Spinach and ricotta stuffed shells
Pasta shells filled with spinach and ricotta beneath a tomato sauce.
About 55 min · 540 kcal · 30 g protein per serving
Vegetarian
Broccoli and cheddar potato cakes
Golden potato cakes with broccoli, cheddar and a yoghurt dip.
By The foodose editorial team. Nutrition calculated from USDA FoodData Central. Checked on paper on 12 September 2026; not yet cooked in a test kitchen or photographed, so the times and yield are estimates. How we develop our recipes
What still needs a real kitchen
- Confirm the mixture shapes into four cakes
- Photograph the finished plate
- Time
- About 50 min
- estimated
- Serves
- 2
- see below
- Energy
- 390 kcal
- per serving
- Protein
- 20 g
- per serving
Ingredients for 2 servings
Check off ingredients as you go.
Contains eggs, gluten, milk. Check the labels on packaged ingredients:
- cheddar. Some cheddar is made with animal rennet; check the label if you are vegetarian.
- dried breadcrumbs. Breadcrumbs can contain soya or milk; check the label.
Cooking steps
Boil the potatoes for 15 to 20 minutes, until tender, adding the broccoli for the last 4 minutes. Drain both and leave them in the colander for a few minutes to steam dry.
Heat the oven to 200°C / 400°F (180°C fan) and line a tray.
Mash the potatoes, chop the broccoli finely and mix them with the cheddar, egg and breadcrumbs.
Shape four cakes, put them on the tray, brush with the oil and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, turning once, until browned and set right through.
Cooked when: 71°C / 160°F in the centre. A food thermometer is the reliable way to tell.
Stir the chives into the yoghurt and serve alongside.
The useful detail
Let cooked vegetables steam-dry before mixing. Water left in the potato and broccoli makes a mixture too soft to shape, and adding more breadcrumbs only makes the cakes dense.
Make it work for you
One serving is Two cakes with half the dip. You can switch to a smaller portion in the ingredients above; it is three quarters of this, and it contains correspondingly less energy and protein. It is an option, not a goal.
Cauliflower instead of broccoli
Milder and paler; boil it a minute longer.
Per serving: about 5 kcal less, about 1 g less protein, about the same fat.
A vegetarian hard cheese
Sharper, and it does not melt into the cake in the same way.
Per serving: about 5 kcal less, about 4 g more protein, about 2 g less fat.
Gluten-free breadcrumbs
Bind the same way. Nutrition is not recalculated.
Allergens: Removes gluten.
Estimated nutrition
Per standard serving, calculated from the ingredients above. Nutrition changes with substitutions, brands and how much oil stays in the pan.
A vegetable cake where the cheddar carries most of the fat and a good part of the protein, which is why it is weighed rather than grated by eye.
| Energy | 390 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 20 g |
| Fat | 17 g |
| of which saturates | 8 g |
| Carbohydrate | 41 g |
| of which sugars | 8 g |
| Fibre | 5 g |
| Sodium | 400 mg |
Show calculation notes
Each ingredient’s weight is multiplied by its USDA FoodData Central values per 100 g. The whole recipe is added up and divided by 2. Raw weights are used for meat, fish and vegetables; beans and lentils are drained weights. All of the oil is counted as eaten. Added salt is not included; sodium from stock, bread, cheese and tinned food is.
| Ingredient | Weight used | Source | Energy | Protein |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| potatoes | 250 g | FDC 170026Potatoes, flesh and skin, raw | 193 kcal | 5.1 g |
| broccoli | 150 g | FDC 170379Broccoli, raw | 51 kcal | 4.2 g |
| cheddar | 60 g | FDC 173414Cheese, cheddar (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program) | 242 kcal | 13.7 g |
| eggs | 56 g | FDC 171287Egg, whole, raw, fresh | 80 kcal | 7.0 g |
| dried breadcrumbs | 25 g | FDC 174928Bread, crumbs, dry, grated, plain | 99 kcal | 3.3 g |
| rapeseed or other neutral oil | 4.5 g | FDC 172336Oil, canola | 41 kcal | 0.0 g |
| plain yoghurt | 120 g | FDC 170886Yogurt, plain, low fat | 76 kcal | 6.3 g |
| chives | 5 g | FDC 169994Chives, raw | 2 kcal | 0.2 g |
| Whole recipe | Divided by 2 | 782 kcal | 39.9 g |
Per serving the energy is rounded to the nearest 5 kcal, grams to the nearest whole gram and sodium to the nearest 10 mg. Calculation method 1.0, September 2026. How the calculation works.
Storage and reheating
- In the fridge
- Cool, cover and refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking. Eat within 3 to 4 days. The cakes firm up cold and crisp again in a dry pan.
- In the freezer
- Freezing keeps food safe indefinitely; the texture is best if it is eaten sooner rather than later.
- Reheating
- Reheat until it reaches 74°C / 165°F, steaming hot throughout.
Checked against US Food and Drug Administration, Refrigerator and Freezer Storage Chart, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, Leftovers and Food Safety, FoodSafety.gov, Safe Minimum Internal Temperatures and FoodSafety.gov, Cold Food Storage Chart. UK guidance from the Food Standards Agency is shorter, at two days for most leftovers.
Try another recipe
Mushroom and lentil cottage pie
A savoury mushroom-lentil filling with a soft potato topping.
About 1 hr · 360 kcal · 20 g protein per serving
Vegetarian