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Garbage Plate

Garbage Plate is the ultimate comfort food to feed a large crowd. It is made with layers of delicious food like home fries, macaroni salad, cheeseburgers, hot sauce. Finally topped with onions and served with bread, mustard and ketchup.

Closeup view of the Garbage Plate.

The Garbage Plate is a keeper that you will find on menu cards in local restaurants in Rochester, New York. This is my plant based alternative you can make easily at home for everyone who loves good and amazing food.

Also it is a great way to use and serve leftovers.

For this garbage plate recipe we make everything from scratch, but really, really easy and of course delicious.

Side by side view of the ingredients for the macaroni salad and the finished salad in a large bowl.

Reasons to make this Garbage Plate

You make everything you need easy, cheap and delicious at home.

I serve everything in layers on a plate and that is simply so good. All the flavors and different components.

I’ll show you everything and nothing is complicated. If you can use leftover pasta and potatoes, you can surely make this Garbage Plate in no time.

Homemade fries before and after view.

What you need for this Garbage Plate

For the home fries: I use leftover potatoes and fry them in oil and dairy free butter (yes this combination will make them extra delicious, friends), and add a lot of flavor with garlic and onion powder.

For the macaroni salad: I keep it really simple and use cooked macaroni this is my leftover pasta. I mix the pasta with a dressing from egg free mayo, mustard, sugar, and pickles for a great contrast and to minimize the acidity.

Furthermore, vegetables like celery, bell pepper, go into the salad for a hearty and crunchy texture.

Side by side view showing the chili sauce before and after preparation.

For the hot sauce: this is our meaty base made from plant based ground beef, pantry staples like tomato paste, vegetable broth and finally great seasonings like cumin and chili powder.

A Garbage Plate can’t be meaty enough so here come our cheeseburgers: I use plant based burger patties and top them with vegan American Cheese, yummy.

Finally I chop some onions up top everything serve along with mustard, ketchup and bread.

Cheeseburgers are prepared in a small frying pan.

How to make Garbage Plate

Prepare home fries

Give butter and oil into a skillet. Wait until hot, then add the potatoes. Fry them for around 10 minutes and season with garlic, onion powder and a pinch salt of salt and pepper.

Make the macaroni salad

In a bowl mix cooked macaroni with celery, carrot, bell peppers, onions.

Next make the dressing: combine mayo, mustard, sugar, pickles and a pinch salt and pepper, mix.

Add to the salad and combine.

Showing step by step filling of the Garbage Plate, starting with homemade fries and macaroni salad.

For the cheeseburgers

Heat a skillet and add a bit of oil. Cook patties according to the instructions, top with cheese until it melts a bit.

Make hot sauce

In a skillet, heat oil and add ground beef with garlic and cook for 3 minutes. Next, mix in the tomato paste, vegetable broth, cumin, chili powder, mustard and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for 4 minutes more.

Chop onions, finely and slice some bread according your preference. 

Cheeseburgers and hot sauce are given on top of the Garbage Plate.

Assemble the plate

You have all the components ready. All you need to do is to fill a plate (I use my 11 inch plate, but you can use whatever you want).

To start: first fill half of the plate with home fries and the other half with macaroni salad.

Finally give the two cheeseburgers on top and finish with hot sauce, raw onion. Serve the Garbage Plate with mustard and ketchup as much as you like, with a side of  buttered bread, delicious.

Showing how to finish the Garbage Plate with diced onions and some bread.

Good dinner recipes to try

Collage of two pictures of the Garbage Plate with recipe title text.

Try the Garbage Plate and let me know what you think on Instagram or Facebook.

Enjoy, Florian.

Showing how to finish the Garbage Plate with diced onions and some bread.

Garbage Plate

Yield: 2
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Garbage Plate is the ultimate comfort food to feed a large crowd. It is made with layers of delicious food like home fries, macaroni salad, cheeseburgers, hot sauce. Finally topped with onions and served with bread, mustard and ketchup.

Ingredients

For the Macaroni salad:

  • 8 oz macaroni, cooked
  • 1 stalk celery, diced
  • 3 small pickles, diced
  • 3/4 cup mayo
  • 1 tsp mustard
  • 1/4 cup carrots, chopped
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
  • 1 medium red onion, diced
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped
  • salt, pepper to taste

For the home fries

  • 3 cups potatoes, cooked
  • 1 Tbs oil
  • 2 Tbs butter
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • salt, pepper to taste

For the Cheeseburger

  • 2 plant based burger patties
  • 1 tsp oil
  • 2 slices vegan American cheese

For the hot Sauce

  • 10 oz plant based ground beef
  • 1 Tbs oil
  • 1/2 cup tomato paste
  • 2 cloves garlic, pressed
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 2 tsp mustard
  • 1/4 cup vegetable broth

For serving

  • onions, chopped
  • mustard
  • ketchup
  • Bread and butter

Instructions

Make home fries

  1. Heat butter and oil in a pan. When hot, add potatoes fry for around 10 minutes. Homemade fries before and after view.
  2. Season with garlic, onion powder and a pinch salt of salt and pepper.

Make Macaroni Salad

  1. Combine in a bowl macaroni with celery, carrot, bell peppers, onions. Side by side view of the ingredients for the macaroni salad and the finished salad in a large bowl.
  2. Prepare the dressing by mixing mayo, mustard, sugar, pickles and a pinch of salt and pepper.
  3. Combine dressing with salad.

Make Cheeseburgers

  1. Into a skillet add a bit of oil and cook patties according to the package instructions.Cheeseburgers are prepared in a small frying pan.
  2. Top with cheese, wait until it is melted the way you like it.

Make hot sauce

  1. Heat oil in a skillet. Add ground beef, garlic and cook for 3 minutes.
  2. Add tomato paste, vegetable broth, cumin, chili powder, mustard and a pinch of salt and pepper.Side by side view showing the chili sauce before and after preparation.
  3. Let it cook or 4 minutes.


Assemble the plate

  1. Start generously with home fries and macaroni salad as the bottom later of the plate. Showing step by step filling of the Garbage Plate, starting with homemade fries and macaroni salad.
  2. Follow with the cheeseburgers and finally top with hot sauce.Cheeseburgers and hot sauce are given on top of the Garbage Plate.
  3. Serve with raw onions and add mustard, ketchup and a side of buttered bread.Showing how to finish the Garbage Plate with diced onions and some bread.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 2 Serving Size: 1/2 plate
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 1231Total Fat: 44gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 23gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 1672mgCarbohydrates: 87gFiber: 8gSugar: 3gProtein: 49g

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Facebook

 

Ramya

Tuesday 12th of April 2022

cant wait to make this soon for me for the salad can i use spring onions and skip pickles and red bell pepper i never had garbage plate before perfect for my after office meals love your recipes as always brightens up my day everyday after work

Florian

Tuesday 12th of April 2022

Hi Ramya! Of course, enjoy. 😋

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