Parmesan Garlic Twice Baked Potato Casserole

Byjfletcher November 15, 2018September 28, 2024

Parmesan Garlic Twice Baked Potato Casserole takes some of the work out of mashed potatoes but adds so much creamy, cheesy flavor. The result? Comfort food at its finest made with ease. There is no need to peel the potatoes or cut them to boil them, just clean the baked potatoes and mash with cream, butter, garlic and Parmesan cheese. This easy twice baked potato casserole recipe is a hit for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Recipe originally written November 4, 2016. Updated on November 15, 2018.

I love potatoes. Really love them. All kinds of potatoes. Baked potatoes, potato skins, french fries. But mashed potatoes and twice baked potatoes are another level for me. Like allllll the way up here. But even better than good ole mashies? This parmesan garlic twice baked potato casserole.

I swear, these are the holy grail of potato goodness. Cheesy, flavorful, creamy, and totally perfect.

Now I can’t take all the credit for this idea. No, my grandma should get some of the credit. When I was growing up, my grandma made stuffed potatoes, which were her version of twice baked potatoes. She used to make them for me at least once a week. Because I loved them, and she loved feeding me.

I remember being a very little girl, probably not much older than Goose is now, and watching her make the stuffing for the potatoes. Because she was old school, she never wrote anything down. She made them totally based on taste and texture. That suited me just fine though because I got to be the official taste tester. She would hand me spoonfuls of the creamy potato filling and ask what they needed. More salt? More pepper? Milk? Butter? Cheese?

I took my job as taste tester very seriously, but they always needed more cheese. Always. And after she added more of the good grated Parmesan cheese to satisfy me, she’d whip them once more with a mixer and then give me the beater to lick.

This parmesan garlic twice baked potato casserole is a nod to her and those amazing stuffed potatoes. These are every bit as good as those stuffed potatoes and as traditional mashed potatoes but so much easier to make. There’s no potato peeling like there is with mashed potatoes, and there’s no stuffing the filling back into potato skins the way my grandma used to. At one point in time, I would have gladly stuffed the filling back in, but these days post Goose, I am all about shortcuts and time savers. Layering all the filling in a casserole dish and topping it with more cheese and butter seemed like a great alternative to me. Her method of doing by taste still works for me. I urge you, if you are going to make this recipe, to taste along the way and make adjustments as you go.

Tips for Making the Perfect Parmesan Garlic Twice Baked Potato Casserole

Use Idaho (aka Russet Potatoes or baking potatoes) or Yukon Gold potatoes for best results. Idaho potatoes have a higher starch content so they will be nice and fluffy when you mash them. Yukon Golds are more buttery.
Taste, taste, taste! You’ll notice I didn’t include a salt and pepper measurement. I find that because potato sizes vary you’ll need a little more seasoning sometimes. Sometimes you might need more liquid or more butter. Sometimes, you’ll be able to tell by looking at it, but mostly you’ll want to go by taste and mouthfeel.
Take the chill off your half and half or cream. Let it come to room temperature before adding it or at the very least warm it up for a few seconds prior to adding it to the potatoes. Adding cold liquid to the potatoes will increase the need for mixing.
Do not over mix. Over mixing your potatoes will make the texture sort of gluey. Just don’t do it.
If you want to make these for a holiday dinner and cut down on your prep, you can either bake your potatoes ahead of time (just warm them in the oven for a few minutes before you assemble the casserole) or you can use wrap the potatoes in plastic wrap and bake them in the microwave.

Looking for other Thanksgiving recipes? Try these: