Potatoes: one of the crucial filling budget-friendly meals on the market! This recipe for Mashed Potato Casserole will refill everyone’s vacation plate for pennies. Even higher, I could make this forward of time and pop it within the oven day-of to complete. It’s the right facet dish for after I need to maximize time spent with family members as a substitute of standing over a sizzling range all day. Topped with crumbled bacon, gooey cheese, and a handful of inexperienced onions, this simple casserole has develop into a brand new household favourite.
What’s Mashed Potato Casserole?
Mashed potato casserole is the finest technique to prep mashed potatoes forward of time. The potatoes are mashed and combined with onions, garlic, bitter cream, milk, and seasonings, then topped with a layer of cheese, inexperienced onions, and crispy bacon. It’s like our loaded potato soup however in casserole kind! My household loves the creamy potatoes with the salty bacon and melted cheese—it’s hearty, comforting, and a must-make this vacation season.
Right here’s what you’ll must make this tacky mashed potato casserole:
- Bacon: Cook dinner the bacon within the oven till crispy earlier than crumbling and topping your casserole! Vegetarian? Use your favourite veggie bacon substitute, or go away it out fully.
- Russet Potatoes: I normally attain for Russet or Yukon gold potatoes when making mashed potatoes. Each are high-starch potatoes, which suggests they’re nice for mashing and making the fluffiest, creamiest potatoes. I opted for Russet on this recipe as a result of they’re cheaper, however you should use no matter sort you like.
- Water: You want sufficient water to cowl the potatoes for boiling.
- Salted Butter: Use this to grease your baking dish and to make your potatoes further buttery and wealthy!
- Yellow Onion & Garlic: These aromatics add a scrumptious depth of taste to your casserole.
- Complete Milk: Helps make your potatoes creamy and easy. It’s additionally lighter and less expensive than heavy cream.
- Bitter Cream: Provides a delicate tangy taste and much more creaminess.
- Shredded Parmesan & Shredded Cheddar: If potential, shred your personal cheese slightly than shopping for pre-shredded. Pre-shredded cheeses typically embrace anti-caking brokers that may have an effect on the soften and texture of the cheese.
- Seasonings: I take advantage of salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, and chili flakes (elective), however be at liberty to regulate the seasonings to your liking. You’ll additionally want a little bit salt to season the water the potatoes boil in.
- Inexperienced Onions: Cube 2 inexperienced onions and sprinkle them on high after baking. They add to the ‘loaded’ taste on this casserole recipe and go nice with the bacon and cheese!
Find out how to Repair Gummy Potatoes
Mashed potatoes can get thick and gummy in the event that they’re overworked or if the surplus starch isn’t correctly eliminated. That’s why I like to recommend rinsing the diced potatoes twice (earlier than and after boiling) to clean away further starch. I’ve additionally famous within the recipe to not overmix the potatoes when mashing. But when, regardless of your finest efforts, your potatoes nonetheless prove gummy, don’t fear! Add 1 Tbsp of further butter at a time, stirring to mix, till you want the feel higher. 1 Tbsp of butter per pound of potatoes normally does the trick. You possibly can then assemble your mashed potatoes casserole as directed and bake!
I discussed earlier how this casserole may be made forward—it’s such a time saver! Assemble the casserole as directed, cowl it with plastic wrap, and retailer it within the fridge for as much as two days earlier than baking. Whenever you’re able to cook dinner, let it come to room temperature for about half-hour, take away the plastic wrap, after which bake as directed. Really easy!
Serving Strategies
Like our potato casserole (which is made with diced potatoes, not mashed), this simple casserole is a good facet for any event. It’s a lot simpler to maintain heat than conventional mashed potatoes, and the tacky topping stops it from drying out. It’s the right Christmas or Thanksgiving facet dish (don’t overlook the gravy!), however it additionally goes effectively with virtually any major! A saucy dish, like our rooster meatballs in cream sauce, can be an important pairing with steamed veggies and crusty bread.
Find out how to Retailer
Any leftovers may be stored within the fridge for 3-4 days. Both cowl the casserole dish or portion out particular person servings and retailer them in hermetic containers. This loaded mashed potato casserole is finest reheated within the oven (cowl with foil if the bacon and cheese are getting too crispy) however can be reheated within the microwave. Whilst you can freeze this casserole for 2-3 months, the bitter cream within the potatoes could separate a bit when thawed, so maintain that in thoughts.
Mashed Potato Casserole Recipe
Make this Mashed Potato Casserole forward of time for a budget-friendly vacation facet. It is loaded with bacon, cheese, bitter cream, and onions!
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- 6 strips bacon ($1.74)
- 3 lbs russet potatoes* ($1.95)
- water** ($0.00)
- ½ tsp salt ($0.01)
- 5 Tbsp salted butter (plus a little bit further to butter your casserole dish) ($1.25)
- ½ yellow onion, diced small ($0.47)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced ($0.09)
- ½ cup entire milk ($0.14)
- ¼ cup bitter cream ($0.31)
- ½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.05)
- ½ tsp smoked paprika ($0.08)
- salt, to style (I added about 1 tsp) ($0.01)
- ¼ tsp chili flakes (elective) ($0.06)
- ¼ cup shredded parmesan ($1.07)
- ½ cup shredded cheddar ($0.56)
- 2 inexperienced onions (about 2 Tbsp), diced ($0.15)
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Preheat your oven to 400ºF. Cook dinner bacon within the oven till crispy.
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As soon as cooked and crispy, drain your bacon on paper towels. Put aside for now.
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Peel potatoes and cube them into 1–2-inch cubes, rinse effectively.
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Put potatoes in giant pot, lined by 2 inches of water. Add ½ tsp salt.
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Boil till fork-tender (on the softer facet), about 15-20 minutes.
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Drain potatoes and rinse with heat water. Put aside. Rinse out potato pot briefly and provides it a fast wipe.
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Soften salted butter within the potato pot and add onion. Cook dinner till delicate and shiny.
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Add minced garlic and cook dinner for two minutes till aromatic.
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Add cooked potatoes again to pot with onions and garlic. Mash with potato masher till they’re the consistency you like, being cautious to not overmix to keep away from a gummy texture.
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Add entire milk, bitter cream, pepper, smoked paprika, salt (to style), and chili flakes (elective) and mix.
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Butter a 9×13” casserole dish. Switch potatoes to the buttered casserole dish and easy out with a spatula.
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High with shredded parmesan, shredded cheddar, and crumbled bacon.
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Bake in oven at 400ºF for 20 minutes lined with foil, then uncover for 10 minutes.
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Garnish with inexperienced onions and serve.
See how we calculate recipe prices right here.
**The quantity of water wanted will rely upon the scale of your pot. You want sufficient to cowl the potatoes by about 2 inches.
Serving: 1serving (about 1 cup)Energy: 180kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 5gFats: 10gSodium: 382mgFiber: 1g
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the right way to make Mashed Potato Casserole – step-by-step images
Preheat your oven to 400ºF. Cook dinner 6 strips bacon within the oven till crispy.
As soon as cooked and crispy, drain your bacon on paper towels. Put aside for now.
Peel 3 lbs russet potatoes and cube them into 1–2-inch cubes, rinse effectively.
Put potatoes in giant pot, lined by 2 inches of water. Add ½ tsp salt.
Boil till fork-tender (on the softer facet), about 15-20 minutes.
Drain potatoes and rinse with heat water. Put aside. Rinse out potato pot briefly and provides it a fast wipe.
Soften 5 Tbsp salted butter within the potato pot and add ½ a diced yellow onion. Cook dinner till delicate and shiny.
Add 3 cloves minced garlic and cook dinner for two minutes till aromatic.
Add cooked potatoes again to pot with onions and garlic. Mash with potato masher till they’re the consistency you like, being cautious to not overmix to keep away from a gummy texture.
Add ½ cup entire milk, ¼ cup bitter cream, ½ tsp pepper, ½ tsp smoked paprika, salt (to style), and ¼ tsp chili flakes (elective) and mix.
Butter a 9×13” casserole dish. Switch potatoes to the buttered casserole dish and easy out with a spatula.
High with ¼ cup shredded Parmesan, ½ cup shredded cheddar, and crumbled bacon.
Bake in oven at 400ºF for 20 minutes lined with foil, then uncover for 10 minutes.
Garnish with 2 diced inexperienced onions and serve. You’ll by no means look again when you do this make forward mashed potato casserole—it’s the final word consolation meals!
