Filling and comforting, this Thanksgiving Casserole makes a perfect no-fuss side dish for a holiday meal. Simple ingredients – incredible taste!
You’ll be surprised how fluffy, creamy, and tasty this Potato Casserole is. The secret here is to bake the potatoes first, shred them, and then mix in minced onion, cheese, sour cream, and herbs. Bake this goodness until a golden crust forms and you won’t be able to stop eating.
This Twice Baked Potato Casserole has a special place on our Thanksgiving table, and I hope you’ll give it a try, friends. And you definitely don’t have to wait until Thanksgiving! I say, bake the potatoes today, so you’ll have them ready to go when you make this casserole tomorrow.
What’s Special About this Baked Potato Casserole
I absolutely love this dish for several reasons:
- It’s very fluffy. Because we are using shredded baked potatoes (not mashed), the casserole has a lighter texture.
- It’s cheesy. A generous amount of cheese is mixed right into the potato mixture.
- It’s creamy. Sour cream brings a lot of flavor and makes this casserole creamy.
- It’s tasty. The addition of minced onion and fresh herbs brings a lot of flavors to the dish.
- It’s filling. Perfect comfort food, you guys!
Main Ingredients
Potatoes. I usually use Russet potatoes for this dish, but I think any potato should work fine.
Cheese. Gruyere, Cheddar, Gouda, and even Mozzarella can be used in this recipe. Choose the cheese you love most.
Sour Cream. This ingredient is very important, so no substitutions here.
Minced Onion. Minced onion softens while the casserole is baking and you can hardly tell it was used. It brings extra flavor and texture to the dish. However, if you do not like using onion, you can use chopped scallions instead or skip it altogether. Another option is to sauté the onion before adding it to the dish.
Fresh Herbs. I used a combination of fresh parsley and dill. You can skip one of them, if preferred.
Salt and Pepper.
How to Make Twice Baked Potato Casserole
1. Wash the potatoes thoroughly, wipe dry, place on a baking tray, and bake at 425ºF for about 1 hour (or until cooked through), turning once. Cool completely.
2. Peel the potatoes and shred them. Place them into a large mixing bowl.
3. Add the minced onion, fresh herbs, salt, and pepper. Mix it gently, using two forks.
4. Now add the cheese and the sour cream, and mix gently again.
5. Transfer the potato mixture to a 9-inch square pan or 2-quart casserole dish.
6. Bake in a preheated 425ºF oven for about 30-35 minutes.
About Aluminum Foil
I know many of you may be wondering why I do not wrap the potatoes in aluminum foil when I bake them. The answer is simple – you don’t need the foil to bake a potato. Some people believe doing so might save time, but it’s not true. When you wrap the potato in foil, you end up with softer skin (the foil traps moisture), but in this recipe, we are going to peel the skin off anyway, so it’s better to bake the potatoes without the foil.
Learn more: Why I Do Not Recommend Baking Potatoes In Aluminum Foil
How to Bake Potatoes
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Clean the potatoes thoroughly and pat them dry.
Prick the potatoes in a few places with a knife or fork.
Bake the potatoes directly on the oven rack, or you can place them on a baking sheet. Bake the potatoes for about 60 minutes, depending on size. Flip them over in 30 minutes or so. Check them for doneness by piercing them with a knife. Potatoes are done when the skins are dry and the insides feels completely soft when pierced.
Learn more: 14 tips for the best baked potatoes
The trick to Making a Perfect Potato Casserole
When mixing other ingredients with shredded potatoes, it is important to do it gently, preferably with the help of two forks. The goal is to keep the potatoes light and fluffy, and not to turn them into a puree.
How to Store and Reheat
Store this Potato Casserole refrigerated and wrapped with saran wrap or Beeswax Food Wrap (that’s what I use) for up to 4 days. When ready to enjoy, you can reheat it on the stovetop or place it in the oven for about 5-7 minutes (350°F).
More Tasty Potato Recipes
If you’ve tried this recipe or any other recipe on Cooktoria, don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you take some photos of it, share them with me on Pinterest. I check every single one!
Video Tutorial
Twice Baked Potato Casserole
Ingredients
- 4 large potatoes (about 2 lbs.)
- 1 small onion, minced
- 1 tsp. salt or to taste
- 1 tsp. pepper or to taste
- 1/4 cup chopped dill
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
- 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese or your favorite kind
- 1 1/2 cup sour cream
Instructions
- Wash the potatoes thoroughly, wipe dry, place on a baking tray, and bake at 425ºF for about 1 hour (or until cooked through), turning once. Cool completely.
- Peel the potatoes and shred them. Place them into a large mixing bowl.
- Add the minced onion, fresh herbs, salt, and pepper. Mix it gently, using two forks.
- Now add the cheese and the sour cream, and mix gently again.
- Transfer the potato mixture to a 9-inch square pan or 2-quart casserole dish.
- Bake in a preheated 425ºF oven for about 30-35 minutes.
I would love to know if you’ve tried this recipe with frozen, shredded hash browns instead when in a pinch for time. Thanks!
Hi Jill! I have never tried the frozen hash browns, so I can’t advise here. If you do try it this way, I would love to hear how it turned out!