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This creamy baked cheesy potato casserole is comfort food at its very best! This dish works just as well as the main dish or a filling side offering and it’ll be a hit with any crowd, whether you’re serving up a family meal or entertaining guests. It only takes minutes to prepare to bake and is also the ultimate potluck go-to!
Potato Casserole
If you think you haven’t heard of potato casserole before, you might actually be mistaken! Potato casseroles are known by a few different names such as funeral potatoes (these are made with hashbrowns), party potatoes, cheesy potato bake, and cheesy hashbrown potatoes. My version of the potato casserole uses garlic mashed potatoes and loads of flavor! It goes great with a roast beef like my pop pot roast recipe, or my fast and easy shredded beef recipe. All you need to know is that this is an absolutely mouthwatering dish and it goes AMAZINGLY with my fast and easy Greek pasta salad if you are looking for amazing side dish ideas.
How To Make Cheesy Potato Casserole
You’ll need to start with your Garlic Mashed Potatoes.
- Place the potatoes in a large saucepan and fill it up until they’re completely submerged in the water. Then add the salt.
- Boil over medium-high heat and reduce the heat until just simmering. Maintain at a low rolling boil to stop the potatoes from boiling over.
- Keep cooking the potatoes until they fall apart easily when pierced with a fork, then remove them from the heat, drain off the water, and let them sit in the colander as they drain.
- Heat up the half-and-half, garlic puree, and butter in a saucepan (a smaller medium size will do here) over medium here until slightly simmering.
- Take off the heat and set your potatoes aside.
- Use a masher or potato ricer to mash the potatoes until they’re smooth, then mix in the hot garlic mixture until it’s thoroughly combined.
Once that’s done, it’s time to assemble the Potato Casserole.
- Preheat your oven to 375 F and grease a baking pan (9×13 will do the trick), then set it aside.
- Mix in about a quarter cup of bacon, 1 cup of cheese, and half of the green onions into your garlic potato mixture.
- Place the mixture in a baking dish and spread it evenly. Then, top it off with the green onions, cheese, and a sprinkling of the remaining bacon.
- Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake in the oven for about 25 minutes until it’s heated through and the cheese has melted.
- If you want to let the cheese brown, remove the foil and cook for another 10 minutes or so.
- Once it’s done, take it out of the oven and let it sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Tips And Tricks For Making Baked Cheesy Potato Casserole
- It’s a lot handier to get the recipe together the night before. Just cover it well and put it in the refrigerator overnight. When you’re ready to serve, let it stand for around 30 min once it’s out of the refrigerator and then bake as directed. Once it’s baking you can start prepping the other last-minute items on your list.
- Flavor your mashed potatoes before you add them to the dish – make sure they are as garlicky as you like!
- You can add whatever toppings you can think if! Use sour cream, different shredded cheese, the world is your oyster.
- You can freeze this and make it ahead as well. Simply cover well to protect it from freezer burn and then take it out and bake when you need it .
More Casserole dishes to try:
Johnny Marzetti Casserole – (Ground Beef Casserole Recipe)
Hamburger Hotdish Tater Tot Casserole
Creamy Ham and Noodle Casserole
Asparagus Green Bean Casserole
Mushroom Soup Chicken & Rice Casserole
Enjoy!
Karlynn
Baked Cheesy Potato Casserole
- Prep Time
- 40 minutes
- Cook Time
- 30 minutes
- Course
- Side Dish
- Cuisine
- American
- Servings
- 8
- Calories
- 363
- Author
- Karlynn Johnston
Ingredients
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- 2.5 pounds russet potatoes peeled and diced all the same size
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 cup half-and-half cream
- 1/4 cup salted butter
- 2 tablespoons garlic puree
Filling Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 3/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 cup chopped cooked bacon divided
- 2 cups cheddar cheese divided
Toppings
- shredded cheddar cheese
- 2-3 tablespoons chives or green onions diced
- bacon
Instructions
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Place the potatoes in a large saucepan and fill until they are covered in water. Stir in the salt.
- Bring the pot to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to a lower heat until the potatoes are just simmering, a low rolling boil. Keeping it at this lower boil will help prevent them from boiling over.
- Cook until the potatoes fall apart when pierced with a fork.
- Remove the potatoes from the heat and drain off the water in a colander. Let them sit there draining.
- Heat the half-and-half, the butter and the garlic puree in a medium saucepan over medium heat until simmering slightly, then remove from the heat and set aside.
- Mash the potatoes using a masher or a potato ricer until smooth.
- Mix in the hot garlic mixture until combined through.
To Assemble the Potato Casserole
- Preheat the oven to 375 °F. Grease a 9×13 baking pan and set aside.
- Gently mix in 1/4 cup of the bacon, 1 cup cheese and half of the green onions into the garlic potato mixture.
- Spread the mixture out in the baking dish, then top with the remaining cheese and green onions. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of bacon on top. Cover with aluminum foil.
- Bake in the oven until completely heated through and the cheese is melted, around 20-25 minutes.
- If desired, remove the foil and cook for another 10 minutes, letting the cheese brown.
- Remove and let sit for 5-10 minutes, then serve.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information
All calories and info are based on a third party calculator and are only an estimate. Actual nutritional info will vary with brands used, your measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
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Lisa says
This looks like a great way to make mashed potatoes in advance, and of course CHEESE! What is garlic purée? I always chop fresh garlic, I generally use fresh garlic.
Mr. Kitchen Magpie says
It’s garlic that’s found in a small tube, similar to anchovy paste. You should be ok using fresh garlic (just mince finely), this is just a stronger flavor profile.