This Skinny Cheesy Potato Casserole is a lighter version of my favorite holiday side dish! It has all the flavor of the traditional calorie heavy casserole without the guilt!
It’s getting down to the wire for creating your Easter menu. So far on ours there will be this Brown Sugar Mustard Glazed Ham, Honey Roasted Carrots, Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls and for dessert Lemon Curd and Vanilla Cheesecake Parfaits. I always have problems narrowing down what I want to make. Sometimes I wish I could host a brunch or dinner and invite 50 people just so I could go crazy and make 20 different things!
One thing that has been and always will be a part of my Easter meal is a cheesy potato recipe that my mom has made for as long as I can remember. The version she makes isn’t what you would call healthy by any means, but dang is it good!
This year I decided to take those cheeserific taters and turn them into a side dish that’s a little lighter but still full of that creamy cheesy flavor you want. So here it is, Skinny Cheesy Potato Casserole!
So what did I do to make these cheesy potatoes lighter so that mound of them sitting on your plate looking like Mt. Everest won’t leave you shopping for a larger pair of pants the next week? Well I did several things. First was eliminate most of the butter, not all, but most. The entire casserole only has one tablespoon.
The next thing to eliminate from the original recipe was the canned cream of chicken soup. I thought about making my own, but then I started wondering if it really made the potatoes that much better.
I took a chance and eliminated it and instead increased the amount of plain non fat Greek yogurt I used. The result was just what I was hoping for, I didn’t notice a difference in taste or texture at all.
The remaining changes to the recipe were using skim milk, cutting back on some of the cheese used, and replacing half of the amount of sharp cheddar cheese with part skim mozzarella. The potatoes were amazingly creamy and cheesy even with all the substitutions!
Now I have to let you in on the secret to what makes this cheesy potato casserole so special. It’s that instead of mashing the potatoes you boil them until they are almost tender, but still have some bite and then shred them. The texture is a cross between hash browns and mashed potatoes and something about that makes them taste that much better!
If you’re like me, then potatoes will be the main side dish with your Easter dinner, so why not change up the regular mashed version for this shredded and super delicious Skinny Cheesy Potato Casserole!
More Easter Side Dishes
Brown Butter Green Beans with Slivered Almonds
Balsamic Maple Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Skinny Cheesy Potato Casserole
You'll never suspect that this creamy, cheesy potato casserole has been lightened up with healthier ingredients!
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, washed and peeled
- 1/2 cup finely chopped green onions
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
- 2 ounces low fat cream cheese, softened
- 1 1/2 cups plain non fat Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup skim milk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 3/4 cup part skim mozzarella, divided
- 3/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, divided
Instructions
- Spray a 3 quart casserole dish or a 9x13 dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- Cut the washed and peeled potatoes in half and add them to a large pot of salted water.
- Bring the potatoes to a boil and cook them until almost tender, but still have some bite, about 8-10 minutes.
- Let the potatoes cool until you are able to handle them, then using a box grater shred them using the largest grate.
- In a large bowl whisk together the melted butter, cream cheese, Greek yogurt, milk, salt, and pepper.
- Add in the shredded potatoes, green onions, and 1/2 a cup each of the shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheese.
- Fold everything together until combined then pour the potatoes into the prepared casserole dish.
- Top the potatoes with the remaining 1/2 cup each of shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheese.
- Bake the potatoes at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 264Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 30mgSodium: 545mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 3gSugar: 4gProtein: 13g
I’d eat these, even if they are “skinny” :)
Thanks Beth! :-)
Skinny or not, this is one seriously perfect looking casserole!
Thanks Matt! :-)
This sounds delicious and looks fantastic!! I want to try this “skinny” side asap. Hehe. People associate skinny with themselves. That’s why the world is loved by all. ;) Beautiful photos too!!
Thanks Cyndi! :-)
These look too good to be lightened up!
Thanks Jessica! They are soooo good!
I couldn’t agree more. Sometimes I hate using that word as well, but like you said, people are drawn to it!! But these potatoes? Gimme them all!!
Thanks Meg! So glad I’m not alone about how I feel using “that word”.
I like that you used Greek yogurt!
Thanks Lori! Greek yogurt is one of my favorite healthy substitutes.
so exciting that its good for you and not just sinful as it looks!!!!
Thanks Kelsey!
I just made this for tea, it was easy and tasted sensational. Great recipe!! Thanks for sharing..it was appreciated all the way over in Western Australia :)
Thanks so much for trying the casserole Linda! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it! :-)
I made this last night for dinner to go with meatloaf. The potatoes were DELICIOUS! I wouldn’t change a thing. Not only did they taste amazing , but they made an attractive presentation when prepared as you suggest. Thanks!
I’m so happy to hear you loved the potatoes Carrie! They are one of my favorite side dishes to make, especially around the holidays!
Do we know the nutritional value for these potatoes. Calories, Carbs, etc.
They look delicious!
Hi Tiffany, I apologize, but I currently don’t do nutritional counts on my recipes. I’ve heard from others that MyFitnessPal has a good calculator for figuring that all out.
These look so good. It makes me want to eat some now and it’s only breakfast time now.
I see nothing wrong with cheesy potatoes for breakfast Stephanie! ;-)
If I wanted to use frozen hash browns to save time, how much would I use for this recipe? I’m excited to lighten it up using Greek yogurt.
Hi Dawn! I’m excited you’re trying out the recipe. I haven’t ever made the potato casserole using frozen hash browns so I can’t tell you for sure how much to use, but if I had to guess I would say approximately 6-7 cups. Hope this helps!
I tried using frozen hash browns and used 6 cups. It was the perfect amount!
Awesome Chelsea! I’m glad the hash browns worked and thanks for sharing the time saving tip!
I made your your Skinny Cheesy Potato Casserole this past week and it was super yummy and a family favorite! It will be going in my rotation for sure!!!! I made the recipe without changing a thing, and it was perfect!!
Hi Eileen, I’m so happy to hear you and your family enjoyed the potato casserole! It’s one of our favorites as well and my husband always requests it to have with holiday dinner. Thanks for trying the recipe!
I just found this recipe on Pinterest and it will be making an appearance at this year’s Thanksgiving dinner. My taste testers will flip for this. And yes I don’t like using the word skinny in a title but whatever works for traffic. You’ve got the right idea! You want people to find the recipe. The photos are great!
Thanks so much Theresa! It will be on my Thanksgiving table as well! :-)
This is a lot like a recipe that is always a must for our Christmas, New Years, and Easter. We boil the the potatoes and then let cool for several hours or overnight and then grate. We use sour cream and butter. The recipe uses cheddar cheese and a cream of chicken or mushroom soup. It was given to us by a dear old lady who was a Grandma type figure to our family. She’s long since passed. The crazy thing is most of my siblings use her recipe for family gatherings and my brother made it for a teacher who was sick and she’s since made it.
Hi Christy!
Your recipe sounds almost identical to my mom’s version that I adapted this from, how funny! It’s a tradition that we have it every year with Easter dinner.
Just made these for Easter & they were a hit! Do you have nutrition facts?
These were really good! I only had 2% milk and yogurt, and used a sauteed leek in place of the onion. And I left the skins on the potatoes. Awesome dinner with a salad. Thanks for posting!
Thanks Laurie and I’m glad you liked them! They’re one of my favorite potato dishes. :-)
Have you ever frozen these potatoes? I have a lot of potatoes (got 10 lb for $2!!) to use up. I know you can freeze mashed potatoes and this looks like it might work the same way.
Holy cow Ami, what a steal on the potatoes! I’m always a little weary about freezing stuff that contains dairy because it tends to mess with the texture or separate when you defrost it. However, what you could do is shred those potatoes and freeze them flat in freezer bags. I’ve had other readers tell me they’ve used the frozen shredded potatoes you can buy at the store for this recipe. Doing that would at least save you the shredding step of the recipe (which is what take the longest).
Hi Danae!
Greek yogurt brands taste very different to me. Could you tell me which brand of plain Greek yogurt you used? I would love to try this recipe out! Thank you for sharing!
Sincerely,
Susan
Hi Susan! I always use Fage plain Greek yogurt. I love the thick consistency and taste.
I didn’t have cream cheese and this was still super yummy! Great way to use up some potatoes :)
Happy to hear you liked the potatoes Crystal, thanks for trying them out!
Can these be prepared a day ahead of time and then baked? Or baked and then warmed up the next day?
Absolutely. Just let them sit out for about 30 minutes before putting them in the oven so they aren’t going in ice cold.
I am going to make this for Easter this year. If I don’t want to make the whole dish ahead of time do you think I can just cook/ shred potatoes day before?
You can absolutely do that Casey. I hope you like the potatoes!