Everything you love about twice baked potatoes in an easy to make casserole! This Twice Baked Potato Casserole is filled with delicious creamy mashed potatoes, cheese and lots of bacon.
Make for everyday family dinners or holiday meals.
Loaded potato casserole
If you're a potato lover, this is a casserole for you! It has everything that you love about twice baked potatoes in an easy to make form. It also has everything you love about a loaded baked potato with plenty of cheese, bacon, and sour cream mixed right into the potatoes.
This twice baked potato casserole has everything that I love about mashed potatoes along with all the great toppings of a baked potato.
Twice baked potatoes are a really fun and delicious side dish, but they can be a bit labor-intensive. This casserole takes away all the fussiness of traditional twice baked potatoes without sacrificing any of the flavors!
These are perfect for family dinners or for large celebrations. This recipe can easily be doubled or even tripled! Just make certain you use a larger dish to bake it all in.
One of my favorite things about these potatoes, is they are easy to make ahead of time and then bake just before dinner.
Key ingredients
- Potatoes - Russet potatoes work best in this casserole. However, you could also use Yukon gold potatoes. I used 4 medium-sized potatoes which weighed about 2 pounds altogether.
- Butter - Use room-temperature salted butter. It's best to cut the butter into small cubes.
- Sour Cream - Adds all that creamy goodness to the potatoes
- Milk - I use 2% or whole milk. You can use any milk you have on hand.
- Cheese - I use shredded cheddar cheese. You could also use a blend of cheddar and Monterey Jack.
- Bacon - Adds so much flavor. Bacon is added to the potato mixture and the casserole is topped with a bit of extra bacon. If you're wanting a vegetarian dish, just omit the bacon.
- Green Onions - Adds a bit of freshness and texture to the potatoes. The green onions are added to the potato mixture and then topped with a bit more when the potatoes come out of the oven.
How to make twice baked potato casserole
- Wash and scrub potatoes and then rub a bit of oil on the outside of the potato so all areas are covered
- Poke potatoes 3-4 times with a fork. This helps prevent the potatoes from splitting or even exploding in the oven while baking!
- Place on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated 400°F oven for 45-55 minutes until potatoes are fully cooked
- Allow potatoes to cool until they are cool enough to handle. Slice potatoes in half and scoop out the potato into a bowl. Save skin from one potato.
- Mash potatoes with a potato masher
- Add butter and sour cream and mash into potatoes
- Stir in milk, about half at a time using enough to make the potatoes creamy. You might not need all the milk, or you may need to add a bit more.
- Set aside ½ cup of cheese, a few tablespoons of bacon, and a few tablespoons of the green onion for the topping. Fold in the remaining cheese, bacon, green onions, and salt and pepper.
- Taste and add additional salt and pepper, if needed
- Place mixture in a greased baking dish
- Top with remaining cheese and bacon
- Bake in a 375°F oven for 25-30 minutes until heated through
- Top with remaining green onions and freshly chopped parsley
- Serve hot
Recipe tips
- Make certain the potatoes are fully cooked. Test by gently squeezing the potatoes in the center. If they squeeze easily, they are done.
- Allow the potatoes to cool enough to handle
- Save the skin from one of the potatoes to add to the casserole. It adds some great baked potato flavor.
- The amount of milk added will vary slightly each time. You want nice creamy potatoes, so add a bit more if needed.
- Don't over-stir the potatoes or they can become gummy. Just fold in the ingredients until combined.
Make ahead directions
This is a great casserole to make ahead of time and then baked when needed. You can prepare up to two days ahead of time.
- Prepare the casserole up to the baking step
- Cover with foil and store in the refrigerator
- Remove from refrigerator while the oven is preheating
- Bake with foil for the first 15 minutes
- Remove foil and continue baking until heated through 30-35 minutes
Frequently asked questions
Cover and refrigerate any leftover casserole and store it in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
To reheat a single serving of the leftovers, place it in a microwave-safe dish and heat for 1-2 minutes until heated through.
Yes, this is an easy dish to double so you can serve a larger group. Be certain to use a larger sized casserole dish.
Serving suggestions
This baked potato casserole is perfect with almost any main dish. Some of our favorites include:
More delicious potato recipes
- Roasted fingerling potatoes
- Crispy smashed potatoes
- Grilled baby potatoes
- Country potatoes
- Twice baked sweet potatoes
- Mashed red potatoes
- Scalloped potatoes
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment below and snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @beyondthechickencoop
Check out all my delicious side dish recipes!
Twice Baked Potato Casserole Recipe
Equipment
- Cookie Sheet
- Potato Masher
Ingredients
- 4 medium sized russet potatoes (about 2 pounds)
- 1 tablespoon oil (vegetable or canola)
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup butter (salted butter)
- ½ cup milk
- 6 slices bacon (chopped and fully cooked)
- 2 cups cheddar cheese (shredded, about 4 ounces)
- 4 green onions (sliced)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 2 teaspoons fresh parsley (chopped, optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F
- Wash and scrub potatoes with cool water. Rub a bit of oil on the outside of the potato so all areas are covered.4 medium sized russet potatoes, 1 tablespoon oil
- Poke each potato 3-4 times with a fork. Place on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated 400°F oven for 45-55 minutes until potatoes are fully cooked
- Allow potatoes to cool until they are cool enough to handle. Slice potatoes in half and scoop out the potato into a bowl. Save skin from one potato.
- Mash potatoes with a potato masher
- Add butter and sour cream and mash it into potatoes.½ cup sour cream, ¼ cup butter
- Stir in milk, about half at a time using enough to make the potatoes creamy. Add additional milk if needed. The amount does vary each time depending on your potatoes and don't hesitate to adjust the amount of milk. You want the potatoes nice and creamy, not dry or too wet.½ cup milk
- Set aside ½ cup of cheese, a few tablespoons of the bacon, and a few tablespoons of the green onion for the topping. Fold in the remaining cheese, bacon, green onions, and salt and pepper.6 slices bacon, 2 cups cheddar cheese, 4 green onions, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper
- Finely chop the reserved potato skin and add to mixture.
- Taste and add additional salt and pepper, if needed.
- Place mixture in a greased baking dish.
- Top with remaining cheese and bacon.
- Bake uncovered in a 375°F oven for 25-30 minutes until heated through
- Top with remaining green onions and freshly chopped parsley2 teaspoons fresh parsley
- Serve hot.
Notes
- Make certain the potatoes are fully cooked. Test by gently squeezing the potatoes in the center. If they squeeze easily, they are done.
- Allow the potatoes to cool enough to handle
- Save the skin from one of the potatoes to add to the casserole. It adds some great baked potato flavor. I like to finely chop mine.
- The amount of milk added will vary each time. You want nice creamy potatoes, so add a bit more if needed.
- For a richer potato casserole, use half-and-half cream instead of the milk.
- Don't over-stir the potatoes or they can become gummy. Just fold in the ingredients until combined.
- Prepare the casserole up to the baking step
- Cover with foil and store in the refrigerator
- Remove from refrigerator while the oven is preheating
- Bake with foil for the first 15 minutes
- Remove foil and continue baking until heated through 30-35 minutes
Nutritional Disclaimer:
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and should only be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. To obtain the most precise nutritional information in a provided recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the exact ingredients you are using when preparing the recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Valentina says
This is the epitome of comfort food. Well, my comfort food anyway. Melting cheese, potatoes + bacon . . . YUM! 🙂 ~Valentina
Kathy says
A perfect combination!
David @ Spiced says
Haha - we're definitely channeling the same comfort food thoughts recently, Kathy! This version looks fantastic, and I'm pretty sure I could eat it any meal of the day. Merry Christmas, my friend!
Kathy says
It's definitely a popular dish! Merry Christmas to you too!
Caroline says
This looks yummy! Thanks for all the delicious recipes this year Kathy…sending best wishes for a merry Christmas to you and yours from England ❤️
Kathy says
Thank you so much! I'm glad you've been enjoying all the recipes! 🙂 Merry Christmas to you too!