Mashed Potato Bake

OK, so twice baked potatoes. Everyone loves them, right? The problem is they take forever when you’re making them for a bunch of people. All that scooping and stuffing individual skins. Not my idea of a fun Thursday night. That’s why I started making this Twice Baked Potato Casserole instead and honestly, I’m never going back.

Same flavors. Way less fuss. You’ve got your bacon, your sour cream, two kinds of cheese getting all melty, and green onions on top. This potato casserole smells so good while it’s baking that my family starts hovering around the kitchen asking when we’re eating. Every single time.

We’re a potato family through and through. We literally eat them with almost everything, I’m not even exaggerating. I know they’re not exactly diet food but the fiber in the skins count for something. And you can always adjust recipes to work for you.

This mashed potato bake style dish turned out way better than I thought it would. If loaded potatoes are your thing, you’ve gotta try this.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Real talk, this one’s become a staple at our house.

• Tastes like twice baked potatoes: All that bacon and cheese and sour cream goodness in every single bite.
• So much easier than the original: One pan. That’s it. No stuffing potato skins one by one.
• Your go-to for potluck dinners and holiday sides: Makes a ton and travels pretty well, too.
• Super easy to customize it: Different cheeses. Extra toppings. Change it up however you want.
• A weeknight godsend: Throw a salad next to it and call it dinner.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

The recipe works great as written, but there’s room to play around with it. So here’s what I use, plus some swaps if you need them.

• Yukon Gold potatoes: Buttery and creamy which is exactly what you want here. Russets work fine too. Or really any potato with yellow skin.
• Sharp cheddar and mozzarella: The cheddar gives you that cheesy potatoes flavor everyone expects and the mozzarella gets all stretchy. Gouda or Colby jack are good if you want to switch it up.
• Thick cut bacon: Has to be thick cut so it stays crispy after baking. Turkey bacon is fine if that’s what you eat.
• Sour cream: Can’t skip this, it adds the tanginess. My household is obsessed with ranch dressing. If yours is too, give it a try!
• Green onions: Fresh is always best! Chives are nice in this dish too.
• Prosciutto: Want to dress this potato casserole up a bit? Add some prosciutto. You’ll be thanking me later.

Tips for Success

A few things I’ve learned making this over and over.

• Bake potatoes ahead: Do this earlier in the day or even the night before and assembly goes so much faster.
• Bacon has to be crispy: Like really crispy. Soggy bacon will ruin the whole vibe.
• Shred your cheese yourself: Cheese that comes preshredded has flour (or something) on it to keep it from sticking together. This affects the meltiness. It takes just a few minutes to shred the cheese yourself, and it makes all the difference in the world.
• Keep covered with foil: This will keep your cheesy potatoes from drying out.
• Let it rest a bit before you serve it: You get cleaner scoops, no sloppy mess.

Storage and Reheating

Store your leftovers in an air-tight container. Let it cool before you put it in the fridge. It’ll stay yummy for about five days.

Microwave works fine for reheating. About a minute or two. The oven at 350 for 10 to 15 minutes is better if you want the top to crisp back up.

You can freeze this, too. Freezer container, up to two months. Thaw it in the fridge overnight, reheat however you want.

Serving Suggestions

Goes great with grilled chicken, or steak, or pork chops. When I make it for holiday sides I put it out next to the ham. Its always the first thing gone from the table.

FAQs

Do You Cook The Bacon First?

Yes you have to. I cook mine while the potatoes are in the oven so everything’s done around the same time. Get it crispy then crumble it, if you put raw bacon in this dish its not going to cook right.

Can I Make This Ahead Of Time?

Yep. Put the whole thing together and keep it in the fridge covered for up to a day. When you bake it, add maybe 5 extra minutes since it’s going in cold.

What Size Potatoes Should I Use?

Medium sized Yukon Golds are what I go for. About 5 pounds total. If yours are bigger you’ll just need less of them.

Can I Use Leftover Mashed Potatoes Instead?

I mean you could but it changes the texture a lot. Cubed baked potatoes hold their shape and give you that chunky bite. With mashed it’s more of a mashed potato bake situation which is still good, just different.

How Do I Know When It’s Done?

After 30 minutes the cheese should be all melted and bubbling around the edges. Potatoes will be hot through. If you want the top crispier take the foil off for the last 5 or 10 minutes.

Notes

So my aunt made something like this every Thanksgiving growing up and it was always the first dish that ran out. She had this huge casserole dish she’d bring it in, thing barely fit on the table. Everyone would crowd around it before we even said grace.

I started making my own version maybe four years ago now and it shows up at basically every family thing we do. My kid’s request it for random Tuesday dinners. Something about all that bacon and melted cheese, I don’t know. It just hits different.

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Mashed Potato Bake | Twice Baked Potatoes Casserole Holiday Sides

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