Loaded Twice Baked Potato Casserole
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This twice baked potato casserole is a holiday dish, and it’s built for a crowd. Four pounds of potatoes fill a 9×13 to the edges and feed 12, so it belongs on a Thanksgiving table or at a Christmas potluck. For two to four people it’s honestly too much food.
My daughter liked it so much she shared it with a friend, and her friend made it that same day from a phone image of my development notes. Those notes were scribbled over and hard to read, and she still had everything she needed already in the kitchen. That told me two things. The method holds up even when the instructions are a mess, and nothing on this ingredient list needs a special trip to the store.
How It Comes Together
Think of this as my crispy loaded potato skins turned into a side dish. It’s the same bacon and cheddar, scooped from a 9×13 instead of picked up by hand. The potatoes are boiled, not baked, like most versions of this casserole. The twice baked part is the loaded filling going back into the oven, giving the flavor of twice baked potatoes.
Start the potatoes in cold water and bring them up to a boil together. A cold start cooks the chunks evenly, so the outsides don’t fall apart before the centers are done. From cold, they take about 30 minutes to go fork-tender.
Drain them over a big bowl, not the sink. You’re going to want that cooking water.
Save the cooking water and use it. Add the butter, sour cream, cream cheese, and seasonings to the hot potatoes, then mash, adding the potato water ½ cup at a time until they’re smooth. Potatoes are starchy, and that water loosens the mash without any milk.
Fold in half the cheddar with most of the bacon and green onions, spread it in the dish, and top it with the remaining cheddar, bacon, and green onions. Bake until the cheese is melted and bubbling and the whole casserole has lifted up in the dish, about 25 to 30 minutes. Let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes before you scoop it. Check the printable recipe card below for the full ingredient list, measurements, and step-by-step instructions.
Ingredient Notes
Russet potatoes. Use whatever potato you like for mashed potatoes. Russets are what I used. I peel mine, but that’s a texture call. If you don’t mind the peel, leave it on.
Salted butter. The recipe card calls for salted butter. I’ve also tested it with unsalted, in which case, I salt to taste. Either way, taste once the bacon and cheddar are folded in, since they bring salt of their own.
Cream cheese. Let it soften on the counter first so it blends in without lumps.
Sharp cheddar. Any cheddar works here. Split it evenly: 1 cup goes into the potatoes and 1 cup goes on top.
Onion powder or fresh onion. The card uses onion powder. I’ve also tested it with 1 small onion, minced, in place of the powder, stirred in raw. It cooks through in the oven.
Other baked potato toppings. Anything you’d pile on a baked potato can go in this casserole. Pickled jalapeños, chopped steamed broccoli, or crispy fried onions on top all fit.
What I’ve Learned Making This
- The casserole rises a lot while it bakes. The bubbles push it up toward the rim, so set the dish on a rimmed baking sheet to catch anything that spills over.
- It settles back down into the dish as it rests. Those 5 to 10 minutes on the counter firm it up and let the cheese hold together when you scoop.
- Four pounds is a lot of potato to mash by hand, so I use a stick blender, but be careful with it. If you skimp on the water, you’ll blend longer and they still won’t get smooth. They just stretch like bread dough, and once they go gluey there’s no going back. Keep adding the cooking water as you blend, and stop the second they look smooth.
- The broil is optional, about 2 minutes to brown the top. Watch it so the bacon and green onions don’t burn. It’s also a quick way to bring the top back up if the casserole has been sitting out.
Serving and Storing
Scoop it loose, straight from the dish, with a little fresh parsley over the top. On my holiday table it goes out with a pan of bread machine dinner rolls, and on a night without turkey it works next to a copycat Ruth’s Chris stuffed chicken. For the rest of the menu, browse my Thanksgiving recipes and fill out your table with comfort food classics. Start with a green bean casserole with cream of mushroom soup and end on a pan of old-fashioned fudge.
Leftovers last 4 days in the fridge. I reheat them under foil at 350°F until they’re hot through, and a single serving reheats in the microwave too.
It freezes well. I froze a portion of my test batch, and once it was thawed and reheated at 350°F, it tasted just like the fresh casserole with nothing off about the texture. Thaw it overnight in the fridge before it goes back in the oven.
Twice Baked Potato Casserole with Bacon and Cheddar
Ingredients
- 4 pounds russet potatoes peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
- 1 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup salted butter cut into pieces
- 1 cup sour cream
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese divided
- 8 slices bacon cooked and crumbled, divided
- ¼ cup sliced green onions divided
- chopped fresh parsley for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a broiler-safe 9×13-inch baking dish with butter or nonstick cooking spray, since many glass baking dishes are not made to go under a broiler.
- Put the potatoes in a large pot and cover them with cold water. Bring the water to a boil, then simmer until the potatoes are fork-tender, about 30 minutes from the cold start.
- Set a colander over a large bowl and drain the potatoes, saving all the cooking water. Return the potatoes to the pot.
- Add the butter, sour cream, cream cheese, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper. Mash with a potato masher, adding the reserved cooking water ½ cup at a time, until the potatoes are smooth. If you use a stick blender instead, blend in short pulses and stop as soon as they’re smooth.
- Fold in 1 cup of the cheddar, 6 slices of the crumbled bacon, and 3 tablespoons of the green onions. Taste and add more salt if needed.
- Spread the potato mixture evenly in the baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup cheddar over the top, then the remaining bacon and the remaining 1 tablespoon green onions.
- Set the dish on a rimmed baking sheet and bake uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbling and the casserole has puffed up in the dish.
- Optional: move an oven rack about 6 inches below the broiler and broil for 2 to 3 minutes, until the cheese browns in spots. Watch closely so the bacon and green onions don’t burn.
- Let the casserole rest for 5 to 10 minutes so it settles and holds together when scooped. Sprinkle with parsley, if using, and serve.
Notes
- With a stick blender, keep the cooking water coming as you go. Potatoes that are too dry take longer to smooth out and turn gluey.
- Peeling is optional. Skin-on potatoes give the mash a more rustic texture.
- A small minced onion, stirred in raw, can stand in for the onion powder.
