What happens when you take one of the best comfort foods, potatoes, and combine them into a casserole, the most comforting way to cook? Sheer happiness on a fork.
If you or your family needs a little pick-me-up in the form of comfort food, it’s hard to beat a potato-based casserole. When you pull that bubbling dish from the oven, there’s some sort of magic that happens, and everyone feels a little bit better. When you need a casserole of pure comfort, try these potato recipes.
Twice Baked Potato Casserole
Twice baked potatoes are delicious, but the whole stuffing process is tedious. Streamline it into a casserole with this recipe which includes plenty of bacon, green onions, sour cream, and cheese.
Recipe: Spend With Pennies
Million Dollar Potato Casserole
This casserole side dish is fancy enough for when company’s coming over, but easy enough to make on a weeknight, too. Cream cheese, ricotta, and cream of chicken soup ensure that it’s super creamy, and the crushed Ritz crackers on top are extra buttery.
Recipe: Southern Living
Hamburger Potato Casserole
This main course casserole is interesting because it lines the baking dish with sliced potatoes, forming a sort of crust that browns and crisps as it bakes. The ground beef and corn filling is hearty and a real crowd-pleaser.
Recipe: Taste of Home
Incredible Potato Casserole
Known by many names, including cheesy potatoes and funeral potatoes, this casserole is an absolute classic for good reason. It’s cheap, it’s easy, and everyone loves it. Unlike many recipes, this one uses fresh, whole potatoes instead of frozen ones.
Recipe: AllRecipes
Dad’s Creamy and Cheesy Au Gratin Potatoes
If you only know potatoes au gratin from a box, prepare to be impressed with the real thing. This is a deluxe, extra cheesy version of the recipe, complete with parmesan and gruyere cheeses for sharp and nutty flavor.
Recipe: Ambitious Kitchen
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Scalloped Potatoes and Ham
Scalloped potatoes and ham is one of our favorite ways to use up leftover ham and turn it into another full meal. It includes chicken broth in addition to milk so it’s not too heavy, and lots of garlic gives the whole thing a boost.
Recipe: Well Plated by Erin
Grandma’s Hash Brown Casserole
If you’re looking for a simple potato side that will feed a crowd at a potluck or holiday, this is your recipe. Because it uses a bag of frozen hash brown potatoes, it’s easy to throw together. Don’t skip the cornflake topping because it’s the best part!
Recipe: AllRecipes
Sweet Potato Casserole
Of course we have to include sweet potatoes on this list, and we figure, why not have sweet potato casserole more often than once a year, right? This version is flavored with a little vanilla, then topped with a pecan and brown sugar streusel for crunch.
Recipe: Tastes Better From Scratch
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Hasselback Potato Gratin
If your family fights over the browned, crispy edges of a casserole, you’ll love this recipe. Instead of laying sliced potatoes flat, you stack them all on edge like one big, ridged snake. The result is perfectly browned potatoes everywhere, all in a creamy, luxurious sauce.
Recipe: Serious Eats
Copycat Cracker Barrel Hash Brown Casserole
That hash brown casserole at Cracker Barrel is to die for, and now you can make it at home. It’s pretty similar to a lot of these recipes — CB is known for home-style cooking, after all — but the key is using colby cheese, not cheddar.
Recipe: Spend With Pennies
Bacon, Potato, and Egg Casserole
Potato casseroles aren’t just for dinner. Now that egg prices are finally dropping to more reasonable levels, this bacon, pepper, potato, and egg casserole can return to the menu. Plus, you can make it a day ahead of time, then just bake it for an easy morning.
Recipe: Two Peas and Their Pod
Tater Tot Casserole
Tater tot casserole (also known as hotdish in parts of the upper Midwest) is a classic dinner in a 9-by-13-inch pan. Lean ground beef is spiced up with garlic and worcestershire, then mixed with cream of mushroom soup and green beans. A layer of frozen tater tots makes a no-fuss crust on top.
Recipe: Mom on Timeout
Cheesy Baked Mashed Potatoes
If you want to fancy up your daily mashed potatoes into something even better, turn them into this casserole. After mashing the potatoes with half-and-half, garlic, and cream cheese, you mix in lots of sharp cheddar and bake it.
Recipe: Southern Living
Shepherd’s Pie
Shepherd’s pie is the quintessential mashed potato-topped casserole. Rosemary and thyme flavor the ground beef (or lamb!) filling in this recipe. It’s mixed with frozen veggies, then topped with a thick layer parmesan mashed potatoes and baked until bubbly and brown.
Recipe: The Wholesome Dish
Duo Tater Bake
Can’t decide between russets and sweet potatoes? Why not make both, then bake them in the same casserole dish like this recipe. Both potatoes are mashed and seasoned with chive and onion cream cheese, then layered in the dish for a pretty presentation.
Recipe: Taste of Home
Buffalo Chicken and Potato Casserole
This casserole is great for a family that loves spicy food, and though there’s a few steps, it’s very streamlined. Mix diced potatoes into hot sauce and other seasonings, then put in the casserole dish. While they’re roasting marinate chicken breast in the leftover hot sauce before baking it all together with a cheesy topping.
Recipe: The Girl Who Ate Everything
Sweet Potato Gratin
The hint of sugar from sweet potatoes is great in a gratin. This is a simple recipe with sliced sweet potatoes layered with dairy, thyme, and parmesan. Gouda gives it a wonderful nuttiness, but you can substitute with something like gruyere or Swiss if you can’t find it.
Recipe: What’s Gaby Cooking
Potato and Leek Gratin
Leeks and potatoes are an amazing combination, and this dish is easy enough for a weeknight but beautiful enough for a special occasion. Just arrange the sliced potatoes with chunks of leeks in your pan, and pour seasoned heavy cream over the top. Breadcrumbs and gruyere make a wonderful topping.
Recipe: Smitten Kitchen
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