Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole

Creamy, cheesy and savory this loaded mashed potato casserole is the perfect side dish. This easy, gooey mashed potato casserole recipe is cozy comfort food that the whole family will love.

 

Why We Love Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole

• Cheesy Delicious – Gooey cheese and savory bacon all make for the best loaded mashed potatoes, any potato lover will be back for seconds.
• Great For A Crowd – Perfect for potluck dinners or great for a holiday meal like Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter or a special occasion. These creamy potatoes with lots of cheese and extra crispy bacon will up your side dish game!
• Make Ahead – This dish is easily prepped the night before or up to twenty-four hours in advance. This frees up time when you’re trying to cook multiple dishes or meal prep.

Ingredients For Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole

• potatoes we used Yukon gold, russets potatoes also work
• salt
• butter – salted is fine
• milk – I recommend whole milk or 2% for the creamiest potatoes
• sour cream
• black pepper
• bacon crumbles we used thick cut bacon, cooked and chopped
• cheddar cheese shredded
• green onions sliced, to garnish (optional)

How To Make Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole

1. Peel potatoes and dice potatoes into two-inch pieces. Place diced potatoes in a large pot. Fill the pot with water until the potatoes are covered, and add salt.

2. Bring water to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-high heat. Cook potatoes for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 9×13 pan with oil.
4. Drain potatoes in a colander and set to the side. Place pot back on the stove and melt butter in the pot over medium heat then turn the stovetop off. Add potatoes back to the pot.
5. Use a potato masher to mash up the potatoes. (You can also mash the potatoes in a large bowl if the pot is too hot.)

6. Add milk, sour cream, and black pepper to the potatoes. Continue to mash and blend the potatoes until smooth with a potato masher. Chop the cooked bacon and stir in half into the potatoes.

7. Stir half of the chopped bacon into the potatoes, then spoon mixture into the baking dish. Top the potatoes with cheese and the remaining half of the bacon.

8. Bake potatoes at 350 for 25-30 minutes. The cheese will be melted and the potatoes will be hot. Garnish with green onions, then serve and enjoy!

Can I Make This Mashed Potato Casserole Ahead Of Time?

Yes, you can absolutely make this mashed potato casserole up to 24 hours in advance and store in the refrigerator. Expect that it will likely take 10-15 minutes longer to heat the potatoes all the way through, but start checking them after 25 minutes to make sure you don’t overcook.

Prep everything ahead of time to the point where you are adding the bacon and shredded cheese to the top of the dish. I recommend adding the bacon but not the shredded cheese to the top before you store the casserole in the fridge.

When prepping this casserole ahead, I like to add the cheese in the last 10-15 minutes or so of baking when the potatoes are mostly cooked. This helps the cheese to be gooier without overcooking.

Mashed Potato Casserole Variation Ideas

Garlic – Sometimes I’ll add a little garlic powder or a few cloves of chopped garlic to the potatoes. While I love a lot of garlic, too much can overpower this dish so go a little easier

Onion– Chop some onion or try a little onion powder too!

Ham– You can swap chopped ham for bacon in this recipe, delicious! This is a great way to use up leftovers.

Cheese– Use your favorite shredded cheese or mix and match. Gouda, Havarti, Munster or Monterrey Jack are all delicious options instead of cheddar cheese.

How Long With This Mashed Potato Casserole Last?

Expect this mashed potato casserole will last for about three days when covered in an airtight container.

The leftovers of this dish unfortunately I find don’t freeze very well. It changes the texture of the casserole and the dairy can separate if frozen.