American
Loaded Potato Casserole
Sliced potatoes bake with cheddar, a little bacon, scallions, and sour cream. It is a side that can be dinner if the portions are honest.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 45 min
- Total
- 1 hr 5 min
- Servings
- 6
- Difficulty
- Easy
Why you’ll love it
- Potatoes are the meal.
- Bacon is four slices, not a pile.
- Sour cream keeps the slices from baking dry.
- It rests so you can cut it.
Ingredients
Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.
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Instructions
- 1
Heat the oven to 375°F. Cook the bacon in a skillet until crisp. Leave 1 tbsp of the fat in the pan.
- 2
Toss the potatoes with the bacon fat, salt, and pepper.
- 3
Layer the potatoes, most of the cheddar, and most of the scallions in a greased 9-by-13-inch dish. Scatter the bacon through the layers.
- 4
Stir the sour cream and milk. Pour it over the potatoes.
- 5
Cover and bake 35 minutes. Uncover, add the rest of the cheddar, and bake 10 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and the top is browned.
- 6
Rest 10 minutes. Finish with the remaining scallions.
Pro tips
- Thin slices bake through. A mandoline or a sharp knife both work.
- Covering the first stretch keeps the top from drying before the center is soft.
- Resting stops the casserole from sliding apart.
Easy substitutions
- Bacon
- Skip it for a vegetarian bake and toss the potatoes with 1 tbsp olive oil
- Sour cream
- Plain Greek yogurt
- Cheddar
- Colby
Storage and reheating
Storage
Refrigerate up to 3 days.
Reheating
Warm covered at 325°F until hot.
Nutrition
Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.
- Calories
- 380
- Protein
- 14 g
- Carbs
- 32 g
- Fat
- 22 g
- Fiber
- 3 g
Moderate · Oven
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From the kitchen
Kitchen tools we love
Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.
A heavy 12-inch skillet
Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.
An air fryer with a real basket
The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.
A half-sheet pan
Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.
A sharp chef’s knife
These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.
A large cutting board
Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.
Dry cups and a liquid cup
Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.
An instant-read thermometer
Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.
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