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My mom has been making this cheesy potato casserole for decades, and I begged her to let me share the recipe! It’s a perfect side dish for just about any occasion. Rich and creamy, I always request it at all our family get-togethers!
Before You Get Started
- Don’t buy a bag of already-shredded cheese for your casserole! That cheese is fine for, like, tacos or sprinkled over salads. For making a melty cheese sauce, though, you’ll get much better results if you shred your own cheese from a block. Packaged shredded cheese has starches added to keep it from clumping in the bag. Those starches change the flavor a little, though, and make the melted cheese grainy or gritty.
How to Make This Recipe
See recipe card below for full list of measurements, ingredients, and instructions.
Boil and Grate the Potatoes.
Boil the potatoes in well-salted water until you can easily pierce them with a fork. Don’t overdo it, though. If the fork glides right through the potato or breaks it apart, they’re too soft to use for this casserole. After you’ve boiled them, drain the potatoes and then chill them in the fridge to make them easier to grate.
Make the Cheesy Cream Sauce.
Heat milk, cheese, and butter together over low heat until the cheese is completely melted, stirring as you go to combine the trio into a single mixture. When the cheese mixture is ready, add the onions, the sour cream, the salt, and the pepper, stirring everything together until you’ve got a mostly-smooth, creamy sauce.
Make and bake.
Combine the grated potatoes and the cream sauce, folding the two components together just until the potatoes are incorporated evenly, then spread the casserole mixture out evenly across the baking dish. Sprinkle a little paprika on top and then pop the casserole into the oven for 45 minutes or until the sauce is bubbly and the top is lightly browned.
What I Love About This Recipe
- I won’t pretend there’s not a healthy dose of nostalgia behind my unfettered love for this cheesy potato casserole, but I can honestly say that, even decades later, this recipe holds up! No, really. It’s genuinely delicious. Tender red potatoes slathered with a creamy mixture of melted cheese, sour cream, milk, and onion, with a little paprika to finish it off.
- This is such an easy dish to make, which is great for holiday cooking. With a menu full of involved recipes – multi-step pies, roasted meats that need constant babying, rolls you have to time just right – I’m always happy when I can work in something that needs very little effort.
- Cheesy potato casserole isn’t just for the holidays. No, no. Potatoes and cheese go with just about everything, so you can serve this one up with any entrée you like!
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