Twice Baked Potato Casserole
This Twice Baked Potato Casserole recipe is a perfect holiday side dish, but easy enough to make anytime. Smashed potatoes are mixed with cheese and bacon for a comforting and delicious casserole.
Mashed potatoes will always be my ultimate comfort food. If I’m sick or sad, mashed potatoes and gravy from scratch are what I want. If I’m healthy and happy, I still want mashed potatoes then, too. And then I want mashed potato cakes for brunch the next day, using the leftovers.
While I will always appreciate a big scoop of classic mashed potatoes, where’s the harm in adding even more good stuff to them?
How to make Twice Baked Potato Casserole:
While this recipe is admittedly very similar to my popular Loaded Mashed Potato Bake recipe, this Twice Baked Potato Casserole has a few key differences.
First, this recipe uses freshly cooked potatoes, while the earlier recipe is specifically made for leftover mashed potatoes (that you might have after Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner).
Additionally, this Twice Baked Potato Casserole leaves the skins on the potatoes. While this is optional, and you are completely welcome to peel your potatoes, I like leaving the skins on.
I enjoy the flavor of the skins, and the roughly mashed redskin potatoes have a rustic texture which I like.
This recipe is as simple as boiling redskin potatoes, roughly mashing them, and then stirring in all the goodies like cheese, bacon, butter and chives. Then put it all in a casserole dish and bake until bubbly! So easy.
The ingredients for this twice baked potato casserole recipe are easy to find:
- redskin potatoes
- bacon
- Colby Jack cheese
- chives
- cream cheese (also the secret ingredient in my slow cooker beef stroganoff)
- butter
- milk
- garlic powder
- salt and pepper
Can you make Twice Baked Potato Casserole ahead of time?
While the recipe is written to boil the potatoes and then immediately mash them and bake the casserole, you CAN still prepare this ahead of time.
I would prepare the recipe through the middle of Step 4, including putting the mixture in a casserole dish and sprinkling it with bacon and cheese.
Then, allow the casserole to fully cool if it’s still a little warm. Cover and refrigerate the casserole overnight or up to 3 days. While you’re at it, prep a batch of Crock Pot Green Bean Casserole.
To serve, allow the casserole to come to room temperature for 1 hour before proceeding with the rest of Step 4 (baking it). You may need to add 5 – 10 minutes to the baking time.
Can you freeze Twice Baked Potato Casserole?
This comes down to personal preference. Yes, you CAN freeze this casserole. But please be aware that the texture may change and the potatoes may become slightly watery.
If you’re OK with that, I would prepare the recipe through the middle of Step 4, including putting the mixture in a casserole dish and sprinkling it with bacon and cheese.
Then, allow the casserole to fully cool if it’s still a little warm. Tightly wrap and freeze the casserole for up to 2 months.
To serve, allow the casserole to thaw 24 – 48 hours in the refrigerator and then come to room temperature 1 hour before proceeding with the rest of Step 4 (baking it). You may need to add 15 to 20 minutes to the baking time.
Twice Baked Potato Casserole
This Twice Baked Potato Casserole recipe is a perfect holiday side dish, but easy enough to make anytime. Smashed potatoes are mixed with cheese and bacon for a comforting and delicious casserole.
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 pounds redskin potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1-inch pieces
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 3/4 pound oven baked bacon, chopped and divided
- 8 ounces Colby Jack cheese, shredded, divided
- 1/4 cup (about one 1/2 oz. package) chopped fresh chives, divided
- 8 ounces whipped cream cheese
- 6 tablespoons room temperature unsalted butter, cubed
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Place potatoes in large pot and add just enough cold salted water to cover. Heat to boiling over high heat and cook 15 to 20 minutes, or until potatoes are very tender.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray medium casserole dish with cooking spray. Reserve 2 tablespoons chopped bacon, 1/4 cup Colby Jack cheese and 1 tablespoon chives and set aside.
- When potatoes are tender, remove from heat. Drain well and return to pot; roughly mash with potato masher. Add cream cheese, butter, milk, garlic powder, salt, pepper and remaining bacon and Colby Jack cheese, and stir until well combined. Gently fold in remaining chives.
- Spread in even layer in baking dish. Sprinkle with reserved bacon and Colby Jack cheese. Transfer to oven and bake 30 minutes or until bubbly. Sprinkle with reserved chives and serve immediately.
Recommended Products
Foxes Love Lemons, LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and links to Amazon.com. There is no additional cost to you.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 598Total Fat: 43gSaturated Fat: 22gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 121mgSodium: 1129mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 3gSugar: 3gProtein: 26g
More delicious potato recipes:
- Blue Cheese Mashed Potatoes – these go great with steak!
- Loaded Baked Potato Pizza – these same flavors, in pizza form.
- Good Midwestern Potato Salad – my mom’s classic recipe.
- Aged Cheddar Mashed Potatoes – a sophisticated take on mashed potatoes.
- Thai Curry Potato Soup – perfect for a cold day!
- Caramelized Onion Mashed Potatoes from Crunchy Creamy Sweet
- Parmesan Rosemary Air Fryer Roasted Potatoes from No Plate Like Home
