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Loaded Potato Casserole brings together the comforting flavors of potatoes, sour cream, bacon, and cheddar cheese. Topped with green onion for garnish, this loaded baked potato casserole is perfect for holidays and feeds a crowd!
With Easter and Passover right around the corner, there is no better time than now to share my favorite potato recipe for Easter dinner! Loaded Baked Potato Casserole is perfect alongside ham, steak, or chicken. With lots of cheese and bacon, this is one of those comforting holiday side dishes that everyone loves year after year. Let’s make this together! ❤️-Ashley
Loaded Baked Potato Casserole Ingredients
To make this recipe, you’ll need:
- Yukon gold potatoes – russet potatoes will also work if you are unable to buy Yukon gold potatoes
- butter – real butter is always best. Salted or unsalted is fine.
- sour cream – low-fat varieties are not recommended
- cream cheese
- milk – use whatever you have on hand. I used 1% milk. You can also use heavy cream.
- kosher salt
- black pepper
- garlic powder
- cheddar cheese – sharp cheddar is recommended, and it’s always best to freshly grate your cheese if time allows
- bacon
- green onion – for garnish
How to make Loaded Potato Casserole
The full written recipe, including ingredient amounts can be found in the recipe card below. This is a brief overview of how to make potato casserole:
The base of the recipe is none other than my recipe for The Best Mashed Potatoes so that’s where you’ll start.
- Prep the potatoes – wash and peel potatoes, then cut into 1 inch chunks.
- Boil the potatoes – add the potato chunks to a large stock pot of salted water, then cover them with water or broth. Bring to a boil then cook until potatoes are fork-tender. Drain the potatoes, then return the tender potatoes to the pot.
- Cook bacon – While the potatoes cook, make the bacon. My favorite time-saving trick is to bake the bacon in the oven.
- Preheat the oven – 375 degrees Fahrenheit
- Add butter, sour cream, cream cheese, & season: to the pot of cooked, drained potatoes, add in butter, cream cheese, and sour cream, and season with salt, black pepper and garlic powder. Adjust seasonings to taste.
- Mash – using a potato masher or a potato ricer, mash the potatoes or rice them until most of the clumps are removed.
- Add milk – add up to ½ cup of milk and continue mashing until the potatoes are smooth and fluffy.
- Stir in cheese and bacon – to the mashed potatoes add in 1 cup of cheese and half of the cooked bacon. Stir.
- Prepare a 9×13 inch casserole dish – lightly grease a baking dish or spray it with nonstick cooking spray, then spread the potatoes in the dish. Top with remaining cheese and bacon.
- Bake – place the potatoes in the oven then bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Garnish – chopped green onions make the perfect garnish.
- Serve
Serving Suggestions
Loaded Potato Casserole pairs well with a variety of main dishes and works especially well for a holiday meal.
- For Easter: Serve alongside ham with a salad and fast and easy dinner rolls.
- For Christmas: Loaded Potato Casserole also pairs wonderfully with Parmesan Crusted Steak or Prime Rib.
- For Thanksgiving – if you are serving ham for Thanksgiving, these potatoes make a great side!
- With Chicken: Try making this casserole with our 8 minute Parmesan Crusted Chicken! It’s so good!
When the Loaded Baked Potato Casserole comes out of the oven, you’ll sprinkle some green onions on top for garnish. Doesn’t it look pretty? And with all of that bacon and cheese, it’s one of those side dish recipes that everyone is going to love no matter the occasion.
The best way to mash potatoes is with a potato masher or a potato ricer. You can also use a hand mixer, however a potato masher or potato ricer will provide the best result.
Different potatoes have different textures. For a potato casserole, I recommend using Yukon gold potatoes because they have an excellent buttery flavor with a creamy texture.
When the potatoes are fork-tender, they are done cooking. It takes around 15-20 minutes for potatoes to cook until tender.
Storing Leftovers
Should you have leftover potato casserole, you will want to transfer it to an airtight container after the casserole has cooled.
Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
With 5 pounds of Loaded Baked Potato Casserole goodness, you’ll be able to serve 8-10+ people a good sized portion with this recipe. Whether you’re making this to accompany ham for Easter dinner, or you’re looking for the perfect recipe to serve with steak or bring to a potluck, look no further, this is it.
Make it ahead of time:
Making this ahead of time can be a convenient option and time saver, especially if you will be serving this for a holiday meal. Feel free to make this 1-2 days ahead of time.
- Prepare the casserole as written
- Stop before baking
- Cover & Refrigerate: cover the casserole well with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Then refrigerate
- To serve: on the day that you’ll be serving the casserole, remove it from the refrigerator 1 hour before it needs to go in the oven. Preheat the oven, uncover, then bake. It may take 10-20 minutes longer for the casserole to heat through and for the cheese to be bubbly and melted. Then garnish and serve.
I hope you enjoy this recipe for Loaded Baked Potato Casserole. Don’t be afraid to adjust the seasonings according to taste – add a little more salt or black pepper if needed. If you make this recipe, please leave a comment or tag me on social media. I love to hear from you! Enjoy!
Loaded Baked Potato Casserole
Ingredients
- 5 pounds Yukon gold potatoes washed, peeled, and cut into large chunks
- 8 tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ¼ -½ cup milk I used 1%
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 8 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
- 4 green onions sliced
Instructions
- In a large stock pot, arrange the potato chunks. Add enough water or chicken broth to cover the potatoes. Make sure to salt the broth or water with 1-2 teaspoons of salt.
- Bring the potatoes to a boil and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender. Drain the liquid from the potatoes.
- Return the cooked potatoes to the pan. Add in butter, cream cheese, sour cream, salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. Using a potato masher, mash the potatoes until most of the clumps are removed.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Add in the milk, up to 1/2 cup, and continue mashing until the potatoes are smooth and fluffy. Add more milk if desired.
- To the potatoes, add 1 cup of sharp cheddar cheese and half of the cooked bacon crumbles. Stir to combine.
- Spread the potatoes in a lightly greased 9 x 13 inch casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese and bacon. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Garnish with green onions and serve immediately.
Recipe from
CenterCutCook