Move over sweet potato casserole, there’s a new casserole in town! This easy Twice Baked Potato Casserole recipe will be your new go-to side dish! Loaded with bacon, cheddar cheese and sour cream, you just can’t go wrong!
Let’s talk potatoes for a minute. I can honestly say that some of my favorite recipes center around potatoes – they are just so versatile! I mean, with all of the ways to prepare them, they should really just be their own food group, right?
From mashed to fried to baked, the side dish recipes are endless! And don’t even get me started on the sweet potato recipes!
What's In This Article
My Love Affair with Potatoes
When I was young, my grandpa was always in charge of making potatoes for the holidays. If he was making mashed potatoes, he’d always be sure to save me a beater to lick when he was finished – I thought that was such a treat!
I like them mashed, baked, fried, and even made into a casserole like this Twice Baked Potato Casserole. It is the best, and it’s one of my favorite ways to prepare loaded potatoes.
This casserole is a great way to use up leftover mashed potatoes, too. In fact, my favorite time to make it is after the holidays when I’m sure to have lots of leftovers.
Since I took the time to make mashed potatoes, why not turn the leftovers into an easy cheesy potato casserole?
So if you are a potato lover like me and you are looking for an easy side dish for twice baked potato casserole, look no further! All of the best parts of twice baked potatoes are simplified into this delicious casserole form with almost no prep time. It’s sure to be a huge hit with your family.
Ingredients
These easy ingredients create a magnificent dish!
- Mashed potatoes – You can always make your own mashed potatoes (I would use russet potatoes or red potatoes) or even buy them premade at the store. Rather than using a potato masher, I’d use an electric mixer. We want creamy mashed potatoes, not chunky. And make sure the potato skins are removed.
- Sharp cheddar cheese – For extra cheesy potatoes, we will be adding this directly to the potato mixture and also on top of the casserole too.
- Sour cream – A lot of recipes call for cream cheese, but with all the sour cream and cheddar cheese, I find my twice-baked potato casserole to be just right.
- Milk – Some recipes use heavy cream, but I find that milk works best. It thins this potato mixture down to exactly the right consistency that we need for this loaded potato casserole.
- Butter – As always, I choose to use unsalted butter when cooking. That way I am able to control the amount of salt that goes into this perfect side dish.
- Salt and pepper – I always use fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper for this casserole. If using salted butter, be sure to omit the salt all together.
- Garlic powder – With all the goodness of the cheese, the only seasoning we really need for this easy casserole dish is garlic powder.
- Bacon – You can’t have a twice-baked potato casserole recipe without crispy bacon! I like to crumble mine on top, but you could throw into the potato mixture as well.
- Scallions – Sometimes called green onions, these babies not only add a little crunch and flavor, but they also add a pretty green color to the finished dish.
How to Make Twice Baked Potato Casserole
- Prepare oven and casserole dish. Preheat oven and coat a casserole dish with cooking spray.
- Combine potato mixture. In a large bowl, combine mashed potatoes, some of the cheddar cheese, sour cream, milk, butter, fine sea salt, ground black pepper and garlic powder. Stir well and pour into prepared casserole dish.
- Add remaining cheese. Top with remaining shredded cheddar cheese.
- Bake. Bake for 15 minutes.
- Toppings. Remove and top with bacon crumbles and scallions.
Storage and Freezing
Store any leftover potatoes in an airtight container or large dish covered in plastic wrap. This can be stored in the refrigerator for up to five days.
Check out my tips for freezing a casserole, too!
More Easy Potato Recipes
- Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes
- Cheesy Twice Baked Potatoes
- Chicken Broccoli Potato Casserole
- Crispy Oven Baked Potatoes
- Loaded Smashed Potatoes
Twice Baked Potato Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups mashed potatoes
- 1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese , divided
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 cup bacon , cooked, drained and crumbled
- 1/4 cup scallions , chopped
- Cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a casserole dish with cooking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine mashed potatoes, 3/4 cup cheddar cheese, sour cream, milk, butter, fine sea salt, ground black pepper and garlic powder. Stir well and pour into prepared casserole dish.
- Top with remaining 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese.
- Bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove and top with bacon crumbles and scallions. Serve immediately.
- If you’ve tried this recipe, make sure to come back and let us know how it was!
Twice baked potato is one of our favorite but really love the casserole version! Makes it a little simpler to make!
My kids loved this. Especially the teenage boy! Thanks!