Today, I’m bringing you a recipe for an easy, comforting, nourishing meal. It’s perfect for meal prepping – I usually freeze portioned leftovers for quick weekday lunches. This potato, broccoli, ham and sweetcorn bake is high in protein thanks to the careful choice of ingredients, but you can adjust the recipe to use easily accessible items. Cooking time might be a bit too long for a weekday meal, but if you have spare time on your hands on a weekend, I highly recommend it for meal prepping.
Ingredients for a potato bake with broccoli, ham and sweetcorn
For 4 servings you will need:
- 800g raw potatoes, peeled – I used 4 large baking potatoes
- florets from 1 broccoli – the florets I used weighed 360g
- 140g drained sweetcorn from a can (around 4-5 tablespoons)
- 100g lean ham
- 165g Philadelphia lightest cream cheese
- 1 egg
- 180g low fat natural yoghurt – I used 2% Fage
- optional: a splash of milk, around 2 tablespoons, if your yoghurt is thick
- 100g low fat cheese, shredded – I used eatlean brand, the one in a blue bag
- seasoning: salt, pepper, mixed herbs, garlic powder
- optional: 4 tablespoons of nutritional yeast
How to make a potato bake with broccoli, ham and sweetcorn
Start by boiling your peeled potatoes. Place the potatoes in a pot filled with lightly salted cold water, then put the pot on the hob on medium heat. Bring to boil, then reduce the heat and cook the potatoes until soft, but not overcooked. It took me 35 minutes from when the water started to boil. The potatoes can be slightly al dente. Once cooked, drain the potatoes and slice them into roughly 1cm slices using sharp knife. Don’t worry if the slices break and fall apart, they don’t need to be pretty.
In the meantime, blanche the broccoli florets. If you have a whole broccoli, make sure to remove the stem. We only need the florets for this recipe.
In a large pot, bring water to a boil. Add the broccoli florets and cook them for about 5 minutes, then drain them and set aside. They should be softened, but not overcooked.
Cut the ham slices into smaller pieces and fry them on a non stick pan for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, to crisp them up a bit. Remove the fried ham from the pan and set it aside.
In a bowl, prepare the sauce. Mix the cream cheese, yoghurt, egg and half of the shredded cheese (50g). Season with salt, pepper, mixed herbs, garlic powder and nutritional yeast. Add a splash of milk if the sauce is thick, but don’t make it super runny. The nutritional yeast is optional. It gives the meal additional cheesy flavour, but it’s not everyone’s favourite.
Now, it’s time to arrange the potato bake in an oven-proof dish – ideally, one with a lid.
Alternate layers of potatoes, broccoli, ham, sweetcorn and sauce. I made 4 rounds of layers with the ingredients I had, and finished with a layer of sauce. Finally, I sprinkled the remaining 50g of shredded cheese on top of the sauce.
Cover the dish with a lid or, if you don’t have one, with tin foil. Bake in a pre-heated oven in 190°C for 35 minutes, then take the lid/tin foil off and bake for an extra 10-15 minutes.
It may not be the most visually appealing meal once portioned and plated, but trust me – it tastes good!
Enjoy!
How to store potato bake with broccoli, ham and sweetcorn
You can store leftovers in the fridge for 2-3 days and reheat them in a microwave.
Alternatively, you can portion leftover potato bake and freeze it in sealed containers for up to 3 months. To defrost it, transfer it from the freezer to a fridge the evening before, then reheat in a microwave to piping hot.
Nutritional value of potato bake with broccoli, sweetcorn and ham
The whole recipe has around 1611 kcal, 31 grams of fat, 232 grams of carbs and 124 grams of protein.
Assuming you divide it into 4 portions, each of them will have 402 kcal, 8 grams of fat, 56 grams of carbs and 31 grams of protein.
Keep in mind that these are just estimations, based on the ingredients I used. The nutritional value of your finished potato bake might vary.
Are potatoes unhealthy?
Potatoes have a bad reputation, and a lot of people trying to lose weight or ‘eat healthy’ eliminate potatoes from their diet. And yes, a lot of fast foods made out of potatoes are quite high in fat, like chips and crisps (or fries and chips, dear American readers). However, that’s not potatoes’ fault!
A study has shown that boiled potatoes are one of the most satiating foods. In other words, boiled potatoes will keep you full for a long time. Potatoes are also rich in potassium and vitamin C. There’s no reason to demonise potatoes! If you cook them in water and pair them with a source of protein and extra veggies for additional fibre, you’ll have a perfectly balanced, satiating meal.
Ingredient swaps
I decided to make my potato bake high in protein and fairly low in fat, and therefore used ingredients that fit the purpose. If you’re not concerned with the nutritional value of your potato bake, feel free to use regular cream cheese and regular cheese instead of reduced fat varieties. A nice, good quality smoked sausage instead of lean ham will also go well with this recipe – you can use more than 100g of it.
Overall, there’s no need to religiously follow the recipe and weigh all ingredients. This recipe can be eyeballed, and you can experiment with various veggies and protein sources. For example, you could add sautéed mushrooms or rotisserie chicken to your potato bake. Feel free to test various ingredients, and make sure to let us know what other combinations work well!
Bon Appetit!
Potato Bake With Broccoli, Sweetcorn And Ham
High protein meal, perfect for meal prepping
Ingredients
- 800g potatoes, raw, peeled
- florets from one broccoli – the florets I used weighed 360g
- 1 egg
- 100g lean ham
- 180g low fat yoghurt – I used Fage 2%
- optional: a splash of milk, if your yoghurt is thick
- 140g drained canned sweetcorn
- 165g cream cheese – I used Philadelphia lightest
- 100g shredded cheese – I used reduced fat by eatlean, the blue bag
- seasoning: salt, pepper, mixed herbs, garlic powder
- optional: 4 tablespoons nutritional yeast
Directions
- Boil the potatoes until soft, but don’t overcook them. Place the peeled potatoes in a pot with cold, lightly salted water, and start to cook them on medium-high heat until the water starts to boil. Then, reduce the heat to low and continue to cook until the potatoes are soft, for around 35 minutes. Once cooked, drain the potatoes.
- Slice the potatoes with a sharp knife into roughly 1cm slices. Don’t worry if some of the slices fall apart.
- When the potatoes are cooking, blanche the broccoli florets. Bring a pot of water to boil and then add the broccoli florets. Cook for around 5-8 minutes until soft but not overcooked, then drain them and set aside.
- Cut the ham slices into smaller pieces. Briefly fry them on a non-stick pan for a few minutes, to crisp up the edges. Once done, take the ham off the pan and set aside.
- Prepare the sauce: in a bowl, mix cream cheese, yoghurt and an optional splash of milk if the mixture is thick. Add 1 egg. Add half of the shredded cheese (50g). Season with salt, pepper, mixed herbs, garlic powder and nutritional yeast. Mix everything well, then set aside.
- Pre-heat the oven to 190°C.
- In an ovenproof dish – ideally one with a lid – alternate layers of potatoes, broccoli, sweetcorn, ham and sauce.
- Make sure to finish assembling the bake with a layer of sauce, then sprinkle the remaining shredded cheese on top.
- Place the dish in the pre-heated oven, covered with a lid, or – if you don’t have one – with tin foil. Bake for 35 minutes, then take off the cover and bake for another 10 minutes.
- Enjoy!
Also see:
Alphe's Corner 