Name: Twice Baked Mashed Potatoes
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 75 min
Ingredients: 3 lbs Russet Potatoes (6 medium potatoes); 1/2 cup Butter; 1 bunch Green Onions; 4 cloves Garlic (minced); 2 cups Milk; 4 ounces Cream Cheese (room temperature); 8 ounces Cheddar Cheese (2 cups); 2 eggs

These twice baked mashed potatoes go from stovetop to a cheesy, golden-topped casserole, made with sharp cheddar, cream cheese, and green onions, no canned soup involved. Assemble it up to two days ahead and refrigerate until you’re ready to bake, which makes it an easy one to bring to a potluck or holiday table. Active time is about 30 minutes, plus 45 minutes in the oven.

A spoon full of baked mashed potatoes in a casserole dish. — *This recipe serves 10 as written, and it’s easy to cut in half if you don’t need a full 9×13 dish for your table.*

The Mashed Potatoes That Actually Travel Well

If your idea of mashed potatoes is a pot you mash right before everyone sits down, hoping it stays warm long enough to make it around the table, this one works differently. The potatoes get boiled and mashed on the stovetop first, then a couple of eggs get stirred in before everything goes into the oven, and that’s what gives it enough structure to hold its shape and reheat evenly instead of turning watery the way leftover mashed potatoes usually do.

That structure is also what makes it travel well, you can carry the whole dish to a potluck or holiday dinner without it sloshing around or going cold on the way. It holds up well next to a heavier main, alongside a bacon wrapped pork tenderloin with a jam and mustard glaze or a batch of slow cooker baby back ribs with sweet Southern barbecue sauce. This is the pan that comes home from a potluck already scraped clean

A Casserole Because Everything in the South Eventually Becomes One

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My husband grew up on mashed potatoes. They were his dad’s favorite, and no Thanksgiving table in that family was complete without a big bowl of them. The trouble was always logistics: mashed potatoes need a free burner and a hot bowl right as everything else is coming together, and on a day when the oven and stovetop are already full, that’s not always available. In the South, we have a habit of turning almost anything into a casserole, so I did the same thing here, kept the flavor his dad loved and moved it into the oven instead of fighting for space on the stove.

A twice baked mashed potato casserole next to serving spoons.

Why Cream Cheese Won Over Sour Cream

The first time I made this, I used sour cream instead of cream cheese, and it came out too thin, more like loose mashed potatoes than something that holds its shape when you scoop it. Cream cheese fixed that. It has enough body to hold everything together, and it adds a richness to the dish. Once I made that switch, this became the version I make when I want mashed potatoes in casserole form.

The Recipe I Make When I’m Asked to Bring the Potatoes

If you’ve ever been the one assigned potatoes for a holiday dinner or a potluck, you know it’s not exactly an obvious task, plain mashed potatoes are fine but nobody’s asking for the recipe. This one is different. The garlic and green onions give it more flavor than traditional mashed potatoes without turning it into something fussy, and it’s the version I reach for anytime someone hands me that assignment. If you get asked to bring a main dish instead, my hamburger potato casserole made without canned soup or ham and potato casserole with diced ham and colby cheese follow the same idea.

A Few Things That Keep This From Turning Grainy or Runny

Let the mashed potatoes cool for a few minutes before stirring in the eggs. Adding them while the potatoes are still very hot can scramble the eggs instead of binding the mixture.
Use freshly grated sharp cheddar rather than the pre-shredded bagged kind. Bagged shredded cheese is coated to prevent clumping, and that coating keeps it from melting as smoothly into the potatoes.
Go by color, not just the clock. Depending on your oven, it can take closer to 50 minutes for the top to turn deep golden brown all the way across.
This freezes well too. Let it cool completely, wrap it tightly, and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw it in the fridge overnight before baking as usual.
Want a different potato side instead? My creamy scalloped potatoes made with Yukon Golds and gruyere is a good alternative direction.

A serving of baked mashed potatoes being taken out of a casserole dish.

Simple Ingredients, Loaded Baked Potato Flavor

Ingredients for mashed potato casserole.

Russet potatoes: these mash smoother and hold their structure better than other varieties once baked. Yukon gold works as a second choice, but the texture will be a little less thick.
Cream cheese: let it sit out until it’s room temperature before mixing it in. Cold cream cheese won’t fully combine with the hot potatoes, and you’ll end up with small lumps instead of an even, creamy texture.
Milk: warm it slightly before adding, either on the stove or in the microwave for a few seconds. Warm milk absorbs into the potatoes more evenly than cold milk straight from the fridge.

How to Make Twice Baked Mashed Potato Casserole

Step 1: Prepare

Peel and cut potatoes into chunks. Boil until a fork will go into them easily.

Potato chunks on a cutting board. — Try to keep the potato chunks about the same size so they cook evenly.

Step 2: Add some flavor

Cook the garlic and green onion in a skillet until softened.

Green onions and garlic with butter in a skillet. — Green onions are more mild than other onions and won’t overpower the potatoes.

Step 3: Mash potatoes

Drain and mash the potatoes with a potato masher and add the green onions and garlic.

Potatoes being mashed with a potato masher in a bowl. — A potato masher works great, but if you want silky smooth potatoes, use a ricer.

Pro Tip: As with mashed potatoes, it’s better not to use a mixer to make the potatoes creamy. If you don’t want any lumps use a potato ricer. Since these potatoes have onions and garlic, I like them a little lumpy so I use a potato masher.

Step 4: Get cheesy

While the potatoes are still hot, mix in cream cheese, some cheddar cheese, and the milk and eggs.

Cheese, butter and cream added to mashed potatoes — Cream cheese and cheddar makes them creamy.

Add the eggs last so the potatoes will be a little cool and won’t curdle the eggs. Your mixture will be slightly lumpy.

Mashed potatoes with eggs added in a bowl. — Eggs give them some structure.

A bowl of mashed potatoes before being baked. — They’ll be thick and a little lumpy.

Step 5: Bake

Add it to a casserole dish, top with some more cheese, and bake until the cheese is golden brown, about 45 minutes.

Cheese on top of the mashed potato mixture before baking. — Add a little more cheese to the top.

Variations

Add more toppings – Add crispy bacon or parmesan cheese after the casserole is done baking.
Leave out garlic and onions – If you’re not a fan of garlic cloves or green onions, feel free to omit them.
Try mascarpone instead of cream cheese, it’s a little less tangy.

This mashed potato casserole is proof that an old family favorite can still show up on a full holiday table without needing last-minute attention, real comfort food built to hold its own next to everything else you’re making.

If you loved this recipe, give it a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating! Also, snap a picture of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #butterandbaggage and tagging me @butterandbaggage.