Christmas Cheesy Potatoes

Diced green peppers and pimentos give these Christmas cheesy potatoes a festive look. They’re the perfect, comforting side dish to your holiday meal. If you love potatoes, take a look at our BEST potato recipes!

Christmas Cheesy Potatoes Recipe

It’s been a while since I’ve posted a “not dessert” recipe. Probably because I just love dessert! But let’s get real here. I love all food. Now normally pimentos and peppers are not my favorite things to eat, but there are a few exceptions. Like this Christmas cheesy potatoes dish. Warm and comforting, gooey cheese and soft potatoes, with un-tasteable, kid-friendly pimentos and peppers.

What potatoes are best for casseroles?

It’s important to choose the right kind of potatoes for the recipe you are making. In this recipe, you don’t want the potatoes to mash together. Otherwise you end up with cheesy mashed potatoes (which really…not a bad thing I guess). Yukon gold, red potatoes, white potatoes and round potatoes all hold up well to boiling and baking. Steer clear of Russet potatoes. They have a fluffy flesh and will “mash” together in your casserole.

How long to boil potatoes?

You’ll notice that this recipe starts with peeled, cubed and cooked potatoes. The easiest way to cook the potatoes is to boil them on the stovetop. So how long do you boil potatoes? The exact amount of time will depend on how big you’ve cut the cubes, but in general, they’ll take about 15 minutes. Remember not to cook them too long because they’ll cook just a little bit more in the oven. They should be just barely soft so that you can pierce them with a fork.

How do you make cheesy potatoes?

Once you have your cooked potatoes, it’s time to make the cheese sauce:

• In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the flour, salt and pepper, then use a whisk to blend it in. Make sure you keep the heat low so the flour/butter mixture doesn’t scorch. Keep your eye on it!
• Gradually stir in the milk. Cook and whisk this mixture over medium-low heat until it is smooth and thickened. It will take about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
• Mix in the cheese and stir until smooth.
• Place the potatoes in a greased casserole dish, then add the pimentos and green peppers.
• Pour the cheese sauce over top.
• Mix together melted butter and bread crumbs to sprinkle on top.
• If you’d like a pop of Christmas color, sprinkle a few additional pimentos and peppers on top of the casserole before baking.
• Bake for about 40-45 minutes at 325º F. The casserole should be bubby so you know it is heated through.

What to serve with cheesy potatoes?

So don’t just stop at desserts to celebrate your Christmas holiday. Make this festive (and amazingly delicious) side dish, Christmas Cheesy Potatoes, to go along with your Christmas dinner! Here are some of our favorite recipes to pair with cheesy potatoes:

• Ham Loaf
• Meatloaf
• Grilled Chicken
• Fork-Tender Ribs
• Baked Ham

Other Potato Recipes

• Potatoes Au Gratin
• Scalloped Potatoes
• Oven Baked Potatoes
• Cheesy Oven Roasted Potatoes

Christmas Cheesy Potatoes

4.77 from 13 votes

Diced green peppers and pimentos give these Christmas cheesy potatoes a festive look. They're the perfect, comforting side dish to your holiday meal.

Servings 7 servings

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

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Ingredients

 

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 2 1/4 cups milk (I used whole milk)
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup finely chopped green peppers
• 4 cups peeled, cubed and cooked potatoes
• 1/4 cup chopped pimentos
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons melted butter

Instructions

 

• In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the flour, salt and pepper, then use a whisk to blend it in. Gradually stir in the milk. Cook and whisk this mixture over medium-low heat until it is smooth and thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
• Add the cheese to the sauce pan and mix until smooth.
• In a lightly greased 1 ½ quart casserole dish, add the cooked potatoes, green pepper and pimentos. Reserve a few for the top of the casserole if you'd like.
• Pour the cheese sauce over the top of the potatoes.
• In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs and the melted butter. Mix well.
• Sprinkle the bread crumbs overtop the cheese covered potatoes. If you reserved a few of the green peppers and pimentos, add them to the very top of the casserole.
• Bake at 325 degrees for 40-45 minutes, or until the casserole is bubbly and heated through.

Video

Notes

The calories shown are based on the recipe being divided 7 ways, with 1 serving being about ¾ cup. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate.

Nutrition

Calories: 350kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 50mg | Sodium: 678mg | Potassium: 674mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 815IU | Vitamin C: 28.1mg | Calcium: 271mg | Iron: 5.1mg

Author Lizzy T

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Calories 350

Keyword christmas dinner, christmas potatoes, christmas side dish, holiday dinner, potatoes side dish

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