Loaded mashed potato casserole transforms your favorite potatoes into a make-ahead friendly casserole! This version is perfectly cheesy with just the right amount of bacon and sour cream (or cream cheese, your choice!). Recipe includes a how-to video!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Loaded with all of your favorite mix-ins. sour cream (or cream cheese!), bacon, cheddar cheese, and chives/scallions. There’s so much flavor happening here!
- Ready in under an hour & just 15 minutes of hands-on time. Leaves you plenty of time to focus on your main dish.
- Can be prepped in advance. I include instructions on how to make this up to two days ahead of serving.
- Easily portable, so it makes the perfect travel-ready Thanksgiving side dish!
Forget the turkey, mashed potatoes are hands-down the most important dish on any Thanksgiving or other holiday dinner table (or, just any dinner table, really). While I love my classic mashed potatoes, sometimes it’s fun to get a little fancy, and this loaded mashed potato casserole, packed with shredded cheese, bacon, sour cream, and chives is something of a showstopper.
You’re just one hour away from this cheesy, crispy-bacon-goodness (and the majority of that is passive wait-for-it-to-bake time!)…let’s dive right in!
What You Need
- Potatoes. Either russet or gold potatoes will work, but I generally prefer the starchier russet potatoes. You will need to peel your potatoes before chopping them.
- Cheese. I like cheddar, though you really can use whatever you prefer (my kids love Colby jack)! Shredding your own cheese will provide you with the best results (just like when making mac and cheese!), but you can use pre-shredded if you’re in a pinch.
- Milk. I recommend whole milk for best results, but any could work here. If you choose a non-dairy alternative, you may need a few splashes more than I list in the recipe.
- Sour cream OR cream cheese. Pick your favorite–both work well! When I tested this recipe, my taste testers were completely divided on preference, to the point where I literally couldn’t decide which one was better. If you can’t decide, opt for sour cream, since it has a milder flavor that everyone seems to enjoy.
- Garlic. No mincing needed, use your garlic press to press a single clove into your potatoes (or two, if your cloves are small!).
SAM’S TIP: Don’t skimp on the garnish! 1-2 tablespoons of fresh chives or scallions add flavor and a nice pop of color to your casserole.
This is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Mashed Potato Casserole
Before we begin, I want to mention that the photos and instructions below are just meant to be helpful, visual guidelines to accompany the written recipe (at the bottom of the post) and aren’t intended for you to try and bake from. I provide these photos and details because I think they’re helpful, but for the full recipe in its entirety scroll down to the recipe card.
- Prep your potatoes. Peel ’em, chop ’em, and rinse them well (give them a good rinse under cold water). When cutting your potatoes, it’s important to cut the pieces so they’re close in size, that way they cook evenly and you don’t end up with lumpy potatoes (hint: if you really don’t like lumpy potatoes, use a ricer to mash them)
- Boil until tender. Cook the potatoes in well-salted water, boiling until fork-tender, then drain well and return the potatoes to the pot.
- Mash ’em. If you are using a ricer, rice them before adding your other ingredients. If using a masher, add the milk, butter, cream cheese/sour cream, salt, and spices and then mash away, then fold in a cup of the cheese.
- Spread the mixture into your baking dish and top with the remaining cheese.
- Sprinkle crumbled bacon overtop, then cover and bake. We’ll bake for 20 minutes with the foil on, then remove the foil and keep baking until the cheese is bubbly.
- Garnish with chives or scallions, then serve!
SAM’S TIP: Lightly butter your foil before placing it over your casserole; this will help prevent the cheese from sticking. Just make sure you place the butter side down!
Frequently Asked Questions
Russet potatoes are my choice, I like their fluffier, starchier quality. However, yellow, gold, or red potatoes will all work well here. If using a thinner-skinned potato (like gold or red) you don’t even need to peel them if you don’t mind the skins!
I use an 11×7″ (17x28cm) casserole dish, these are typically 2 or 2.5 quarts. If you opt for a round pan, these are usually deeper and may require more time in the oven to thoroughly heat through, so keep that in mind.
If you want to make this in a 9×13″ pan, your casserole will be thinner, which is totally fine, it just won’t need quite as long to bake.
I suppose you could, but the flavor likely won’t be as good, and I can’t guarantee your results. But you could always try–it will definitely save time!
If you love mashed potatoes, give my shepherd’s pie a try next!
Enjoy!
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Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole
Ingredients
- 3 lbs (1.3 kg) russet or gold potatoes
- ⅔ cup (157 ml) whole milk
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter
- ½ cup (120 g) sour cream OR 3 oz cream cheese, cut into pieces (85g) (see note)
- 1 clove garlic pressed
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- ½ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
- 6 oz (170 g) shredded cheddar cheese divided
- ½ cup (60 g) crumbled bacon (about 6 slices cooked and crumbled)
- Chives or scallions for topping
Recommended Equipment
- 2.5 qt casserole dish (see note for other dish options)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F (190C).
- Peel and cut potatoes into 1 ½” (4cm) pieces. Place in a colander and rinse under cold water for one minute.3 lbs (1.3 kg) russet or gold potatoes
- Transfer potatoes to a large pot, cover with at least an inch of water, and generously salt the water. Place pot on stovetop over high heat and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Once potatoes are fork-tender, carefully drain potatoes into colander then return to the pot and allow to sit for a minute (this helps the excess water evaporate from the pan).
- Add milk, butter, sour cream or cream cheese, garlic, salt, and pepper,and mash until potatoes reach desired consistency. Stir well.⅔ cup (157 ml) whole milk, ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, ½ cup (120 g) sour cream, 1 clove garlic, 1 teaspoon table salt, ½ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
- Stir in 1 cup (4oz) or shredded cheddar cheese until well distributed.6 oz (170 g) shredded cheddar cheese
- Spread potatoes into a 2 or 2.5 qt casserole dish. Top with remaining ½ cup (2oz) of shredded cheddar cheese and crumbled bacon.½ cup (60 g) crumbled bacon
- Lightly butter a large piece of foil and lightly cover the casserole dish (buttered side down). Transfer to center rack of 375F (190C) preheated oven and bake for 20 mins, remove the foil, and continue baking for another 15-20 minutes, until cheese is melty and bubbly.
- Remove from oven and top with chives or scallions. Serve warm.Chives or scallions
Notes
Sour cream vs cream cheese
Either of these is a delicious option. I personally prefer cream cheese, which is a bit richer and makes a thicker mashed potato. If you aren’t sure which to use, though, I recommend using sour cream which has a milder flavor and is more likely to be well-enjoyed by all of your guests.Baking dish
I use an 11×7″ (17x28cm) casserole dish, these are typically 2 or 2.5 quarts. If you opt for a round pan, note that these are usually deeper and may require more time in the oven to thoroughly heat through. If you want to make this in a 9×13″ pan, your casserole will be thinner, which is totally fine, it just won’t need as much time in the oven to heat through (start checking 5 minutes sooner).Storing
Store tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.Making in advance
You can make the entire dish up to 2 days in advance of baking. Follow the recipe through step 6 (do not bake), cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate. When ready to bake, remove plastic wrap and cover with lightly buttered foil. Let sit at room temperature while oven heats to 350F. Bake covered for 30-40 minutes, then uncover and bake an additional 15-20 minutes, until cheese is melty and dish is heated through.Freezing
Let the potatoes cool completely, store in an airtight container or wrap tightly. I sometimes like to press plastic wrap into the surface of the potatoes to help prevent any freezer burn. It will keep for about 2 months in the freezer. before reheating, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat in 350F (175C) oven (remove the plastic wrap first, if you used it!), covered, for about 30 minutes (or longer, check that the center is heated before serving, sometimes you think it’s thawed all the way but it’s still frozen in the center and may need more time, an instant-read thermometer is a great way to check the temperature!).Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Harriet Kelly
I see that you must use unsalted butter. Why is that?
Sam
Hi Harriet! Unsalted butter gives you better control of the salt in the recipe. You can use salted butter but you’ll need to reduce the salt accordingly. 🙂
Harriet
Thank you. My family prefers salted and with butter costing so much right now, I was hoping that i wouldn’t have to buy both!
Miriam Rose Blanar
I made this tonight and it’s so good! I loved it so much. So much better than regular mashed potatoes. I used the cream cheese and it was perfect!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Miriam! 🙂
Esther
yum! I like to cook my potatoes in chicken stock l,eavesa great taste to the potato. Also use evaporated milk. weatier milk. he additions,,perfect! Thank you!
Sam
I hope you love them, Esther! 🙂