Real baked russets mashed with sharp cheddar, sour cream, and twelve pieces of bacon — the loaded baked potato rebuilt as a 9×13 side that steals the dinner.
Three things that make this casserole work
Two bakes do the building, and these are the three places it goes right or wrong.
- Warm the dairy first: Butter, sour cream, and milk sit out on the counter so they mash in smooth.
- Butter-knife test at 400: About 40 minutes, until the knife slides through without a fight.
- Split the bacon: Half mashed in for every bite, half on top to crisp in the second bake.
Inside: This cheesy bacon potato casserole is a loaded potato casserole that you won’t soon forget. Served along side any type of meat, this hot side dish is a keeper for any type of menu.
Loaded Cheesy Potato Casserole
We are all about the side dishes at the Sorensen house. Meat, a veggie, and a side are what are on the menu at every sit-down meal.
And this cheese potato bake fits the bill just perfectly at every meal and alongside any meat/veggie combo.
This is a loaded baked potato rebuilt as a casserole, and it starts with real russets baked until tender. Sharp cheddar, sour cream, and twelve pieces of bacon do the loading.
If you have leftovers, this cheesy potato bake also reheats fabulously as well.
Why real baked potatoes matter here:
There are no frozen hashbrowns in this one, and you can taste the difference. Baking the russets first and then mashing them gives the casserole that twice-baked potato depth.
The bacon is split in half on purpose, some mashed in and the rest scattered on top. Every bite has bacon in it, and the top still gets the crispy pieces everyone fights over.
This Potato Cheese Bake is one to make if you are serving any sort of meat (chicken, ham, burgers, whatever!). It’s like a meal in itself, and then with all the toppings, it is taken to a whole new level!
What I’ve learned making this:
Set the butter, sour cream, and milk out on the counter before you start. Room temperature dairy mashes in smooth, and cold dairy fights you the whole way.
The butter knife is the potato test, not the clock. At 40 minutes, if the knife slides through without a fight, the potatoes are ready to mash.
The second bake is short and uncovered, 20 to 25 minutes at 350. That is just enough to melt the top layer of cheese and crisp the reserved bacon.
Do the leftovers hold up?
They reheat fabulously, which is half the reason I make a full 9×13 even for a small dinner. Tomorrow’s plate is built into tonight’s dish.
Dinner at our house means meat, a veggie, and a side, and this is the side that steals the show. Whatever the meat is, these potatoes are the part people remember.
A Closer Look at the Ingredients
Russet potatoes
Six to eight large russets, baked whole and then mashed. Russets are dry and fluffy inside, which is what lets them soak up the sour cream and cheese without turning gluey.
Yukon golds work but they mash creamier and heavier. Red potatoes are too waxy for this and I would skip them.
Sour cream and milk
Eight ounces of sour cream and a cup of milk loosen the mashed potatoes and give them the loaded baked potato tang. Both should be at room temperature when they go in.
Sharp cheddar
Two cups of sharp cheddar, with a cup mashed in and the rest on top. Sharp is the right call here because the potatoes and sour cream mute a mild cheese.
Bacon
Twelve pieces, cooked crisp and crumbled, half in the potatoes and half on top. Bake it on parchment at 425 for twenty minutes while the potatoes bake and you save a pan.
Salt and pepper
A teaspoon of salt and a half teaspoon of pepper for six to eight potatoes. Taste the mash before it goes in the pan, because potatoes take more salt than you expect.
Step by Step, With the Details
Bake the potatoes
Scrub them, poke each one several times with a fork, and bake on a sheet at 400 for forty minutes. The fork holes let steam out so they do not burst.
Test with a butter knife. If it slides through the middle with no resistance, they are done. Big potatoes may need ten more minutes.
Cut and mash while hot
Cut each potato into thirds or quarters and mash right away. Hot potatoes mash smooth. Cooled potatoes turn gummy no matter how hard you work them.
Skins on or off is up to you. I leave a few in for the look of a real baked potato, and nobody has ever complained.
Mix in the good stuff
In a big bowl, combine the mashed potatoes with the butter, milk, sour cream, salt, pepper, a cup of cheddar, and half the bacon. Stir until it is mostly smooth.
Into the pan and back in the oven
Spread it into a greased nine by thirteen, scatter the reserved bacon and the rest of the cheese on top, and bake uncovered at 350 for twenty to twenty five minutes.
You are only melting the top and heating it through. When the cheese is bubbling at the edges, it is ready. Finish with sliced green onions.
Making It Ahead
Assemble the whole casserole up to a day ahead, cover it, and refrigerate. Bake it straight from the fridge at 350 for thirty five to forty minutes instead of twenty.
Hold the green onions until it comes out of the oven. They go limp if they sit on the casserole overnight.
What to Serve It With
This goes next to anything you would put a baked potato beside. Crockpot BBQ chicken and Mississippi pot roast are the two it shows up with most at our house.
For a holiday table it sits where the mashed potatoes would. Ham at Easter, turkey at Thanksgiving, and nobody misses the gravy boat.
Easy Variations
Ranch
A tablespoon of dry ranch seasoning mashed in with the salt and pepper. This is the version my son asks for.
Jalapeno
A quarter cup of diced pickled jalapenos stirred into the potatoes, and pepper jack in place of half the cheddar.
Ham
A cup of diced ham in place of the bacon makes this a good use for leftover holiday ham. Skip the bacon on top and just use cheese.
Leftovers, Reheating and Freezing
In the refrigerator
Leftovers keep covered for four days and reheat as well as any potato dish I make. A square in the microwave for ninety seconds is lunch.
Reheating a whole pan
Cover with foil and warm at 350 for twenty five minutes, then uncover for five so the top crisps again.
Freezing
Freeze the assembled, unbaked casserole in a foil pan, wrapped twice, for up to two months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and bake as written plus ten minutes.
Questions I Get About This Casserole
Can I use instant potatoes?
You can, but it will taste like instant potatoes with bacon in them. The baked russets are the whole reason this one is different.
Can I microwave the potatoes instead of baking?
Yes, if you are short on time. Six to eight minutes per potato, turning once. They mash the same, you just lose a little of the baked flavor in the skin.
Why is mine gluey?
The potatoes cooled before mashing, or they were overworked. Mash them hot and stop as soon as the big lumps are gone.
Can I halve it?
Yes. Three or four potatoes and half of everything else in an eight by eight pan. The second bake stays the same.
More Potato Sides My Family Fights Over
Loaded Cheesy Potato Casserole
Ingredients
- 6-8 large russet baking potatoes
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese
- 8 oz sour cream
- 12 pieces bacon cooked, chopped and crumbled
Instructions
- Set butter, sour cream and milk out on the countertop to worm up a bit
- Wash, scrub and poke holes in all of the russet potatoes
- Place potatoes on a baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes, or until you can get a butter knife through them
- While the potatoes are baking, cook bacon if you haven't already
- Remove potatoes from oven, turn oven down to 350 degrees
- Cut each potato into thirds or quarters, then mash as well as you can using a potato masher
- In a large mixing bowl, combine potatoes, butter, milk, seasonings, 1 cup cheddar cheese and half of bacon
- Stir well and place potato mixture into a sprayed 9x13 baking pan or dish
- Top the casserole with reserved bacon and additional shredded cheese
- Bake, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes. Top with sliced green onions and serve