Mashed Potato Casserole. The creamiest, cheesiest mashed potatoes EVER! This easy to make side dish is loaded up with extra melty cheese, crispy bacon, and chives. The best part? You can make this dish ahead of time and then just pop it in the oven to heat back up! This dish will end up being the highlight of any meal!
This mashed potato casserole is melt in your mouth creamy and smooth, loaded up with tons of melty cheese, crunchy panko bread crumbs, topped with crisp salty bacon, and bits of chives for color and a pop of fresh flavor.
I know mashed potatoes are typically a side dish, but I’m thinking in the case of this dish we may be ok making it an entire meal. No judgment here! It’s absolutely possible I attacked this dish with a fork once the pics were done!
Mashed potatoes have forever been my favorite side dish. There’s so many ways to enjoy them. Plain. Loaded with butter. Drenched in gravy. But I think the combination of mashed potatoes with cheese and bacon is my all time favorite!
How to Make Mashed Potato Casserole:
- We’ll start with making the mashed potatoes. We’re going to load the mashed potatoes up with sweet cream butter, sour cream to make them extra creamy, a bit of milk, some garlic powder and salt to give flavor. You can definitely leave out the garlic if you’re not a fan, but I’m a the more garlic the better type of person.
- Mix some of the cheddar cheese with the mashed potatoes. This helps make the entire dish extra cheesy.
- I also toasted a bit of panko bread crumbs and sprinkled those on top. They give a wonderful toasty taste, plus they add a bit of texture. Sprinkle the bread crumbs and extra shredded cheese, then bake briefly.
- After baking add the crumbled bacon and chives. Serve this dish warm. I guarantee this will be the highlight of the meal!
Can I prepare this Mashed Potato Casserole Ahead of Time?
Let’s face it, holidays can get a little hectic right? One less thing to worry about can definitely make the day more enjoyable. You can prepare this dish the day before, just cook the potatoes and mash them, then add them to the casserole dish, cover and bake the next day and add all the toppings. Was!
These potatoes are the creamiest, cheesiest, and I highly recommend you dive right in, fork first, to the casserole dish itself!
More Side Dish Recipes to Try:
- Cranberry Apple Stuffing
- Sweet Potato Casserole
- Perfect Mashed Potatoes
- Corn Casserole
- Homemade Green Bean Casserole
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Mashed Potato Casserole
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 10-12 1x
Description
Mashed Potato Casserole. The creamiest, cheesiest mashed potatoes EVER! This easy to make side dish is loaded up with extra melty cheese, crispy bacon, and chives. The best part? You can make this dish ahead of time and then just pop it in the oven to heat back up! This dish will end up being the highlight of any meal!
Ingredients
- 3 pounds russet potatoes
- water
- 7 tablespoons butter
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Topping
- 1/4 cup panko
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoons chopped chives
- 5 strips bacon cooked
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Peel and chop the potatoes. Add to a large pot. Cover with water and heat over high heat, boil the potatoes in the water about 20 minutes or until softened.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Drain the potatoes and add to a large mixing bowl. Add the butter, sour cream, milk, garlic powder, and salt. Mix with a potato masher or for creamier potatoes use a hand or stand mixer.
- Add the shredded cheddar cheese and stir to combine.
- Spray a 2 quart baking dish with cooking spray. Spoon the potato mixture into the dish. Smooth the top with the back of a spoon.
- In a small saucepan add the tablespoon of butter and the panko bread crumbs. Cook over medium heat until just toasted. Sprinkle on top of the potatoes.
- Top with shredded cheese and bake uncovered for about 15 minutes until the cheese is melted.
- Top with bacon and chives. Serve warm and enjoy!
Notes
***This recipe can be made ahead of time. Spread the potatoes into the baking dish, cover and refrigerate until ready to bake. Continue with steps at that point by adding the panko and cheese just before baking.
- Category: side dish
- Method: baked
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 347
- Sodium: 353 mg
- Fat: 19 g
- Carbohydrates: 37 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 10 g
- Cholesterol: 42 mg
Keywords: mashed potato casserole
My wife does a similar cheese and potato pie but leaves out the sour cream and adds chopped tomatoes (tinned ones taste better) Definitely a family favourite
This is seriously so good! I have made it the last three Thanksgivings in a year in a row minus bacon (vegetarian family) and OMG! Girl I am from Wisconsin the land of cheese and milk and I’ve never had mashed potatoes this good, For real I ate mashed potatoes once a week growing up for 20 years and I will use your recipe above all else!
★★★★★
Easy , delicious casserole !! I used cream cheese in place of sour cream ! Delish! Using red potatoes , skin on , makes presentation so festive ! Thanks!!
★★★★★
Thanks for sharing! How far ahead of time can I make it?
I was wondering if it’s ok if the cheddar cheese can be substituted with Mozzarella?
You can use mozzarella if you prefer. I find that it does melt differently though, it’s very stringy.
Can I make this ahead and freeze it or would it change the consistency dramatically? Anyone tried freezing it?
Can this be made with almond milk?
Yes it can! Just keep in mind that there is other dairy products in there with the butter and sour cream.
To make this even more delicious, replace sour cream with a package of softened cream cheese. So delicious, I have made it with instant potato flakes for a quick side dish.
Ranch dressing is also a delicious substitute for sour cream.
Your so patient with the the questions. I wonder how you keep from suggesting folks just read the recipe. It’s delicious by the way!
★★★★★
Thanks so much Sue!
OMG. Do people not read recipes. The questions that are being asked at ridiculous.
🙂
Delish! Easy
★★★★★
Thank you so much! Can’t wait to serve this during our thanksgiving dinner!!
Hi!
I would like to make this recipe using 10lbs of potatoes, how much of the ingredients should I use?
Hi Lucia! Just multiply all the ingredients by 3.3 to get the amounts that you should use for 10 lbs instead of 3 lbs of potatoes.
You can also replace the sour cream with 4-6 ounces of cream cheese. Continue as directed and Yummo! Best mashed taters you have ever eaten!
Hi! What if you aren’t a fan of Sour Cream?
Hi Michelle, you can’t taste the sour cream in the potatoes. If you just don’t want it mixed in there then you can leave it out. Add a bit more butter and milk to get the potatoes to the right consistency for you 🙂
My family loves when I make this. But I use Garlic instant potatoes.
So much easier and faster. Just put ingredients you like into potatoes.
Great recipe!
Such an easy twist! Thanks Denise 🙂
How long will this take to bake if made ahead of time?
Hi Miranda! If making it ahead of time I bake it covered with foil for about 30-35 minutes and then uncovered for another 15.
How long should I bake it for if making it ahead of time? I just did all steps except the baking and panko.
How long will this take to bake if made ahead of time?
How long do you bake the potatoes before you add the panko and cheese topping?
Hi Marsha, the potatoes don’t bake prior to adding the toppings. Once you mash the potatoes, add them to the baking dish, add the toppings, and then bake.
What temperature do you put oven on ?
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
How long do you leave the dish in the oven?
Top with the shredded cheese and bake uncovered for about 15 minutes until the cheese is melted.
I’m going to make this for Thanksgiving with my family on Saturday! I measured out 3 pounds of potatoes at the store and it ended up only being 3 potatoes. This doesn’t seem like enough to me but wanted to check with you first. About how many potatoes did you use for your recipe?
Hi Melanie! Yes, I used about 3 potatoes as well. It’s just enough to fill the casserole dish. You can of course use more if you need. I typically make 3 pounds of potatoes for my family of 6, and we have some leftovers. If you add more potatoes you will need to add more milk, butter, and sour cream to get the right consistency. Let me know if you have any more questions!
hi what would the measurments of milk, butter, sour cream be for a family of 12
For a family of 12, I would double the recipe. Which would be 6 pounds of potatoes, 1/2 cup of milk, 1 and 1/2 cup of sour cream, and 14 tablespoons of butter. Also keep in mind you will need to use a larger casserole dish than the 2 quart size the recipe calls for.
Would not recommend making this dish the night before. It was not creamy at all as when you first make it. Lesson learned.