Cheesy Bacon Ranch Potatoes

5 from 4 votes

Cheesy Bacon Ranch Potatoes are the ultimate in simplicity and taste making them the perfect side dish for any occasion.

Prep Time15

Cook Time45

Total Time1

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 247kcal

2 pounds unpeeled red potatoes cut into 1 to 1-½ inch pieces (about 6 cups) (See Tip 1)
Kosher salt
6 slices bacon, cooked, drained and crumbled (about ½ cup)
½ cup ranch dressing (See Tip 2)
1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder (See Tip 3)
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 ½ cups (6 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese, divided (See Tip 4)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray 2 ½ quart casserole dish with non-stick spray. Set aside.
Bring a large saucepan of water with 1 tablespoon of salt to a boil. Add potatoes; cook 10 minutes. Drain potatoes. (See Tips 5 and 6)
Rinse and dry pan used to boil potatoes. Return cooked potatoes to pan. Add ranch dressing, garlic powder, paprika, pepper, ¾ cup of shredded cheese and bacon. Stir to combine. Transfer potatoes to prepared casserole dish. Bake uncovered at 400°F for 40 minutes.
Remove potatoes from oven. Sprinkle on the remaining ¾ cup of shredded cheese. Return to 400°F oven for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
Yield: 8 servings. (See Tip 7)

You could also use Yukon Gold potatoes in this dish. However, I would avoid using Russet potatoes because they don't tend to hold their shape like the red or Yukon Potatoes do.
I used Hidden Valley Original Ranch dressing. I've not tried this dish using low-fat ranch dressing, so unfortunately can't comment on whether it would work as well or not. Sorry!
I would avoid using fresh garlic in this dish. The reason is that fresh garlic without being sautéed would tend to be over-powering.
I used extra sharp Cheddar cheese because that's what I consistently have on hand. You could also use regular or sharp Cheddar cheese.
I always season potatoes by boiling them in salted water. Even though a tablespoon of salt might seem like a lot, it produces the perfect amount of saltiness in the potatoes, at least for me - an I don't like a lot of salt!
When I boil potatoes, I always place a wooden fork or wooden spoon in the water to prevent the potatoes from boiling over. This is a trick that I learned from Susa. I'm not sure why this works, but it does.
Leftovers, if any reheat beautifully. Generally, I reheat the leftovers for several minutes in the microwave. You could also reheat the leftovers in a 350°F oven for 15 minutes or until heated through.