can showcase your item and share it better with my followers, just send me the links if you are interested!
I hope you get a chance to see the post!
<3 The Sparkle Queen from sparklysharpandfabulous.blogspot.com
mayihavethatrecipe
Great! Thank you for including us in your beautiful site. We hope you find more recipes you like 🙂
anotherjennifer
These look so good! I'm sending this post to my husband. He's the cook in the family!
mayihavethatrecipe
Haha! Thanks!!! How lucky are you?! 🙂
Melissa
I had a real problem with how salty these were! I cut the salt and seasonings in half the second time and it was better. Is there a problem using real garlic and onions? Otherwise, I like the idea and they are very cute! My kids will hopefully eat them if I can get the seasonings right!
mayihavethatrecipe
Sorry about that. Our cooking can be on the salty side at times and we've tried to modify it because we understand not everyone likes it like that.
Glad it came out ok after you adjusted the salt. These are great for kids, easy and fun to eat! Hope they enjoy them.
Brian Klemm
I just made these and they were awesome! I didn't mind them being a little salty, I actually preferred it 🙂
Vicky & Ruth
Thanks!! So glad you enjoyed them! 🙂
Linda
I finally had a chance to make these, about a month ago. They were a perfect side dish to our dinner and so tasty! I was surprised and elated, to find out it truly is a simple recipe. I ended up having to use Russett potatoes and better understand the reasons behind yukon now, they have a sweeter taste. I'm excited to make them again for Passover this year.
Was thinking about other ways of making this and wanted to know if you've tried using sweet potatoes, if they would crisp the same way?
Many thanks for all of your recipes, they're user friendly and delectable, healthy alternatives - more please!
~Linda
Vicky & Ruth
We are so glad you enjoyed this recipe and thank you for being a fan of our recipes. We always love to hear from our readers! We have tried the nests with sweet potato, celery root, parsnip and carrots. Because those vegetables have a higher moisture content they don't come out as crispy and the veggies don't seem to absorb the oil as well so they come out oily. If you want to try them, we would recommend reducing the amount of oil in half and do not expect the same crispy texture. Also watch the different vegetables because they can burn easier that potatoes, we don't remember exactly the cooking time. Hope it helps.
Lauren
These were fantastic! I lined the bottom of my muffin tins with circles of parchment paper before adding a generous spray of oil. The nests slid right out of the inverted tins with zero sticking. I also added minced garlic and feta, per the suggestions. I'll definitely make these again.
Vicky & Ruth
Using parchment paper is such a great tip! So glad you enjoyed it! And the addition of garlic and feta makes it even better. Thanks for sharing 😉
Karen K
I made these today and they are delicious. However, the ingredients says use 4 tbs oil in the potatoes, but the recipe says 4 tsp. I went with tsp vs tbs and they seem ok, but wanted to let you know!
Vicky & Ruth
Thank you for letting us know! The recipe calls for teaspoons of vegetable oil for the potatoes and tablespoons of olive oil for the spinach. So you got it right! Sorry about the confusion... Glad you enjoyed them!! 🙂
Lauren
I made these tonight, with slight changes, to have with our Seder, it was delicious! So glad I made them! Added the recipe to my blog with a link to your page. I look forward to trying out some more of your recipes on your blog! 🙂
Would love for you to check out my blog as well!
http://yummmmmmmm.wordpress.com/
Enjoy the rest of your Passover!
Vicky & Ruth
Thank you so much! We really love it when people play with our recipes. Glad you enjoyed them! Best of luck with your blog!!!
Dvora
These look delicious. Any idea how they freeze? I would love to make them for my purim seudah but I don't have time to make them that day. Do you think they could be made ahead of time and frozen?
Vicky & Ruth
Hi Dvora,
We get asked this question a lot. Unfortunately, potatoes don't freeze well. What we recommend is to make the nest the same day and reheat them at 350 for about 8 minutes, so they can crisp up again. We hope that helps.
Jackie
Hi. This recipe sounds delicious and looks beautiful. My problem is that I'll be having Seder guests who are gluten-free and vegan. What, if anything, can I use instead of the eggs? Thanks!
Vicky & Ruth
Hi Jackie,
The recipe as is, is already gluten free. Now for a vegan alternative, we have two suggestions: you can make some "creamed" spinach, made with some almond milk and thickened with a little bit of tapioca or potato starch; you can also fill the nests with our recipe for "Spinach with pinenuts and raisins". Also, if you need more other ideas, we have a few vegan and gluten free recipes that are suitable for Passover, like Stuffed Potatoes, Braised Fennel and Zucchini "Pasta". Please let us know if you have any more questions 🙂
Oran
Thanks. Lovely idea. I made a vegan version, but I had difficulty building up the sides of the potato nests. Do you press them up higher than the muffin tin hole? Do you have a trick for pushing up the sides without making a "hole" in the bottom of the nest?
Vicky & Ruth
Just use a little more potatoes and you will not make a "hole" at the bottom of the nest.
Naomi
Hi,
This recipe looks amazing! Unfortunately where I live I can't find kosher frozen spinach. I have improvised before for a different recipe by soaking fresh spinach, but I was wondering what you thought about using frozen broccoli and pureeing it. Do you think that would work or should I stick with making my own frozen spinach? If you think spinach is the best choice, do you have an easy way of using fresh spinach?
Thanks,
N
Vicky & Ruth
We think it broccoli would work great in this recipe.
TychaBrahe
Question: how does this recipe taste reheated? I'm attending a Seder with a vegetarian friend. I'm making a cauliflower-leek kugul (vegetarian, plus I'm eating low carb, so I can't eat the potato kugul) and I thought about this for my friend. Since I'm driving to the Seder, I wondered about making it ahead of time and reheating it at the party.
Thanks.
Vicky & Ruth
Yes you can re-heat them at 350F for about 8 minutes. just make sure that they are at room temperature and not cold out of the fridge.
Dawn
Thanks for the recipe! These turned out great! My mum is also a vegetarian who cooks a ton of meat she won't eat for everybody else 🙂
Vicky & Ruth
So happy that you could make something special for your mom.
Jessica
Wow, these look amazing!! I can't wait to make these, but I have a question. I'm making a dairy-focused dinner soon for my in-laws (date tbd), and I'd love to make these something like a hot spinach dip basket. How well do you think it would work if you added some kind of cheese (i.e. cream cheese, cheddar, maybe both) to the spinach mix?
Vicky & Ruth
Hi there!
Cheese actually works great here. Check out the dairy version of this recipe that we created for the Simply Potatoes contest on food.com . Hope this is closer to what you're looking for! http://www.food.com/recipe/spinach-and-goat-cheese-hashbrowns-nests-475454
abi
Could be fun to call it Moshe Ba Teva (moshe in the basket) just to go with the pesach theme. Cant wait to try it! 🙂
Sherri
I made these last night as an appetizer. I used a mini muffin tin and got 24 bite-sized nests. They were a huge hit! Everyone loved them. This recipe will be used multiple times a year, not just for Passover.
Cindy
Thanks for the great recipe. I made this for our seder as one of the entrees...for fun, I made a batch of the larger muffin size and another batch of the mini-muffin size. It was a great accompaniment in terms of taste and appearance to the matzo lasagne I was serving. Since my meal was vegetarian/dairy, I added cheddar cheese to the spinach/egg mix and then sprinkled some parmesan on top. They were a huge hit amongst a largely non-veggie crowd. I plan to make them again next week as an appetizer (mini-muffin size) for a birthday party. So great to have a new hit!
Vicky & Ruth
Cindy, thank you for sharing your experience. We are happy that you were able to enhance your passover seder with our recipe.
esterka
We don't get that kind of potato over here (Jerusalem), any recommendations how to adapt the recipe to be crispy with a different type of potato?
Vicky & Ruth
Any potato will work, but the potatoes that are sweeter like the ones that are a slightly yellow inside work the best. We will ask our sister what kind of potatoes you have in Israel and we could give you a more specific answer.
esterka
We don't get that type of potato here, can you recommend something to improve the crispiness of other types of potatoes?
Alene
I just saw this! I think these sound perfect for appetizers! Forget about Pesach. Maybe in a mini muffin pan? I have to be gluten-free, so these are perfect to bring to parties so I have something to eat! Which isn't always the case. Thank you!
Merri
Are you supposed to peel the potatoes?
Vicky & Ruth
Hi Merri,
You can do it either way. If you choose not to peel them, make sure to wash and scrub them thoroughly so there is no sand or grit left. Ler us know if you have any more questions.
laurie
Do you think that you could make this into 1 large dish? Maybe 9 x 13 or a pie shape? Maybe it would be less work? Please let me know what you think.
Thanks!
Vicky & Ruth
Hi Laurie, thank you for your question. We have not tried this recipe in a larger dish, but we think it could work. Just make sure it's a non stick metal dish so the potatoes can brown and they don't stick to the bottom. Let us know how it comes out if you decide to make it.
Adrienne
Just wanted to share that I made these vegan by substituting VeganEgg by Follow Your Heart. I also used Lipton Onion Soup mix for the seasoning because I was low on onion powder. They did not crisp up (due to the egg substitute I assume), but, they were a HUGE hit at my second Seder. I was cooking for omnivores and everyone was raving. It took a while to make them, but I'd definitely do it again. Thank you for sharing!
Vicky & Ruth
We like your innovative changes, but the egg substitute is probably why they did not crisp up! We are so happy to hear that everyone enjoyed them...its one of our favorite passover recipes 🙂
TychaBrahe
Just FYI, if it matters to you, but Lipton Onion Soup Mix contains yeast extract that is cultured from barley, which is chametz. Also, it contains cornstarch and dehydrated corn sweetener, which are kitniyot. Of course Sephardim eat kitniyot, and this year it was widely publicized that some rabbis decided that kitniyot is OK for Ashkenazim as well. Still many Ashkenazim eschew kitniyot during Passover.
I realize that this doesn't matter to everyone. Personally our family does not keep Kosher, and our seder will sometimes include meat for the omnivores and foods containing dairy for the vegetarians. We do use Lipton Onion Soup Mix to flavor our brisket. But I do realize that to some people this is important.
Barbara Hillman
Okay....this is a reply AND a question? How much spinach do you use for the potato nest bites. I am not only wasting a lot of potatoes but a lot of spinach. This recipe is in-exact. Can we make it a bit more exact? ALSO! Important! CAN YOU FREEZE THESE?
Vicky & Ruth
Hi Barbara, we are sorry this recipe didn't work out for you. This is our most popular recipe and most people really love it. Make sure you are cooking the spinach down to two cups. We are sorry, but you cannot freeze them, they loose their crunch and they are not as good.
Tina
Can you freeze these after baking?
Vicky & Ruth
Hi Tina,
Unfortunately, potatoes don't freeze well, but if you read through the comments there are tips on how to make ahead and re-heat
Cindy Witkow
What would you do if you only had fresh spinach on hand?
Vicky & Ruth
Hi Cindy, you can use fresh spinach, but since fresh spinach cooks significantly, you will need about 2 pounds of fresh spinach to obtain about 2 cups of cooked spinach.
Grace Nakimura
Definitely going to try making these!
Emily
If using a mini muffin tin, how long would you bake?
Vicky & Ruth
We are not sure, we would try reducing the baking time 5 minutes and check if they are done.
BestOsvaldo
great recipe!
Laura
Do you leave the skin on, or peal? Thanks!
Vicky & Ruth
We peel the potatoes. Enjoy!
Nancy
This recipe is a crowd pleaser. It is on our Passover table every year!
Vicky & Ruth
Thank you so much. Enjoy!
Habira
Mara
These potato nests were a crowd pleaser!
Randy
YUM!
Anya
Rozanne
Lots of work, lots of cleanup, but DELICIOUS and an eye-catching presentation. Great side dish and everyone will enjoy eating their vegetables. I made them during the 2020 lockdown and it was a great way to have fun and present my guests with something special.
Sophie Marin
Hello, I only have a silicone muffin cups and I'm afraid the potatoes don't cook the way they should.
Are tin muffin cups compulsory?
Thanks
Vicky and Ruth
Hi Sophie, we are afraid the potatoes will not brown in the silicone muffin cups.
Chanah
This looks delicious! Will it work as well with Idaho potatoes?
Vicky and Ruth
You can make these potato beat 1-2 days ahead for Passover. Just re-heat them in the oven at 350F for 8 minutes, so they can crisp up again. So our suggestion would be to eat them soon after baking.
Candace
Fabulous recipe. The hardest part was grating the potatoes. I added broccoli, green onions, sundried tomatoe, and feta. I used butter instead of cooking spray. They came out picture perfect. Teenager approved!
Vicky and Ruth
YUM! Thank you so much for sharing!
Roy
Margot
Made these for Passover after having this recipe pinned FOR YEARS. I definitely needed to cook the potatoes longer before putting the spinach mixture in because after the initial cooking, they were only crispy on top and a soggy concoction on the outsides once I took them out of the metal muffin tin. Did another 20-30mins on 375 and they were perfect.
The only issue that I really had with the recipe was that the potato wasn't in grams, and "large" can be such a subjective measurement. I only used 3 and had probably too much potato
BR
I made these as a test run before making them for a Passover seder and am glad I did. First, I will definitely be making the potato nests again! I know they will be a hit but they need some modifications. I cut the seasonings in half and it was still too salty for my taste. I can't imagine 2 1/2 teaspoons each of the garlic powder and onion powder plus the salt! A bit of Greek yogurt or sour cream on top helped with the balance. I also used generously oiled the bottom and sides of the pan (not the spray), but still need more oil since the bottoms stuck and the nests were hard to get out. Next time, I will use parchment paper as suggested and then spray or use oil. Can't wait to try the version with goatcheese. Thanks and Chag Sameach!
Vicky and Ruth
Chag Sameach! Thank you for taking the time to leave us a comment!
Beth
I'm looking forward to making this. I need
to ask though, while you say to grate the potatoes, it looks like they are shoestring style.
I am receiving my mandoline today, and hope you'll reply soon. Thanks!
Vicky and Ruth
Hi Beth, that's a typo, it should say shredded. I will fix it. Thank you!