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Easy Cheesy Potatoes are the best side dish! This easy casserole recipe is perfect for a potluck or holiday. Start with fresh potatoes for a semi-homemade cheesy potato casserole! Seriously, this is one of the best cheesy potato recipes I’ve had in a long time!

casserole layered with cheese in a white pan next to a wooden spoon


Cheesy Potatoes with REAL Potatoes

Several years ago I attended a potluck that had this fantastic cheesy potato casserole. It had chunks of potatoes and was creamy and cheesy and super flavorful. When I asked what it was called the host answered, “Funeral Potatoes” and I was confused. I mean…it was the middle of a summer barbecue and no one had died so the name was weird to me. Fast forward to today and Funeral Potatoes are a real thing. I guess the name stems from the fact that this easy casserole is perfect for a potluck or for bringing to a funeral because it serves a lot of people.

Most recipes call for frozen hash browns or frozen potatoes. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love me a frozen hash brown but I didn’t have any and I wanted cheesy potatoes ASAP. I did, however, have real potatoes in my pantry…so this easy casserole is a spin on the classic Funeral Potatoes: it’s made with fresh potatoes!

casserole layered with cheese in a white pan next to a wooden spoon

What’s in a Cheesy Potatoes recipe?

My Cheesy Potato Casserole is made with sour cream, cream cheese, condensed soup, and real potatoes. I also add a healthy dose of spices (onion and garlic) and lots and lots of cheddar cheese. It’s baked with even more cheddar cheese on top!

How do you make Cheesy Potato Casserole with real potatoes?

  • Dice your potatoes into small bite sized pieces. I chose to leave the skin on my potatoes because the skin is where all the healthy stuff is, plus I’m lazy. Peeling potatoes is so boring! BUT you can peel them if you prefer. Then slice and dice them into small cubes.
  • You must pre-cook your potatoes. This will ensure they’re done in the final dish. I’ve talked a little bit about par-boiling potatoes before, but it’s a simple step that makes the best potato recipes!
  • Once they’re cooked, drain them and then mix them with the other casserole ingredients. Top with cheese and bake until golden, bubbly, and cooked through.

How to Par-Cook Potatoes for Casseroles

Then, you have two choices to par-cook the potatoes for this casserole:

  1. Microwave: place the potatoes in a microwave-safe bowl with an inch of water. Cover with plastic wrap and cook for about 6 minutes on high.
  2. Boil: boil them on the stove in a pot of water (this will take longer because the water has to come to a boil first).

Either way, you want to make sure your potatoes are tender, but not so much that they fall off the fork. You’re not making mashed potatoes; since you’re going to bake them in the oven they’ll continue cooking. A fork should go into the potato easily but not fall off of it. That’s when they’re done.

casserole layered with cheese in a white pan next to a wooden spoon

FAQs

Do you use condensed soup in cheesy potato casserole?

I do in this recipe, yes. I used a cream of potato soup, but if you can’t find that you can use cream of chicken or cream of mushroom. Feel free to use low sodium and/or low fat versions. Same goes with the sour cream: low fat sour cream is fine in this recipe.

What kind of cheese do you use in cheesy potato casserole?

I used sharp cheddar cheese because I think the amount of spices and creaminess lends itself to a sharp cheese. You can use medium cheddar, if you prefer. Also, gruyere would be fabulous, as would white cheddar or a mix of your favorite cheeses. The recipe also calls for cream cheese, which amps up the creaminess!

How to Cheesy Potatoes:

I covered my pan with foil and baked for about 30 minutes. Then I uncovered it, sprinkled the rest of the cheese on top and baked until finished cooking, about 20-30 minutes more. Serve hot!

casserole layered with cheese in a white pan next to a wooden spoon

Cheesy Potatoes Casserole

5 from 5 votes
Cheesy Potatoes Casserole is the perfect side dish made with fresh potatoes and lots of cheese! This is the perfect potluck dish.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Yield 12 servings
Serving Size 1 serving

Ingredients
 

  • 2.5 pounds russet potatoes approximate
  • 8 ounces cream cheese softened
  • 1 10.5 ounce can cream of potato soup (or cream of chicken or cream of mushroom)
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • ¼ cup nonfat milk
  • ½ cup chopped green onions about 5
  • 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese sharp, if you have it
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Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.
  • If desired, peel potaotes. Dice potatoes into small bite sized squares. Place in a large microwave-safe bowl with about 1-inch of water. Cover with plastic wrap and cook on high power in microwave for about 6 minutes, or until potatoes are just starting to get fork tender. (They shouldn’t fall off the fork; they need to be a bit underdone since they’ll finish cooking in the oven.)
  • (If desired, you can boil the potatoes on the stove instead of using the microwave.)
  • Meanwhile, mix together the cream cheese, soup, spices, sour cream, and milk. Stir in the green onions and 2 cups of the shredded cheese.
  • When potatoes are finished par-cooking, drain them well then stir them into the soup mixture. Spread in prepared pan. Cover with foil
  • Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and add the remaining cheese. Cook until the potatoes are cooked through and cheese is melted and bubbling around the edges, about 20-25 minutes more.
  • Serve hot. Store leftovers in refrigerator.

Recipe Video

Recipe Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 293kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 60mg | Sodium: 452mg | Potassium: 485mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 665IU | Vitamin C: 5.5mg | Calcium: 262mg | Iron: 1.1mg
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American

Serving suggestions for these Cheesy Potatoes

Here are some great dishes that will go perfectly with this casserole recipe:

Tools for success:

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Easy Cheesy Potatoes Casserole is a twist on the classic Funeral Potatoes recipe. These are made with condensed soup and fresh potatoes! This easy casserole is a great side dish or perfect for a potluck.

Last Updated on November 3, 2023



Dorothy Kern

Welcome to Crazy for Crust, where I share recipes that are sometimes crazy, often with a crust, and always served with a slice of life.

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7 Comments

  1. Since I’m preparing this tonight, I skipped the bread crumbs, potatoes, and onion. I used oats in place of potatoes. I used ground meat, corn, and mushrooms in instead of onions. It tasted great. Haha 🤪

  2. The one I prepared last night was very simple and delicious. I used a whole barbecue chicken (chopped), 250 grams of cream cheese, one can of soup (420 grams), a variety of vegetables (including sun-dried tomatoes, a red chili, and cooked onions), and a couple of teaspoons of Italian seasoning, all of which I layered into individual dishes and covered with puff pastry. 30 minutes at 170 degrees Fahrenheit in the oven. It worked out well, and there’s enough for 4 hearty servings.

  3. I make a version of this once a month. My family loves them. I use O’BRIEN FROZEN diced POTATOES. They have onion and diced peppers already in them. I also by a ham slice and dice it up and add it in to make it a one pan meal.
    We also have use this on Holiday mornings with eggs for brunch. Preparing the night before ready to put in oven in morning.

    Jake, web dev https://casinority.com/nz/

  4. I made this last night and it was so very nice and easy. Being in Australia, the quantities and ingredients are a little different but I used a whole bbq chicken (chopped) 250g of cream cheese, 1 can of soup ( 420g) a lot of vegies, including sun dried tomatoes, a red chilli and cooked onions and a couple of teaspoons of italian seasoning and put it into individual dishes and covered with puff pastry. Baked 170° f.f for about 30 minutes. It turned out perfect and enough fo 4 big serves.
    https://run3mods.com/