Two dinnertime staples turned into one – it’s a mash-up!
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Who doesn’t like a mash-up? When two of your favorite songs come together and make an even better combination with matching time signatures? We all love it when classics get a little mix-up, so why not explore that in this marriage of two all-time dinner staples! Fusing delicious mashed potatoes with the casserole dish made for an interesting and unique twist on two favorites we at FoodFaithFitness are calling mashed potato casserole (though, potato mash-erole might still be in the running).
This mashed potato casserole recipe is going to scratch that craving you have for savory, indulgent mashed potatoes while being as easy to make as any oven casserole! That absolutely sublime bacon flavor in every bite will have you feeling the groove of these two icon dinner dishes melted into one with gooey cheese and the fluffiest potatoes. Couple this casserole with any light, crisp, or refreshing pallet accomplice and you’re in for yet another perfect pairing.
Is Mashed Potato Casserole Healthy?
Potatoes are a high-carb vegetable which would typically put them in the lower tiers of vegetables to eat when pursuing healthy options. Add cheese and bacon and you get a scrumptious combination that, unfortunately, doesn’t fit into any diet (but, boy does it taste good!)
If you’re wanting to enjoy mashed potato casserole but have certain dietary restrictions, consider store-bought substitutions! Vegan cheese is in almost any supermarket now and melts just as deliciously! Bacon substitutes are perfectly suitable for our recipe (did you know that bacon bits, despite their namesake, are actually made of soy? – that makes them vegan, too!). And if the carbs are your concern, keto-friendly options include butternut squash and other starchy, yet low-carbohydrate gourds!
Aren’t Casseroles kind of passé?
A casserole is typically a one-dish all-inclusive meal meant to make dinner easier to make in busier times! The popularity of the dish (like many dishes, actually) propagated around the turn of World War food shortages and nation-wide economic depressions. Casseroles, then, offered families a way to get their nutritional needs in a single dish where people could feed more mouths with fewer ingredients. As a result, the casserole might seem a bit old-fashioned culturally speaking.
However, nothing fits into the vibe of the busy lifestyles of our modern era quite like the casserole! In an age where one-pot meals and “easy” becomes the focus of food, casserole recipes have been making a comeback to help busy people get the goodness they need in a single, convenient dish. Just bake and serve!
INGREDIENTS
- 3 lb Russet potatoes peeled and cut into chunks
- 1 tbsp kosher salt for boiling potatoes
- 1 1/3 cups whole milk divided
- 5 tbsp unsalted butter cubed
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 tsp kosher salt or to taste
- 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese freshly shredded
- 1 cup cheddar cheese freshly shredded
- 6 oz bacon chopped
- 1/4 cup green onions finely sliced
INSTRUCTIONS
Prep
Preheat the oven and prepare your baking dish.
Boil
Cook the potatoes with salt until they’re soft enough to mash.
Crisp
Sizzle the bacon to perfection and set aside.
Mash
Drain potatoes and mash with milk and butter until creamy.
Mix
Blend in sour cream, additional milk, and salt for extra creaminess.
Combine
Stir in the cheeses, bacon, and green onions into the mash.
Assemble
Layer the potato mixture in the dish and top with more cheese and bacon.
Bake
Heat until the cheese is deliciously melted and golden.
Serve
Garnish with extra green onions if desired and enjoy your masterpiece.
Devour!
FAQs & Tips
Casserole famously stores well, typically in the thick dish it was cooked in. Use that same dish to heat it right back up to temp! You want to make sure your cheese is melty and your ingredients are heated thoroughly – just make sure you’re not over-cooking your casserole!
Never fear, if you’re using a vegan cheese substitute for some of the ingredients in our mashed potato casserole then you have nothing to worry about in regards to lactose-intolerant dietary restrictions; however, if you’re not going full-vegan, there are lactose-free dairy cheeses you can use!
Many bacon substitutes are healthier than the real deal. Real bacon has a lot of fat that only goes into the dish you’re making with it; turkey bacon, however, has significantly less fat than pork bacon. Bacon bits get you to less fat and passes the vegan checklist if you’re looking to make our mashed potato casserole guilt-free!
Keto diets often avoid carbs wherever they can in favor of vegetable substitutes! In some situations, that means using cauliflower in place of grains like rice but, in this case, mashed potato casserole can be made with butternut squash and other soft-flesh gourds for their relatively low-carb substitution.
If you’re making casserole for yourself, you can still refrigerate and reheat our recipe as previously instructed; however, to portion your servings, I advise using small ramekins to store and heat your casserole into perfect meal-for-one dishes!
Serving Suggestions
To add a little color to your mashed potato casserole, you can always top it with some thinly chopped green onion ends or serve it alongside oven roasted vegetables for some nutritional fulfillment and flavorful aesthetic! If you’re looking to use the same oven but don’t have a lot of space, might I advise making oven roasted broccoli – it’s a side dish just as easily made in an air-fryer as it is right alongside your casserole! If you want something to round out the heavy-hitting savory flavors of mashed potato casserole, try coupling it with a crisp tomato-y beverage to cap the night with!
Mashed Potato Casserole
Ingredients
- 3 lb Russet potatoes peeled and cut into chunks
- 1 tbsp kosher salt for boiling potatoes
- 1 1/3 cups whole milk divided
- 5 tbsp unsalted butter cubed
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 tsp kosher salt or to taste
- 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese freshly shredded
- 1 cup cheddar cheese freshly shredded
- 6 oz bacon chopped
- 1/4 cup green onions finely sliced
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a casserole dish and set aside.
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Place the potato chunks in a large pot, cover with water, and add 1 tbsp of kosher salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer until potatoes are tender (about 15-20 minutes).
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While potatoes cook, heat a skillet over medium heat and cook the bacon until crispy. Drain on paper towels and set aside.
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Drain the potatoes and return them to the pot. Add 2/3 cup of milk and the butter. Mash until smooth and creamy.
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Stir in the sour cream, remaining milk, and 1 tsp of kosher salt into the mashed potatoes. Mix until well combined.
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Fold in half of the mozzarella and cheddar cheese, along with the cooked bacon and green onions, reserving some bacon for topping.
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Transfer the mashed potato mixture to the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle the remaining cheeses and bacon on top.
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Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes.
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DEVOUR!
Nutrition
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