Easy Ranch Potatoes – Simple Baked Side Dish Recipe

Easy Ranch Potatoes are diced potatoes coated in creamy ranch, bacon bits, and shredded cheese then baked in the oven, making a delicious and simple side dish the whole family is sure to enjoy!

A Simple Side of Mennonite Style Ranch Potatoes 

My favorite. A family favorite, actually. Homemade ranch potatoes; they’re so simple to make and so delicious!

Ranch potatoes are the perfect side dish to pair with a variety of meats such as steak, burgers, meatloaf, and more. Add another delicious side dish of Sweet and Sour Green Beans yet and you’ve got a full course meal!

Potatoes are one of those pantry staples sure to be found in most Mennonite kitchens, I’d say. We grow them in our garden over summer, and keep the extras in the basement for winter meals! If we don’t have enough to last through the winter, we buy more at the store. There are a lot of different ways to make potatoes and a few of our favorite recipes for potato side dishes are Oven Roasted Parmesan Potatoes, Cheesy Potatoes, and of course, Mashed Potatoes.

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Supplies we used

• Cutting board and kitchen knife – to cut those taters into blocks.
  
• Large bowl – you’re going to want a place to mix everything together.
  
• Measuring cups and spoons
  
• Baking dish – a casserole dish such as this 9×13 glass baking dish from Pyrex.
  
• Grater – hand shredded cheese is much better than store-bought, and healthier, too.
  
• Microwave bacon tray – quickly fry the bacon using a handy little tray like this one.

Eight Simple Ingredients 

Potatoes – red potatoes are the best kind of potatoes for this simple recipe. You don’t have to peel them, just cut them into blocks! I don’t have red potatoes in the pantry currently, so I used white russets. And I peeled them, because I don’t care to bite into a thick potato skin from a white potato. Yellow potatoes like Yukon Golds and Russet potatoes tend to turn more mushy, so they’re not my first choice. You can also use leftover potatoes from the dinner before, or even baby potatoes in this recipe.

Sour cream 

Ranch dressing – ranch salad dressing, and it needs to be the liquid ranch dressing, not dry ranch seasoning. I actually used homemade ranch dressing this time, but I don’t always.

Bacon bits – I like to fry my own bacon, then crumble it into bits, but you can also use bought bacon bits.

Shredded cheese – cheddar cheese is my favorite, and I like to shred my own rather than buy the pre-shredded stuff at the grocery store.

Parsley – dried parsley flakes; fresh parsley flakes are better, if you have them!

Salt & pepper

Find the full recipe on the handy little printable recipe card below!

How to make our Easy Ranch Potatoes Recipe

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

First of all, peel the potatoes if you wish (this is optional) then dice them into chunks. Cook them in water on the stovetop, stirring frequently, for about 15-20 minutes or until they are fork tender. 

While the potatoes are cooking, get out a large mixing bowl and whisk together the rest of the ingredients, saving half the shredded cheese for garnish. If you want to make your own bacon bits, cook about 4 bacon slices, then crumble them into bits and add them into the mixing bowl with the rest of the ingredients.

Dump the cooked potatoes in a strainer or colander to drain the water, then toss them with the creamy mixture in the large mixing bowl. 

Grease a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and spread the potato mixture in the bottom. Add the rest of the shredded cheese to the top and bake, covered with aluminum foil, for 30 minutes, or until the potato mixture is thoroughly heated through.

Serve and enjoy.💛

How do I store Ranch Potatoes?

Store any leftover ranch potatoes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. When you’re ready to eat them, reheat them in the oven or microwave until they’re good and hot! 

Recipe Variations + Notes

Some folks like to add a crispy garnish to ranch potatoes! Crush 2 cups of corn flakes and mix with 1/4 cup melted butter; spread the buttery corn flake mixture on top before baking. Oh, and don’t cover the potatoes while baking! You want the corn flakes to be crispy. For myself, I would rather just add a garnish of sliced green onions if I’m going to add something to this dish.

If you don’t feel like baking this recipe, or you’re in a hurry, you can just mix everything together and heat the ranch potatoes for a couple minutes on the stovetop in the same pot you used to cook the potatoes!

More fun potato recipes to try next:

• Mashed Potatoes with Brown Butter
  
• Cheesy Potluck Potatoes
  
• Oven Roasted Parmesan Potatoes

Don’t forget to share this easy side dish recipe!

Did you make Ranch Potatoes?

We’d love to hear how it went for you; leave a comment below!

Thanks for visiting our small town…

…Where we share unique Mennonite recipes with bits of our daily life thrown in now and then. Thanks for following along! We appreciate you.

’til next time, we love you and we’ll be praying for you,

-Julie