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This Loaded Baked Potato Casserole is one of my favorite side dish recipes. It’s so easy to make and tastes amazing.
Potatoes make the best side dish and once you finish this one you have to try my other favorites like this Slow Cooker Cheesy Potato Casserole.
I love potatoes! They are easily one of my favorite foods and they make the best side dish recipe. This Loaded Baked Potato Casserole is one of my favorite side dishes. I serve it with my Grilled Chicken Breasts all the time!
How to make Loaded Baked Potato Casserole:
This Loaded Baked Potato Casserole is so delicious and simple to make.
I boil potatoes and mix them with sour cream and other ingredients to make it creamy and then bake it loaded with cheese and bacon.
Ingredient Notes:
- Russet Potatoes: This recipe will work with other potatoes that you like better.
- Butter: I used unsalted butter. If you use salted then just add less salt when seasoning.
- Cream Cheese
- Sour Cream
- Milk: I used 2% milk but whatever milk you have on hand will work.
- Seasoning: Garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
- Cheese: shredded cheddar cheese.
- Bacon: cooked and crumbled. Use my perfect Oven Baked Bacon recipe for directions on cooking bacon.
- Green Onions: diced.
Directions:
Step one: Preheat your oven and then prepare a 9×13 casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.
Step two: Wash, peel and dice the potatoes and place them in a large pot. Cover with water and boil until potatoes are tender.
Recipe Tip
To get a baked potato texture make sure to cut your potatoes into bigger chunks when boiling.
Step three: Drain your potatoes and gently place them back into your now empty pot. Gently fold in butter, cream cheese, sour cream, and milk.
Recipe Tip
Gently fold so you do not mash your potatoes when mixing.
Step four: Last gently add in garlic powder, salt, and pepper along with 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese and 1 cup bacon. Scoop this into your prepared casserole dish.
Step five: Top your potatoes with the remaining cheese and bacon. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
- Tip: To save time use real bacon pieces that you can buy from the store precooked.
Step six: Remove your casserole from the oven and top with green onions and serve.
Can I make this casserole ahead of time?
Yes, you can. Here are the different steps to take if you want to make it a day or two ahead or if you want to freeze it and make it at a later date.
Refrigerate: Follow the instructions until step 5, but do not bake it.
Place the cheese on top but before baking allow your potatoes to cool and then cover the casserole dish and place it in the fridge for 1 day then bake according to directions.
Freeze: Follow the instructions until step 5, but do not bake it. Place the cheese on top but before baking allow your potatoes to cool and then cover and place in the freezer.
Keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
When you are ready to bake the casserole remove from freezer and allow to thaw overnight. Then cook according to directions.
Here are a few of my favorite potato-based side dish recipes:
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Loaded Baked Potato Casserole
Ingredients
- 6 large russet potatoes
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 2/3 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and pepper , (to taste)
- 2 cups cheddar cheese, (shredded)
- 1 1/2 cup bacon, (cooked and crumbled)
- 1/4 cup green onions, (diced)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Prepare a 9×13 casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Wash, peel, dice, potatoes and place them in a large pot. Cover with water and boil until potatoes are tender.
- Drain your potatoes and gently place them back into your now empty pot. Gently fold on butter, cream cheese, sour cream, and milk.
- Last gently add in garlic powder, salt, and pepper along with 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese and 1 cup bacon. Pour this into your prepared casserole dish.
- Top your potatoes with the remaining cheese and bacon. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
- Remove your casserole from the oven and top with green onions and serve.
Omg this is wonderful! I’m making it agin tonight for my husbands birthday dinner!
How should I bake if I’m using premade mashed potatoes from the store?? Should I use same temp and time??
How much salt do you think you put in this? I’m always bad about under salting things! Lol
Just a couple of pinches. I love salt so probably 3 good pinches. Or 2 teaspoons
Can you use Yukon gold instead? Do you know pound wise what you would use versus the 6 russets?
You can use Yukon Gold if you prefer. They are typically a bit smaller than Russets, so I would go with maybe 8 potatoes. Poundage-wise I would say about 2.5ish.
Have you done this in a crock pot before?
It’s not on the blog yet, but yes you sure can! I would just put all the ingredients in and cook on high for around 6 hours.
This recipe is an extended family favorite. This year it has been requested at the lake for our Memorial Day dinner. This will be the first time I cook it in a crockpot but I know it will be as great as always.
Have a great memorial Day. And I hope the recipe goes over well!
Can you use some type of frozen potatoes?
Thx!
I’m making this for the first time. Is the 1 and a half cups of bacon typically a full package of bacon ?
It’s pretty close if you are going to cook your own and then chop it up. If you are using prepacked bacon bits, it’s close to 2 of the 4oz bags.
That’s what I do
Mine was missing the “baked” flavor, which I figured was because they were peeled prior to cooking, & baked potatoes are not peeled. The 2nd time I made them (a request from a favorite pre-schooler at church), I boiled smaller russets, in the skin, for 8-10 minutes, then peeled. I then chopped, & continued as directed!!! HUGE difference in reception by church group from 1st time. My 1st clue then, besides an overheard “something’s missing”, was when little Zachary said…”Mithuz K”, (his lisp is absolutely adorable!), “my mommy thaid that thith was *baked* potatoth, but they don’t taste right”. Since baked potatoes “with every thing” are his very best favorite “, next month I made with the skins on, and asked Zachary to be my official taste tester. To this day, he never fails to request it AND, since the pan always disappears first, he takes full credit for their popularity!!! Thanks for posting this recipe!
Thank you for sharing this story! Glad you found a way to enjoy them even more!
Yes my husband and I just made a double batch for tomorrow evening, my question is do we put the remaining cheese & bacon on before we cover and refrigerate? Thank you, Lydia
You can, or if you want to wait until you heat it up to eat it that would work as well.
This may be a silly question but under the “Refrigerate” instructions it’s says to refrigerate for 1 day before baking. Does it have to be refrigerated for that long or is a couple of hours ahead ok?
Hi Jennifer, you only need to refrigerate if you plan on making this recipe the day before. Under make-ahead potato casserole, I was giving instructions on how to do this ahead of time. For busy days like holidays I get a lot of questions about how to do that. No need to refrigerate if you plan on eating it the same day.
This sounds delicious. I am planning on making this for my husband. He has been doing alot of cooking since my surgery. He will be surprised to see me back in the kitchen again. With chicken, a veggie and salad a great dinner. Thanks for sharing. **
New to this recipe i am going to make it for our Pastor and his wife Sunday they have been with us for 20 years. I know it will be so good. 😊
I hope you enjoyed it!
Hey there:) The loaded Baked potato Casserole Turned out amazingly good! Thank you so much for the recipe! It takes potato’s too a whole new level of Delicious!❤️
I wondered how do you incorporate the cream cheese , butter and sour cream without mashing the potatoes or at least breaking them up?
Drain potatoes and put back in pot…everything is still so hot that when I put the other ingredients in the pot, the stuff melted, making it very easy to gently fold everything together. Then dump into your casserole dish and bake.
going to make it for super bowl tomorrow
Awesome Marty! I hope you and your guest enjoy it!