Cheesy Potatoes with Real Potatoes

Cooking time: 1 20

These delicious cheesy potatoes are made from scratch with real potatoes. Sometimes called funeral potatoes, this classic potato casserole recipe is made the old-fashioned way without hashbrown potatoes or canned soup.

🥔Ingredients

Potatoes—usually Russets
Sour cream
Green onions
Cheddar cheese—sharp, shredded
Salt and pepper
Optional topping—crumbled cornflakes or potato chips

cheesy potato casserole on a white plate.

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🥔Ingredients
👨‍🍳How to Make Cheesy Potatoes with Real Potatoes-Step-by-Step
✔️Tips and variations to get it right every time
Other delicious potato recipes
Crock Pot Cheesy Potatoes
⬇️Making cheesy potatoes for two
How to make it ahead
When to serve cheesy potatoes
Storing leftovers
❓FAQs
📖 Recipe
Cheesy Potatoes with Real Potatoes

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Featured Comment from Suzanne :
"I loved this casserole! The taste is wonderful, but my favorite thing is the flexibility"

We have been baking cheesy potatoes for over 40 years. They are a great side dish for BBQ, steaks, or almost anything else using only simple ingredients. But it is required with our Easter ham, and no special family meal is complete without baked cheesy potatoes.

Sometimes called Funeral Potatoes or Crack Potatoes, think of this recipe as the original version of funeral potatoes, but much better.

By using raw potatoes that are cooked and then shredded, this potato casserole has an exceptional taste and texture that you will not get using frozen hash browns or condensed soup.

👨‍🍳How to Make Cheesy Potatoes with Real Potatoes-Step-by-Step

https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/crock-pot-cheesy-potatoes.

1. Start the boiling water and scrub the potatoes.

2. Cook until fork-tender—about 40 minutes. Then, cool in the refrigerator.

3. Clean and slice green onions

grating potatoes into large glass mixing bowl.

4. Peel the potatoes and shred the potatoes.

adding shredded cheese to mixing bowl with alll other ingredients.

5. Mix shredded potatoes with cheese, sour cream, shredded sharp cheddar cheese, green onions, salt, and black pepper.

moving raw potato casserole into baking dish.

6. Spray a larger baking pan with PAM and add the mixture.

7. Smooth the top. At this point, you can cook or cover and refrigerate for a day before cooking.

8. Bake until golden brown—about 35-40 minutes.

For more details, keep reading. See the Recipe Card below for complete instructions and to print.

✔️Tips and variations to get it right every time

A full recipe uses about 3 pounds of potatoes, but it is a casserole, so you don't need to be that exact. That is about 6 medium to large Russet potatoes, but any potatoes may be used.

You can skip the peeling the potatoes if you choose thin-skinned potatoes like Yukon gold.

Frozen potatoes are not recommended due to texture issues. It is just not the same, but they will work.

While I recommend sharp cheddar cheese, mild cheddar or Colby jack cheese are commonly used.

Adding bacon or ham is an excellent touch to make them "crack" potatoes.

We don't use a topping, but it is easy to top with corn flakes, crushed potato chips, or Ritz crackers with melted butter. Or try a topping of panko bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and melted butter.

Other delicious potato recipes

Not quite the potato recipe you wanted? Check out Crispy Smashed Potatoes, Roasted Baby Potatoes, Twice Baked Potatoes, or Old Fashion Scalloped Potatoes.

Crock Pot Cheesy Potatoes

Crock Pot Cheesy Potatoes with Real Potatoes are so easy and good. From scratch with real fresh potatoes, no frozen potatoes here. It is an excellent side dish for any meal.

⬇️Making cheesy potatoes for two

This recipe is easy to cut in half to make a two cheesy potato casserole (with leftovers). The full recipe makes about 8 servings, and a half recipe will make 4 large servings.

Use the recipe card and adjust the number of servings from 8 to 4.
Use the amount of ingredients in the ingredient list, not the instructions—those do not adjust.
A half recipe fits in a deep 8-inch round or a 6X9 baking dish.
It will cook a bit faster.

How to make it ahead

Easy to make ahead, cover tight, and refrigerate for up to 2 days. It can come from the refrigerator directly to the oven but may take a few more minutes to bake.

To freeze ahead, bake first, cool, double wrapping, and freeze for 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and reheat in the oven covered with foil.

When to serve cheesy potatoes

My wife has declared this part of her absolute favorite meal combined with BBQ Baked Beef Brisket. But this potato casserole is great for any casual dinner or large feast.

This potato casserole is excellent with Baked Turkey Breast, Seared and Baked Strip Steak, or Honey Glazed Ham.

Storing leftovers

Store leftovers refrigerated for up to 4 days. Or you can freeze for 3-4 months. Reheating the microwave or in the oven covered with aluminum foil.

❓FAQs

Can I use frozen potatoes for this recipe?

You can, but frozen hash browns will leave a texture that is not there with real potatoes. Once you try real potatoes, you will not go back.

Can I make cheesy potatoes for a low-carb or keto diet?

Yes, but with cauliflower to replace the potatoes. See Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole for the recipe and step-by-step instructions.

📖 Recipe

Cheesy Potatoes with Real Potatoes

From Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan

4.15 from 61 votes

Rating is now in the comments.

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 1 20

Total Time: 1 15

Servings #/Adjust if desired 8 serving

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Ingredients

US Customary - Convert to Metric

Instructions

Add enough water to cover the potatoes in a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat as you scrub the potatoes.
Scrub about 3 pounds of potatoes. I always use Russet, but others should do. A medium Russet is 7-8 oz. Poke each potato a few times with a fork. This will help them not break apart in the pot. They may still split some, but not as badly.
Add potatoes to the boiling water. Turn the heat down to low so the water doesn't boil all the way off, and cover. Cook until fork-tender. That is when you can stick them with a large fork, and it will go all the way through—about 40 minutes. Time may vary due to the potatoes.
Remove the potatoes from the water and place them in the refrigerator to cool for a couple of hours. Peel the potatoes.
After they have cooled, the skin comes off easily with scrapping. Shred the potatoes. Here I'm hand shredding, but a food processor would be fine.
Clean and slice six green onions. Add 2 cups sour cream, 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, and the green onions to the potatoes.
Mix well. Spray a larger baking pan with PAM and add the mixture. Smooth top. At this point, you can cook or cover and refrigerate for a day before cooking.
Preheat oven to 350° convection (375° conventional). Bake until golden brown—about 35-40 minutes. A little more if cold from the refrigerator or less if a half recipe or a thinner in the pan.

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Recipe Notes

Pro Tips

You can use the potatoes you want, but I suggest Russets. Scrap the skin off after cooling. If you use a potato with a thinner skin, you don’t need to peel it.
The exact amount of potatoes can vary a little—no need to weigh them.
A full recipe needs about 3 pounds of potatoes. One medium-large Russet is about 8 oz.
A full recipe fits in a 2 ½ quart casserole dish, a 9X13 dish, or a bit smaller.
A half recipe fits in a deep 8-inch round or a 6X9 dish. It will cook a bit faster. But I highly recommend making a full recipe for leftovers.
You can make this up and store refrigerated for about 2 days before cooking. You can also freeze after cooking for 3-4 months.
Done is when the top is nicely brown. Nothing in this casserole needs to reach a set temperature to be safe to eat.
Leftovers are good refrigerated for 3-4 days and frozen for 3 months.

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Some recipes have an option to display the photos here with a switch above these instructions but the photos DO NOT print. Otherwise step-by-step photos are in the post.

To adjust the recipe size:

You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.

Nutrition Estimate

Calories : 331 kcal (17%)Carbohydrates : 36 g (12%)Protein : 13 g (26%)Fat : 16 g (25%)Saturated Fat : 10 g (50%)Cholesterol : 50 mg (17%)Sodium : 517 mg (22%)Potassium : 884 mg (25%)Fiber : 2 g (8%)Sugar : 2 g (2%)Vitamin A : 561 IU (11%)Vitamin C : 12 mg (15%)Calcium : 313 mg (31%)Iron : 2 mg (11%)

Serving size is my estimate of a normal size unless stated otherwise. The number of servings per recipe is stated above. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.

Course : Potato

Cuisine : American

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Editor's Note: Originally published October 5, 2013. This recipe was in my top 10 recipes of 2013. I have repeated this dish hundreds of times. Please enjoy one of our favorite dishes. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.