My Mashed Potato Bake is packed with flavor. Mozzarella, Parmesan, garlic and creamy potatoes make this a flavorful twist on a comfort food classic.

February 25, 2019 Updated January 26, 2022 Jump to Recipe
My Mashed Potato Bake is packed with flavor. Mozzarella, Parmesan, garlic and creamy potatoes make this a flavorful twist on a comfort food classic.
If someone told me I had to choose five foods to eat exclusively for the rest of my life, I really don’t know what four of my choices would be.
But I do know that one of those five foods would be potatoes.
Doesn’t sound very exciting, but potatoes are just too versatile—and delicious in every way I’ve ever tried them—to not choose as a food I quite literally couldn’t live without.
One of my favorite ways to prepare potatoes is the good old classic, mashed potatoes.
As an adult, I’ve come to enjoy baked mashed potatoes more than simply mashed potatoes, thanks in large part to my mom. She has an excellent mashed potato bake recipe that is always my favorite dish in any meal it’s part of. Her baked mashed potatoes are insanely good!
The dish I’m sharing today is my unique twist on both classic mashed potatoes, and baked mashed potatoes. My decadent mashed potato bake is filled with flavor from mozzarella, Parmesan, and garlic. Though I’ve used Russet potatoes in this recipe many times, the creaminess of Yukon Gold potatoes makes them my favorite potato to use in this mashed potato bake.
The best part about using mozzarella here is that the top of the potatoes crisps up and browns by the end of baking. The mozzarella also gives this potato bake a nice amount of structure. So when this mashed potato bake is cooled, the texture it takes on is sort of like a Dutch egg pancake, but with potatoes.
Best of both worlds in my book.
So next time the mashed potato craving hits you, make my Mashed Potato Bake with Mozzarella. Pair with my Tuscan Veggie Sausage and Grapes, or the filling of these Beyond Meat Sausage Burgers with Caramelized Bell Peppers, for a delicious and filling meal. It’s also the perfect potato dish for Thanksgiving, and goes great with my Ciabatta Dressing.
You can make the potato mixture the day before, or the morning before, you plan to bake the dish. Very convenient for busy weeknights! Just make the potato mixture, and store covered in the baking dish overnight/during the day in the fridge until you’re ready to bake the potatoes.
(If you don’t store the potatoes in the dish you plan to bake them in, be sure to give the potatoes about 15-20 minutes to come to room temperature, otherwise they’ll be thick and difficult to spread in the baking dish.)
An offset spatula is the only tool I use for dishes like this that require spreading a mixture evenly into a baking dish. You won’t believe how easy an offset spatula makes this step until you try it. Here is my favorite offset spatula on Amazon [aff. link]. Give an offset spatula a try, and I guarantee you’ll find yourself using it just about everyday. I certainly do.
This Post Has 10 Comments
This is truly beautiful. I’ve decided i really like potatoes. But this didn’t happen until recently. So strange. Maybe I’m starting to like carbs more. I have no idea! This is perfect for a holiday meal!
Haha that’s awesome! Potatoes are so incredibly versatile, I don’t know what I’d do without them. 😋
Shannon, mine would be potatoes, rice, wheat, tomatoes, and bacon. But, potatoes would be my first choice. I love them cooked any way, but made into your mashed potato bake sounds like it’ll be right there on the top.
Ohhh those are some excellent choices Ron, I’d probably choose much the same! Thanks so much! I am so with you, I don’t think I’ve ever had a potato dish I didn’t enjoy. 😋
Made these for Thanksgiving. Really good!
I’m so happy to hear the potatoes were a hit! Thanks for commenting Kristin!
I totally agree with you about potatoes – you can do so many things with a potato! (I’m resisting the urge to go all Bubba Gump on potatoes here…haha.) We often heat up leftover mashed potatoes in a skillet with cheese, but I like this idea of baking them. We happen to have a lot of leftover potatoes right now – perfect timing!! 🙂
Oh I need to try leftover mashed potatoes in a skillet with cheese. That sounds amazing David! 😋
Potatoes are already delicious, but with some added cheese, the entire dish is elevated to a new level! It looks terrific too. The top layer reminds me the texture of soufflé.
Thanks Ben! Oh I totally agree, it does look like a soufflé. 😄