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Creamy Potato Bake

November 18, 2020 by Jennifer @ Plowing Through Life Leave a Comment

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Begin with instant mashed potatoes and add a few simple ingredients to make this easy and delicious loaded Creamy Potato Bake recipe in the oven!

Dish and plate full of creamy mashed potato bake with a fork and red plaid napkin

Creamy Instant Mashed Potato Casserole

Save time and skip washing and peeling potatoes by using a package of instant potatoes as the base of the potato casserole. The best part of this recipe is that nobody will know these are instant potatoes that only take ten minutes to whip up!

These potatoes have enough flavor that you never wish you had gravy. It makes a great new potato side dish idea for holidays, special family meals or Sunday dinner.

If you’re making a smaller holiday meal this year it’s easy to use a smaller pack of instant mashed potatoes and reduce the ingredients accordingly.

Lighter than our Farmhouse Mashed Potatoes or Crock Pot Make Ahead Potatoes, but just as rich the typical tongue will have no idea you whipped this casserole up with instant potatoes.

Spoonful of loaded mashed potato casserole with instant potatoes

The cream cheese with onions and chives adds a flavor that’s similar to our Garlic Mashed Red Potatoes. Garlic could easily be added to this creamy potato make to feature that specific flavor. For a similar creamy feel, but with whole potatoes and more of a cheesy flavor try our Creamy Crock Pot Potatoes.

What Can I Add to Boxed Mashed Potatoes?

  • Whipped cream cheese with chives
  • Egg
  • Onions
  • Parsley
  • Butter
  • Smoked paprika

Tips for Making Creamy Potato Casserole

  • We prefer smoked paprika to incorporate more of the smoky flavor, but regular paprika works well too.
  • Regular, buttery or any fairly basic type of instant mashed potatoes work well.
  • Make the recipe with 6 servings of potatoes that are 1/2 cup each for a total of 3 cups of mashed potatoes.
  • Cheddar cheese and bacon bits can also be sprinkled on top or stirred in the mixture to make a loaded potato casserole.
  • Using a mini-food processor to finely chop the onion creates a fine and consistent texture that can be tricky to do by hand.
  • Sprinkle paprika as evenly as possible over the top of the casserole taking care to break up any clumps.
Baked mashed potato casserole with butter and paprika from loaded instant mashed potatoes

How to Make Creamy Potato Bake

Make instant mashed potatoes according to the directions on the package.

One caveat I prefer is to boil the water in a sauce pan and put the potatoes in the bottom of my mixing bowl. I pour the boiling water over the potatoes to save dirtying the saucepan.

Mix up the instant mashed potatoes.

Instant mashed potatoes in a mixing bowl

Mix in the whipped cream cheese with chives. This makes the potatoes lighter and so much richer.

Instant potatoes in mixing bowl with whipped cream cheese with chives added

Using an electric mixer really speeds up the process.

Add an egg, the parsley and finely chopped onion and mix well.

Eggs, chopped onions and parsley added into instant potato casserole

Spread into a 1 or 1/2 quart casserole dish.

Dot with butter. I typically use a butter knife to slice a few pats off and spread them out over top of the potatoes.

1 1/2 quart casserole dish of creamy potato bake with butter dotted on top

Then sprinkle with paprika. We prefer the smoked paprika best.

A dusting of paprika really gives the potatoes a rustic look and flavor.

Paprika sprinkled on top of instant mashed potato casserole

Bake in an oven that’s been preheated to 400°F for 20 to 30 minutes until the casserole browns a bit on top and bubbles on the sides. This gives the egg time to bake into the potatoes.

Serve warm with Oven Baked Pork Chops, Creamy Pork Chop Casserole or Pork and Sauerkraut Roll-ups. Another side dish that goes great with these potatoes are Bacon-Onion Green Beans.

Parsley sprinkled on top of creamy mashed potato bake

Other Easy Potato Recipes:

  • Citrus Glazed Sweet Potatoes are a classic on our Thanksgiving table and enjoyed throughout the year.
  • Sausage and Potato Skillet is a one-skillet meal that is hearty and satisfies.
  • Chicken would be great served over this creamy potato bake and it tastes great baked into this Chicken and Twice Baked Potato Casserole.
  • Cheesy Bacon Potato Casserole adjust a classic potato casserole recipe to make bacon the star of the show!
  • Air Fried Baby Potatoes are simple, but tender and perfectly complement so many meals.

Printable Creamy Potato Bake Recipe

Serving of instant mashed potato casserole on white plate with a fork

Creamy Potato Bake

Begin with instant mashed potatoes and add a few simple ingredients to make this easy and delicious loaded Creamy Potato Bake recipe in the oven!
Print Pin Rate
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Creamy Potato Bake
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 145kcal
Author: Jennifer @ Plowing Through Life

Ingredients

  • 6 ounces Instant mashed potatoes
  • 4 ounces Whipped cream cheese with chives
  • 1 egg beaten
  • 2 tablespoons onion finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon parsley
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

Instructions

  • Prepare potatoes according to the directions on the package.
  • Add cream cheese and beat well.
  • Stir in egg, onion, parlsey and blend well.
  • Pour into a greased 1 1/2 quart bakign dish and dot with pats of butter on top. Sprinkle paprika over the top and bake for 25 minutes at 400°F.

Notes

  • We prefer smoked paprika to incorporate more of the smoky flavor, but regular paprika works well too.
  • Regular, buttery or any fairly basic type of instant mashed potatoes work well.
  • Make the recipe with 6 servings of potatoes that are 1/2 cup each for a total of 3 cups of mashed potatoes.
  • Cheddar cheese and bacon bits can also be sprinkled on top or stirred in the mixture to make a loaded potato casserole.
  • Using a mini-food processor to finely chop the onion creates a fine and consistent texture that can be tricky to do by hand.

Equipment

Sauce Pan
Hand Mixer
Silicone Spatula

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Nutrition

Calories: 145kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 121mg | Potassium: 241mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 356IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Follow me@PlowingThroughLife and mention #PlowingThroughLife!

Filed Under: Easy Recipes, Farmhouse Favorites, Food & Recipes, Holiday Food, Side Dish Tagged With: casserole, potato, potluck

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Hi I’m Jennifer

I want to make life easier by creating simple dinner recipes for my family and yours. Read More…

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