Twice Baked Potato Casserole

Loaded with cheese and bacon this Twice Baked Potato Casserole recipe makes the ultimate side dish for Thanksgiving, Christmas or any special family meal!

This loaded potato casserole is a family favorite recipe at the holidays and all year around!

Twice Baked Potato Casserole Recipe

Baked potatoes with layers of bacon, cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese and sour cream is irresistible! All of these flavors together make one of our most popular casserole recipes on Pinterest.

Making a casserole in a 9 x 13 pan is so much easier than making individual Loaded Potatoes.

All of the bacon and cheesy goodness in this recipe make a creamy and delicious special treat. Once you get one bite you’ll need a plate full!

Just like our Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole, when this dish sits in the line up at a holiday meal or potluck you can expect to take home an empty pan.

We also love making this hearty side dish into an easy family meal idea by adding chicken.  Our Chicken and Twice Baked Potato Casserole is a family favorite!  Another version is our Crock Pot Twice Baked Potato Casserole which is nice for traveling, but I prefer the oven baking method!

Why This Potato Casserole Recipe Works:

• We eat with our eyes and this potato casserole just looks delicious!
• Potatoes alone are a bit bland, but become irresistible when bacon, cheese and sour cream are added.
• Leftovers freeze and reheat well.
• This is the type of recipe you bring to a gathering and people will ask for the recipe!
• Making a casserole is much faster than making individual potatoes and there’s so much less hassle.

A reader tipped me off to make this casserole low-carb by using cauliflower, so check out our Easy Low-Carb Loaded Cauliflower Casserole and our Crock Pot Loaded Cauliflower Casserole too!

Ingredients Needed

• Yukon Gold Potatoes – or your favorite spud to use making baked potatoes. 8 medium potatoes makes about 9 cups of cubes.
• Salt – Use some, but remember there’s also salt in the bacon, so don’t overdo it.
• Pepper – Great seasoning based on personal preference, we like to go light on pepper.
• Bacon – The ultimate casserole has freshly baked or fried bacon crumbled or chopped. If you need a shortcut pre-cooked bacon bits work okay too, just be sure to use quality bits.
• Sour Cream – Adds so much creaminess and helps blend all of the other deliciousness together.
• Cheddar Cheese – Adds color and flavor, we prefer sharp cheddar cheese.
• Mozzarella Cheese – Using at least two cheeses will give you more flavor dimension.
• Green Onions – Make the dish look more attractive and adds a little grassy, sweet flavor accent that is an improvement to the recipe.

How to Make This Loaded Potato Casserole

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.  Grease a 9 x 13 baking dish.
2. Cut warm baked potatoes into bite-size pieces.  Place half in baking dish.  Sprinkle with half of salt and pepper.
3. Layer half of bacon, sour cream and shredded cheese on potatoes
4. Repeat layers.
5. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and the entire dish is warm.
6. Sprinkle with onions and enjoy!

Recipe Tips and Tricks

• I love using Yukon gold potatoes with a thinner skin.
• Dairy products rule.  As a former dairy farming family, we’re a big fan of dairy products because they taste great and we know that we’re supporting other farm families like our own when we buy butter, cheese, sour cream and yogurt at any grocery store.
• Adjust your ratio of potatoes to yummy toppings based on your preferences.  We love a high ratio of dairy products in this casserole!
• Bake time is only 20 minutes as long as the potatoes are warm.  If using leftover baked potatoes in this recipe that are cold or room temperature bake time will be longer.
• We love our basic Pyrex baking dish with a lid.  We always hope there will be leftovers and the lid makes life so much easier!

Step-By-Step Instructions

Prepare baked potatoes. Once cool enough to handle chop tender potatoes into bite sized pieces and layer half in the bottom of a lightly greased 9x 13″ casserole dish.

These instructions start with WARM pieces of potatoes.

Spread a generous layer of half of the sour cream over the potatoes.

Sprinkle half of the shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheeses all the way to the edges of the dish. Top with half of the bacon.

Repeat all layers. Add remaining chunks of potatoes to the dish.

Sprinkle remaining cheese and bacon. I like the bacon to be on top and very visible. Seeing more bacon just makes things taste better!

Bake at 350°F until the cheese is melted. Sprinkle sliced green onions on top and serve warm.

Can This Casserole Be Made Ahead of Time?

This casserole can be made ahead of time, but keep in mind that it will take closer to an hour to reheat or warm through. I do prefer the taste of the casserole being freshly baked, but time constraints can be a challenge and prepping ahead can help.

Cover with foil to prevent the dish from drying out since it will be in the oven longer.

Be careful not to put a cold dish in hot oven.

Allow the dish to come to room temperature for about 30 – 60 minutes. Or set the cold dish in the cold oven while it preheats. The temperature of the ingredients doesn’t change as much as the temp of the dish before baking.

Bake covered with foil for about 30 minutes and then uncovered for an additional 15 minutes.

Use a digital thermometer to determine if the center of the dish is done cooking. This potato casserole with sour cream is cooked through when it has reached a temp of 140°F.

Other Easy Potato Casserole Recipes from the Farm

• Loaded Smashed Potato Casserole
• Red Potato Ranch Casserole
• Crock Pot Loaded Red Potatoes
• Easy Cheesy Potatoes in the Crock Pot
• Easy Creamy Mashed Potatoes
• Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes

We hope you enjoy these potato recipes as much as we do!

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Featured on this Meal Plan Monday

Originally published on October 8, 2018 with updates made on November 12, 2022 and September 6, 2023.