Updated
Level up your side dish game with this delicious Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole. Creamy, rich, and easy to make ahead of time, I find this casserole is a great option for Thanksgiving and the holidays.
Pin this recipe for later!
Pin It5-Star Review
“Made this for Easter Dinner today and even my daughter who hates mashed potatoes loved this recipe.” – Tiffany
Easy Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole Recipe
When it comes to deciding what to serve up for Thanksgiving and Christmas, I always opt for recipes that can be made ahead of time so my day in the kitchen is less stressful. And, that’s where this delicious loaded mashed potato casserole comes in! Super easy to make, this side dish is creamy and buttery, and of course, loaded with bacon and cheese.
I’ve taken creamy mashed potatoes and combined them with cream cheese, half and half, sour cream, and cheddar cheese for the ultimate in creaminess. I’ve also thrown in cooked bacon and chives to really up the flavor and make it completely irresistible. Whether you make it ahead of time or bake it up right away, it is going to disappear in minutes.
Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole Recipe
Equipment
- 9×13 Baking Pan
- Dutch Oven
Ingredients
- 5 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes Russet and Idaho also work
- 1 tbsp kosher salt divided
- 1½ tsp ground black pepper divided
- 1 tsp granulated onion
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature (1 stick)
- 4 oz. cream cheese room temperature (½ brick)
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1½ cups half-and-half or heavy cream warmed slightly
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese divided
- 1 lb. crumbled cooked bacon divided
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh chives divided
Video
Instructions
- Spray a 9×13-inch casserole dish with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- Peel the potatoes and cut them into 1-inch cubes. Place the potatoes in a large Dutch oven and cover with 1 inch of water. Add 2 tsp kosher salt, 1 tsp ground black pepper, 1 tsp granulated onion, and ½ tsp garlic powder; stir well. Set over high heat and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer until potatoes are fork tender, about 15 minutes.5 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes, 1 tbsp kosher salt, 1½ tsp ground black pepper, 1 tsp granulated onion, ½ tsp garlic powder
- Drain the potatoes and return to the empty, still hot pot. Set the pot over low heat to boil off excess moisture from the potatoes – this should take just about 1 minute.
- Mash the potatoes, then add the butter, cream cheese, sour cream, half-and-half, and 1 cup cheese. Stir well. Add half of the bacon and 1 tbsp chopped chives. Stir well. Taste and, if needed, season with additional kosher salt and black pepper.½ cup unsalted butter, 4 oz. cream cheese, 1½ cups half-and-half or heavy cream, 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, 1 lb. crumbled cooked bacon, 2 tbsp chopped fresh chives, 1 cup sour cream
- Spread the mashed potatoes into the prepared baking dish.
- At this point, the potatoes can be cooked immediately or refrigerated.
If baking immediately…
- …adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Cover the pan tightly with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes, until heated through. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup of cheese and bake just until the cheese melts. Remove from the oven and top with reserved bacon and chives. Serve.
If making ahead…
- …cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Remove from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking.
- When ready to cook, adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Remove the plastic wrap and cover tightly with foil.
- Bake 30 minutes at 350°F, then remove the foil. Continue baking for 20-30 minutes, or until heated through. Add the reserved shredded cheese and cook just until the cheese melts. Remove from oven and top with reserved bacon and chives. Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave a comment!
How to Make Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole Step by Step
Get the casserole dish ready: Spray a 9×13-inch casserole dish with nonstick spray and set it aside.
Prepare the potatoes: Peel 5 lbs. of potatoes, cut them into 1 inch cubes, place them in a large Dutch oven, and cover with 1 inch of water. Add 2 tsp kosher salt, 1 tsp ground black pepper, 1 tsp granulated onion, ½ tsp garlic powder, and stir well. Bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are fork-tender. This usually takes me about 15 minutes.
Drain the potatoes and return them to the still hot pot. Set the pot over low heat to boil off excess moisture from the potatoes – this should take about 1 minute.
Mash the potatoes.
Then add ½ cup butter, 4 oz. of cream cheese,1 cup of sour cream, 1½ cups half-and-half, and 1 cup of cheese. Stir before adding half of the bacon and 1 tbsp chopped chives. Stir again, taste, and, if needed, season with additional kosher salt and black pepper.
Spread the mashed potato mixture into the prepared baking dish.
Store or cook: At this point, the potatoes can be cooked immediately or refrigerated.
Bake: Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat to 350°F. Cover the pan tightly with foil and bake for 15 minutes.
Take off the foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes, until heated through. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup of cheese and bake just until the cheese melts.
Serve: Remove from the oven and top with reserved bacon and chives. Serve and enjoy.
Variations
I flavored these potatoes as I usually top my baked potatoes, fully loaded. Feel free to swap in your favorite baked potato toppings, like broccoli and cheddar cheese, opt for Mexican cheese with pico de gallo, or simple veggies like caramelized onions, or garlic mushrooms, and Swiss cheese.
How to Store
If you want to get a head start, you can prepare this casserole right up until it has to go in the oven. Cover it tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Remove from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking and follow the instructions above for baking.
Store leftover loaded mashed potato casserole in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in. 350°F oven for 20-30 minutes, or until heated through.
Freeze loaded mashed potato casserole tightly wrapped in 2 layers of plastic wrap and 1 layer of aluminum foil for up to 2 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Serving Suggestions
This loaded mashed potato casserole is the perfect accompaniment to my Christmas or Thanksgiving meal. I’ll pair it with our usual Thanksgiving turkey, a hearty and juicy prime rib roast, or even mini turkey meatloaves.
These potatoes are the best! I brought them for Christmas and they ate all of them. Delish!
Excellent potatoes! Taking to a Christmas luncheon.
This is a VERY good recipe, thank you for sharing it. I made it today, for Thanksgiving because my husband doesn’t like mashed potatoes but he likes loaded baked potatoes. HE LOVED IT, we all did. I cooked for just me, my husband and adult son. I made it exactly as written, but I halved it since I was cooking for a small gathering. It’s great as a leftover too btw!
We’re so happy to hear you loved this recipe, Karyn!
My potatoe mixture seems a little soupy. Is this normal?
They definitely shouldn’t be soupy! Did you boil off the excess moisture before adding the dairy? If so, then I think you may have had a bit under 5 pounds of potatoes, which could lead to the mixture becoming soupy.
Made this for Easter Dinner today and even my daughter who hates mashed potatoes loved this recipe. I did leave out the bacon since this was a side dish for bbq pork ribs. So to substitute for the lack of bacon flavor I added 1 tsp more of garlic powder, 1/2 tsp of onion powder and 1/4 tsp of Slap yo Mama seasoning. But even before adding those spices, the recipe came out really good. Thank you for this post.
Thanks for sharing, Tiffany!!
I’m just using your recipe on 11/24/21 and chose it because it has the ingredients my sister uses for her loaded mashed potato dish. You might not see my comment or reply to it but I noticed SOUR CREAM listed in the directions but not in the ingredient list. I added 1 cup. Seems to have a good sour cream flavor. Can you verify the amount?
One cup!
In a number of the previous recipes you have posted, you reference the amount of spices, etc with a decimal measurement. Having been used to using 1/4 to 1 tablespoon and the same for cup measurements. I’m having trouble figuring out what is the equivalent in the cup or spoon measuements.
Thank you for you support and the great recipes. Bill K