Loaded Potato Casserole or other Side for 20?

Creamed spinach and onions is a good green side.

I make stuffed potatoes and sometimes just do it in a casserole if I don’t feel like dealing with the potato skins. Dont’t have a recipe, but I’ll give you an estimate.

Another alternative is a large pan of steakhouse potatoes au gratin. It’s probably easier...tons of good recipes online. I recommend grating the cheese vs the bagged cheese. That will make the biggest difference.

12- 15 large baking potatoes
1 - 1.5 sticks of melted butter
3/4 jar of cheez whiz...gives it a good texture
1 pint sour cream
Real cooked bacon pieces. About 8 thick slices
1 bunch chopped green onion
Salt & pepper.
Grated sharp cheddar to put on top.
Possibly some milk if you need to thin it out.

I make what I call a "Twice Baked Potato Casserole" that everybody seems to really like.

I'll peel and cut up potatoes in like size pieces, boil them until fork tender then strain and mash them into fairly small pieces.

While the potatoes are cooking, I'll cut up and cook the following:

Several strips bacon cut in 1/4 inch increments across the strips
1 large onion diced
1 Bell Pepper diced
3 ribs celery diced
1 8 oz. pack fresh mushrooms sliced
4-5 cloves garlic minced
Green onions diced and to taste
Parsley minced and to taste
Sour cream
1 stick butter
Shredded Cheddar Cheese or cheese of your liking
Salt and pepper to taste

In a big enough pan to accommodate all the above:

Brown off bacon pieces and put aside to cool, then add the onions, bell pepper, celery and start cooking that until wilted, then add garlic and mushrooms. Cook that down for a couple more minutes and add green onions and parsley---cook for a couple more minutes and shut it all down.

Once the potatoes are finished cooking to fork tender and drained, put in a large bowl and mash while adding butter and sour cream to them. When they are done being mashed to your liking, add all the vegetables and bacon bits and mix well.

At the same time, add some of the cheese to blend in the casserole. Check for salt and pepper and season to taste.

In a casserole dish, grease it well and add the potato mixture to it and top with a nice layer of cheese. Bake in a 350 degree oven until the cheese lightly browns, remove and serve.

ETA: You can make this well ahead of time and refrigerate until needed. Just be sure to let it cool well and cover the top with either parchment paper or saran wrap before putting on the foil so it doesn't stick to the cheese top layer.

If you want to save a bunch of time buy 4 of these;




add 16 oz of:



1 lb of shredded:



1 bundle of chopped;



mix together in a mixing bowl w/ black pepper and spoon into a baking dish. top with more shredded cheese and top w/ 12 crispy crumbled bacon strips. cover with foil and bake in over at 350 for 35-45 minutes.



comes out a little looser than this b/c it doesn't have cream cheese in it but everyone loves it.

We use the frozen shredded hash browns for that. The wife makes it great. She dices yellow onions and sautés it in butter. Then she adds sour cream, cream of chicken soup, shredded Colby Jack cheese, and mixes it all in with the frozen potatoes. Usually makes it the day before and lets it sit in the fridge until we bake it. Sometimes we do toppings, like crushed Ritz or Corn Flakes. Sometimes we'll add chopped cooked bacon or sausage to it, but that's more for breakfast casserole. The base is always the same, just change what meat/toppings you want.

quote:

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TU Rob: We use the frozen shredded hash browns for that.

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Yep... A bag of shredded hash browns, with a can of cream of mushroom soup, cup of sour cream, shredded cheddar, sautéed onions, and cooked bacon pieces.

Top with cheese and bake 45 minutes or until cheese is melted and lightly browned.

Add sliced green onions & more bacon bits on top just before serving. Leave a bowl of sour cream on the side for guests to add if they wish.

Quick, easy and effecitve...