Food is amazing. Not only does it fuel and sustain us, it brings us joy, it teaches us about different cultures, and it helps us create some of the most poignant memories of our lives. For example, I have a very strong memory of my abuela—may she rest in peace—standing in front of the stove in our kitchen patting together a mixture of potatoes and stuffing them with cheese to make papas rellenas. My abuela's stuffed potatoes were simple and yet so incredibly satisfying. They filled me with joy, and I could never get enough.
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Sadly, I never learned to make my abuela's stuffed potato balls. I don't know how she seasoned them, what kind of cheese she used, or if she put flour in the potatoes or coated them with flour before cooking. The good thing is that there are many, many recipes for how to make stuffed potatoes available online, and I plan on trying every single one until I am able to recreate the flavors of the ones I loved from my childhood—and add some new flavors to mix as well.
Peruvian stuffed potatoes are the bomb dot com.
It seems fitting that since potatoes originated in Peru, we kick off this recipe-fest with the Peruvian version of stuffed potatoes. Also, let's all take a moment to thank Peru for potatoes, because without them, we'd be missing out on so much goodness!
These Cuban-style papas rellenas are sure to hit the spot.
Honestly, the video makes them seem so easy to make. It lets you see the technique used to create the mashed potato balls and how to fill them. These are stuffed with picadillo, but you could stuff them with whatever you like.
There's also Puerto Rican-style papas rellenas.
Same concept, different flavors. This stuffing features achiote oil and sofrito. The recipe is for 10 papas rellenas, but of course you can double or halve the recipe to make as many as you like. Note the tip about cutting your potatoes into similar sizes so that they cook evenly.
Rellenos de papa Salvadoreños are not to be missed.
It's not surprising that stuffed potatoes are popular all over Latin America because potatoes are so readily available, and stuffing them with other delicious ingredients is a no-brainer. This version includes queso fresco or quesillo—YUM!
Don't forget about Colombian-style papas rellenas!
If you love hard-boiled eggs with your ground beef filling, you have to try this recipe. It's so good. You can either chop up the hard-boiled eggs and mix them into the meat or slice them and add them to the top of the meat when you stuff the potato mixture.
There's also nothing wrong with a more stuffed baked potato style.
These are kind of like double baked potatoes or stuffed baked potatoes, if you will, and we're not mad at them. Actually, for those of us who love to eat the skin of the potato, this version is heaven.
How about some Mexican-style stuffed papas?
Yes, please. The ham and cheese combo is so good. This recipe is also more of a baked-potato-style version, which isn't to say that you couldn't use ham and cheese as a filling in a stuffed potato balls version, because of course you can!
How about some canastitas de papa y espinacas?
These cute little baskets of stuffed potatoes end up looking like mini quiches. They are perfect for serving at any gathering or taking to a potluck. You could make a bunch ahead of time and keep them in the freezer for whenever the mood strikes.
Have you ever tried tortitas de papa y atún?
In a way, these are easier to make than many stuffed potato recipes because everything gets mixed together, so they are actually stuffed. No one will complain about them not being technically stuffed, though, because they will be too busy stuffing their faces with them. Trust!
Check out this 'trick' to keep your stuffed potato balls from falling apart.
One of the great things about checking out different recipes of the same-ish dish is that you can pick up tricks from one recipe that you can use in other recipes. For example, the cook in this video swears by cornstarch to keep her stuffed potato balls from falling apart.
These stuffed potato cakes are vegan.
If you are vegan—or even if you aren't—you should give these stuffed potato cakes a go. They look as amazing as they taste, and they are a great option to have on hand for any guests who may be vegan or vegetarian. Get the recipe here.
Just cheese, please!
These beauties are stuffed with cubes of cheese. That's it, and that's more than enough to make them delicious. First you bake the potatoes with skin and all. Get the recipe here.
Or how about spinach and cheese, please?
You can make this baked version with spinach and cheese or substitute the cheese with tofu if you want to make them vegan. They taste great either way. Get the recipe here.
Add some basil to your papas!
Basil is so delicious, and this particular recipe uses it to make the filling of these stuffed potatoes extra special. Are you hungry yet? That's the problem with yummy recipe research—it makes you want to eat whatever you are researching immediately.
Stuffed potatoes with shrimp are like WOW!
These shrimp-filled stuffed potatoes have a bit of kick, but if you or your kids aren't fans of spicy foods, you can most definitely make them have less kick. You could also just serve them with salsa on the side.
How about some some dessert-worthy stuffed potatoes?
This recipe will give you ideas, apart from the stuffed potatoes with shrimp that we saw before. Like fillings that include platano frito or guava jelly. So, so many options. It just goes to show how versatile stuffed potatoes can be. Get the recipe here.
