Make Your Mondays Bubble and Squeak With This Recipe (2024)

By

Elaine Lemm

Make Your Mondays Bubble and Squeak With This Recipe (1)

Elaine Lemm is a renowned British food writer, classically trained chef, teacher, and author with over 25 years of experience writing about British food and cooking.

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Updated on 06/30/22

Tested by

Diana Rattray

Make Your Mondays Bubble and Squeak With This Recipe (2)

Tested byDiana Rattray

Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.

Learn about The Spruce Eats'Editorial Process

Prep: 5 mins

Cook: 15 mins

Total: 20 mins

Servings: 2to 4 servings

321 ratings

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Bubble and squeak is a quirky name for a dish that is mostly fried leftover vegetables, usually from Sunday lunch—making it popular for Monday lunch or dinner. It's also a popular British appetizer.

In Ireland, colcannonis made from mashed potatoes, cabbage or kale, and onion, and it's very similar to bubble and squeak, as is rumbledethumpsin Scotland.

Traditionally, bubble and squeak will be eaten on a Monday for lunch or dinner, sometimes with a fried egg on top, and can include a little bacon or leftover meat from the day before. It makes a nice side dish for a meaty dinner, too. There are no hard-and-fast rules for this recipe except for mashed potatoes—it's the "glue" that holds the dish together. Use bubble and squeak as a way to use up whatever you have left from dinner and transform it into something delicious.

Make Your Mondays Bubble and Squeak With This Recipe (3)

"This bubble and squeak recipe was an easy preparation with leftover potatoes and cabbage, and the flavor was excellent. I added cooked carrots to the mixture, but other leftover vegetables may be used. Or, it could be made with potatoes and cabbage alone. It was delicious, and a great way to use leftovers." —Diana Rattray

Make Your Mondays Bubble and Squeak With This Recipe (4)

A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, or vegetable oil

  • 1/2 cup finely chopped onion

  • 1 pound mashed potatoes, about 2 cups

  • 1 cup leftover vegetables (cabbage, kale, peas, cooked swede, cooked carrots, and/orcooked Brussels sprouts),finely chopped

  • Bacon, leftover roast, bangers, and/or ham, chopped, optional

  • Salt, to taste

  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

  • Fried or poached eggs, for serving, optional

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Make Your Mondays Bubble and Squeak With This Recipe (5)

  2. In a large frying pan, melt the butter over medium heat and make sure it doesn't brown. Add the finely chopped onion and fry gently for about 3 minutes or until soft and translucent.

    Make Your Mondays Bubble and Squeak With This Recipe (6)

  3. Turn the heat up ever so slightly and add the mashed potato and all of the chopped-up leftover vegetables. Add the chopped meat if using. Fry for at least 10 minutes, turning everything over continuously in the melted butter to ensure that the potato and vegetables are thoroughly reheated. You are also aiming to brown (but not burn) the outside edges of the vegetables, so occasionally press the mixture into the pan to brown a little before turning.

    Make Your Mondays Bubble and Squeak With This Recipe (7)

  4. Finally, when the mixture is heated right through, give the vegetables one long final press onto the base of the pan with a spatula and leave to cook for 1 minute. Flip over and repeat. Season with salt and pepper.

    Make Your Mondays Bubble and Squeak With This Recipe (8)

  5. Serve with either a fried or poached egg on top. Enjoy.

    Make Your Mondays Bubble and Squeak With This Recipe (9)

Raw Egg Warning

Consuming raw and lightly cooked eggs poses a risk of foodborne illness.

Recipe Variation

  • Make bubble and squeak patties. Mix the potato and vegetables, form into small patties, and fry until crisp on both sides.

How to Store and Freeze

  • Store leftover bubble and squeak in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
  • Leftovers can be stored for longer in a heavy-duty zip-top bag in the freezer. Squeeze all of the air out and freeze for up to a month. To reheat, let defrost in the fridge overnight, then reheat in a skillet with a little oil until crisp and warmed through.

Why Is It Called Bubble and Squeak?

The origins of the name bubble and squeak are not known, but there is a reference in the "Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue" from 1785: "Bubble and squeak is beef and cabbage fried together. It is so-called from its bubbling up and squeaking while over the fire."

How Do You Keep Bubble and Squeak From Falling Apart?

A good base of leftover mashed potatoes should help to keep your bubble and squeak glued together. If the mixture is a little loose and falling apart, try adding a sprinkle or two of flour.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
306Calories
22g Fat
25g Carbs
3g Protein

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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 2to 4
Amount per serving
Calories306
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 22g28%
Saturated Fat 12g58%
Cholesterol 47mg16%
Sodium 470mg20%
Total Carbohydrate 25g9%
Dietary Fiber 3g12%
Total Sugars 4g
Protein 3g
Vitamin C 24mg121%
Calcium 50mg4%
Iron 1mg3%
Potassium 504mg11%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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Make Your Mondays Bubble and Squeak With This Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is bubble and squeak made of? ›

Bubble and squeak is a fried British dish made with potatoes and cabbage. It's quite similar to the Irish colcannon. Bubble and squeak, which often contains meat such as ham or bacon, is traditionally made on Monday with the leftovers from Sunday's dinner or on Boxing Day with leftovers from the Christmas feast.

How do you keep bubble and squeak from falling apart? ›

How to make bubble and squeak stick together? The beaten egg in the ingredients should prevent the bubble and squeak from falling apart. As our method states: "Beat the remaining egg, add to the potatoes and mix well."

What goes with bubble and squeak? ›

A great leftover recipe that can be made with any vegetable leftovers. Serve with a poached, fried or scrambled egg and crispy bacon or with poached smoked haddock fillets or grilled trout. Pop them in the freezer at the end of step 4 for a delicious snack on another day.

What is bubble and squeak referring to? ›

bubble and squeak, a common British dish consisting of vegetables, especially potatoes and cabbage. The ingredients are panfried and served as a side dish.

Is bubble and squeak Irish or English? ›

Bubble & Squeak Recipe

A traditional Irish and british skillet breakfast that uses leftovers from a roast beef or corned beef dinner. Shred brussels sprouts and corned beef. Combine shredded mixture with colcannon.

How long does bubble and squeak last? ›

How long will it keep? Leftover mashed potato and vegetables will keep in the fridge for up to three days. Once you have made the Bubble & Squeak you can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. I would then eat them the next day.

Does bubble and squeak have meat in it? ›

The dish has been known since at least the 18th century, and in its early versions it contained cooked beef; by the mid-20th century the two vegetables had become the principal ingredients.

Can you freeze homemade bubble and squeak? ›

Heat a 5mm depth of oil in a large frying pan and shallow-fry the cakes in 2 batches for 2 mins each side, turning carefully. Drain on kitchen paper and transfer to a baking sheet lined with greaseproof paper. Cool, cover and chill or freeze. Will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze for up to a month.

What is the difference between bubble and squeak and Colcannon? ›

Colcannon is mashed potatoes and chopped cabbage and usually chopped ham or bacon. Bubble and squeak is mashed leftover potatoes and chopped cabbage mixed up and fried as single round cake, and then sliced and served usually at breakfast.

Does bubble and squeak contain egg? ›

Add the beaten egg to the mashed potato, then mix in the cabbage, spring onions and bacon with the pan juices. Season. Melt the rest of the butter and oil in the frying pan and swirl to cover the surface. Add the potato mixture and level the top, pressing it down lightly.

Is bubble and squeak part of an English breakfast? ›

This is a traditional post-Christmas breakfast dish - but don't wait until then to make this. Excellent if served as part of an English breakfast with bacon and eggs, or as a light supper dish."

What is the rising popularity of bubble and squeak as a breakfast item? ›

The rising popularity of bubble and squeak as a breakfast item on the menu has resulted in a steady demand for peas. Over the course of the past week, 457 patrons have ordered the hearty breakfast and each serving contains a half cup of English peas.

Is bubble and squeak a northern dish? ›

Bubble & Squeak is a British recipe apparently originating since the 18th century as a 'peasant dish' using up leftover roast or mashed vegetables, mainly potatoes, mixed with other vegetables (traditionally cabbage) and frying them into a 'crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside' fritter meets hash brown kind of ...

Can you reheat bubble and squeak? ›

The water will evaporate upon reheating, but you don't get quite the same texture. If you did want to freeze it, then make the bubble and squeak into individual patties (without cooking/frying them) cover and freeze. Then defrost overnight in the refrigerator.

Is bubble and squeak rhyming slang? ›

1 n dish made from boiled vegetables (often cabbage), potatoes, onions and sometimes some leftover meat. 2 n Greek person, usually shortened to “bubble.” From co*ckney rhyming slang “bubble and squeak” / “Greek”: Did you hear Harry's brother's gone and started dating a bubble?

Is Colcannon the same as bubble and squeak? ›

Colcannon is mashed potatoes and chopped cabbage and usually chopped ham or bacon. Bubble and squeak is mashed leftover potatoes and chopped cabbage mixed up and fried as single round cake, and then sliced and served usually at breakfast.

What are sticky bubbles made of? ›

This "sandwich" on the outside of a bubble is called soap film. A bubble pops when the water that is trapped between the layers of soap evaporates. When you mixed the glycerin or corn syrup with the soap, it made it thicker. The thicker bubble keeps the water from evaporating as quickly making them last longer.

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