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Sit back, relax, and enjoy a heaping serving of this flavor packed Loaded Baked Potato Casserole! Tender baked potatoes are made delicious with ingredients like cream cheese, butter, bacon, and plenty of cheddar cheese. This indulgent dish is perfect as a side dish, but don’t worry – it can double as an entree, too!
Each bite of this baked potato casserole is better than the last. You know those dishes that are so good, you keep telling yourself “just one more bite” about twenty times before you finally stop? Yeah, this is one of those! I mean, with ingredients like crispy bacon and cheddar cheese, it’s not hard to see why this casserole is so addictive.
Potatoes are always a weakness of mine, and probably 90% of the reason why I’ll never adhere to a strict low-carb diet. And when it comes to soft, pillowy potatoes that are mixed in a creamy concoction then baked with cheddar cheese on top? Swoon. Positively swoon. I usually bake this casserole as a side dish, but I find myself reheating the leftovers for lunch, breakfast, etc. It’s so good!
This casserole is also wonderfully easy to make with simple ingredients, so I’d absolutely label it as hassle-free. The prep time is only about 15 minutes, and while it bakes, the intoxicating smell is sure to get everyone in your house excited for dinner. If you’re looking for the perfect entree to serve it with, try my favorite Instant Pot Turkey Breast or Herbed Maple Dijon Glazed Pork Tenderloin.
Ingredients
- Potatoes – Russet potatoes work best for this easy recipe.
- Cream cheese – Leave the cream cheese on the counter for about 30 minutes to let soften.
- Sour cream – Low fat or regular will both work just fine.
- Butter – Unsalted is best, and it needs to be melted.
- Paprika – I use regular paprika, but smoked works too!
- Salt – Omit this if you use salted butter.
- Pepper – Fresh cracked black pepper has the best flavor.
- Cheddar cheese – It may seem like a hassle, but grating the cheese yourself straight from the block will give you the BEST results.
- Bacon – Pork bacon is what I use, but turkey also can get the job done.
- Green onions – Rinse and slice them!
Can I make the top of this casserole browned?
To give the melted cheese a slight browned taste and color, just set the oven to broil at the end of the cook time. Broil the casserole for just a minute or two, keeping an eye on it the whole time to make sure it doesn’t burn. When the top being to bubble and brown, you’re good to go!
How long will loaded baked potato casserole stay fresh?
In an airtight container in the fridge, this casserole will stay fresh for up to 5 days. Reheat your leftovers in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring every time the microwave stops for best results.
Hot potato, hot potato!
Loaded Baked Potato Casserole
Equipment
Ingredients
- 5 russet potatoes, about 2 ½ pounds, peeled and cut into one-inch pieces
- 4 ounces (113 g) cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup (230 g) sour cream
- 2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter, melted
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 cups (226 g) freshly shredded cheddar cheese, divided
- 6 slices bacon, cooked until crisp
- ¼ cup (25 g) sliced green onions
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 °F (191 °C)
- Boil six cups of water over high heat then add potatoes and cook for about 5 minutes or until slightly tender.
- In the meantime, beat the cream cheese in a large bowl until smooth then add the sour cream, butter, paprika, salt and pepper and stir until combined.
- Add 1 cup of the cheese, the bacon and onions to the mix and stir to combine.
- Once the potatoes are cooked, drain them, add them to the sour cream mixture and stir to combine.
- Add the potato mixture to a 9 by 13-inch baking pan and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the cheese is fully melted.
- Serve with additional bacon crumbles and freshly chopped green onions for garnish if desired.
Followed recipe to a T . Must be baked an extra 5-10 minutes. It had wonderful flavor
But it seemed kind of dry to me .