Twice-baked potatoes are such classic comfort food. They appear at our table fairly often as the weather gets colder and colder, and I love that there are so many possibilities and different combinations to try when it comes to the fillings. But until now, it never occurred to me to turn them into a casserole.
With layers of tender red potatoes, sautéed red peppers and mushrooms, creamy Greek yogurt and melted cheddar cheese, this casserole is hard to resist. While the potatoes do take some time to cook initially, the dish is simple to pull together. It feeds a number of people as a side dish and reheats quite well, making it a fantastic make-ahead item for a potluck or gathering.
In the original recipe, the potatoes are layered with bacon and a hefty amount of sour cream and cheese. To lighten things up, we’ve swapped out the sour cream for Greek yogurt, along with reducing the amount, and cut back significantly on the cheese as well. But don’t worry! The final dish is still plenty comforting and cheesy! If you do prefer sour cream, you can absolutely still use that here.
In place of the bacon, we’ve added red bell pepper and baby bella mushrooms, which are sautéed with some garlic, cumin and smoked paprika. The paprika gives the veggies a touch of that smokiness that you typically find in bacon. The mushrooms also lend the dish a bit of meaty texture and bulk it up nicely.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds red potatoes pierced with fork (about 5 to 6 medium)
- 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium red bell pepper chopped
- 8 ounces baby bella mushrooms sliced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1 medium bunch green onions thinly sliced
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 ½ cups shredded mild cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Set the potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet, then mist lightly with olive oil spray. Bake for about 55 minutes to 1 hour, or until tender (if you insert a knife into a potato, it should glide easily into the center without any resistance). Remove the potatoes from the oven and let cool until you are able to handle them, then chop them into 1-inch chunks. Maintain the oven temperature.
- Meanwhile, add the olive oil to a large skillet set over medium heat. When hot, add in the pepper, mushrooms, garlic, paprika and cumin. Cook for about 5 to 7 minutes, until tender. Remove from the heat.
- Grease a 2 to 3 quart baking dish lightly with olive oil spray.
- Add half of the potato chunks to the bottom of the baking dish. Sprinkle with half of the salt and pepper. Top with half of the vegetable mixture, then a third of the green onions. Drop on half of the Greek yogurt in small dollops over the top, then sprinkle with half of the cheese. Top with the remaining half of the potatoes, the salt, pepper, vegetable mixture, another third of the green onions, the remaining half of the Greek yogurt and cheese.
- Return to the oven and bake for 20 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the dish is warmed through. Sprinkle with the remaining green onions before serving.
marcie says
These potatoes look mind-blowingly delicious! I've never thought to make a casserole out of them -- this needs to happen ASAP. 🙂
Ashley Jennings says
Thanks Marcie!!
annie says
Potato casserole for days! What a comfy recipe for chilly weather.
And so much yes to using Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. Boyz (aka my husband) never know the difference unless the see the package.
Ashley Jennings says
Thanks Annie! Mine is the same way - he never knows unless I tell him 🙂
Mark Chamberlain says
Thanks Ashley this gave me something to make for my wife and kids for a late Sunday evening dinner!
Ashley Jennings says
I like it! Hope you enjoyed!