Easy Cheesy Potato Casserole Recipe

Easy Cheesy Potato Casserole with Real Potatoes

Don’t have bacon but the holidays are over and you are looking for a new favorite leftover ham recipe? Well throw that in instead y’all! Rather use cream of mushroom soup vs. cream of chicken, do it!

We will give you the base for this Hamburger HotDish and from there you can create a WIDE variety of possibilities I tell you. Here’s what we’re going to start with….

Breakfast Potato Casserole Recipe

We made a version of these slow cooker cheesy potatoes but they were SO popular people wanted to make them in the oven too. Especially if you’re taking this to a potluck, it’s great to bring it mixed together, put foil on top, and bake it once you get there so it’s fresh.

Which potatoes are best to make a casserole?

• There are 7 potato categories in all but generally they fall into these two main groups:
• Starchy potatoes; i.e. russets and many sweet potatoes are great for baking and frying because they absorb the other flavors in the dish.
• Waxy potatoes; i.e. red and fingerling potatoes are great for soups and salads because they hold their shape so well when they’re cooked.

You see, there are SO many great and flavorful ingredients in this dish. You really want those diced Washington potatoes to soak up all the goodness so you can taste it in every bite.

Do you need to cook potatoes before making a casserole?

Yes, you’re going to want a pot to boil your potatoes as well as a pan to saute the others, a large bowl to mix ALL THE THINGS, and your baking dish. I used a 9×9 size but 9×13 inch size could be used too.

Potato Casserole Ingredients

1. Potatoes, I wouldn’t suggest grating them into shredded hash browns, diced is better. Small bite size pieces are best, boiled to al dente
2. Cream of chicken soup or the mushroom variety would be a fine substitute
3. Green onions are optional
4. Bacon bits precooked we loved but optional
5. 1/2 cup Sour cream or plain Greek yogurt works
6. Cheddar cheese or dairy free alternative
7. Salt and pepper are basic seasonings
8. Garlic powder and onion powder we love
9. Casserole dish of your choice

Can you make potato casserole with frozen hashbrowns?

You could if you chose the diced (not shredded) style. You would just saute quickly in a pan to thaw a bit and add from there instead of boiling fresh. We do this when making our Crockpot potato soup with frozen hash browns and it is an easy way to get things done.

How to Make Twice Baked Potato Casserole

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash, dry, and dice each one into 1″ pieces.
2. Boil diced potatoes until they’re al dente, drain, set aside.
3. Saute bacon, drain grease, add green onions and cook until softened.
4. In with that you can throw in your green onion and even a diced onion or chives would be great. You’ll want your meat to be done but not super crispy crunchy. You can see how ours looked right here so you have a good idea.
5. In a bowl combine condensed soup, sour cream, shredded cheese and all your seasonings.
6. Mix well.
7. Mix in 3/4 of bacon mixture and potatoes gently until they’re all coated well.
8. Spray casserole dish with non stick spray and put mixture inside.
9. Make sure it is same thickness across dish and sprinkle with remaining bacon mix.
10. If you want to add more cheese too on the top I would cover with foil, then remove the foil 10 minutes before it’s done so it can brown.
11. Bake for 30 – 40 minutes and serve as a main dinner or easy side dish!
    

Once all of that is done you’ll need to mix your ingredients, and gently incorporate your potatoes together. Remember, they are soft so in order to avoid them falling apart you’ll need to be careful (that is where the al dente in the first step comes in handy).

Can you make a casserole ahead of time?

You could easily put a piece of foil on top and let it sit for 20 minutes or more if you’re serving this during the holidays in this case. The ingredients will get softer but this is similar to au gratin style which are super soft so not an issue.

Other easy potato recipes you’ll love

It’s a great one to make during those times because it almost gets better as it sits! Soaking up all the cheesiness and seasonings, it will be a hit for sure. You can use these babies in a ton of other recipes but we really love air fryer potatoes and twice baked are great.

• If you want to make this in a slow cooker instead, make our Cheesy Hashbrown Potatoes Crockpot recipe instead.
• Make our air fryer sausage and potatoes some night with red potatoes for the win.
• Or go simple and just make Crockpot baked potatoes or twice baked potatoes for dinner!
• Then make our tater tot casserole with ground beef next!