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My ranch potatoes recipe is the king of comfort food, ruler of side dishes, mighty overlord of potato side dishes — you get the picture; it’s good eatin’. With just one hour, one baking pan, and a few ingredients, you can make this winner of a side dish that is perfect for parties or family dinners.
These vegetables are baked to tender perfection, bathed in a creamy, savory sauce that highlights all the best flavors that reach can bring! Tangy barbecue is heavenly with ranch potatoes, but pretty much every food will go with this recipe. Whatever you’ve paired with you can serve with this! My are bathed in butter, herbs, and a broth mixture. They have caramelized exteriors and tender interiors. We make and mix everything for these potatoes in the baking dish, so there’s no need to clean a mixing bowl!
At our house, we’re crazy for potato dishes! If you are, too, I hope you’ll try more of our easiest-ever country potatoes, melting potatoes, Parmesan potatoes, and
Smothered Potatoes next!
Let’s make these!
What You’ll Love About This Recipe
- Very little prep!
- Ranchy, cheesy, creamy, + delicious.
- Goes well with almost any main dish.
- Double Ranch Adds Double The Goodness!
What’s The Best Potato For This Recipe?
This recipe is great with many different types of potatoes. My favorite is Russet potatoes—that said, Russets are my favorite in most recipes! Red potatoes and gold baby potatoes are great in this wonderful cheesy ranch sauce. Yukon Gold potatoes is fabulous, too. You can also mix up a few varieties; you really can’t go wrong with any potato!
Cheesy Ranch Potatoes Ingredients
- Potatoes: I love russets in this recipe. They have a great starchiness and bake up nice and creamy.
- Ranch: I use dry ranch seasoning for these potatoes. I use the ranch seasoning from the jar, rather than the ranch seasoning packet, because I use a lot of it in my kitchen. For reference, there are six teaspoons, or 2 tablespoons, per ranch packet. This recipe only uses 2 teaspoons of dried seasoning to enhance the liquid ranch dressing.
- Butter: I use unsalted butter.
- Cheeses: I use sharp cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese for a very delicious cheesy blend. Pepper Jack is wonderful, too!
- Ranch Dressing: While I grew up loving Hidden Valley ranch salad dressing, there are better-tasting commercial ranch dressings available! We’re looking for clear buttermilk flavor and the right herbs! My favorite is Bob’s famous Ranch Country Style Salad Dressing & Dip, and my second favorite is Litehouse Homestyle Ranch Dressing. You’ll find both of these in the grocery store’s refrigerated aisle.
- Bacon: I prefer to use uncured bacon. If you’re looking for a shortcut, try bacon bits. They’ve come a long way since the 1970’s!
Storing + Freezing + Thawing
- How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? This potato casserole needs to be refrigerated to store. It will last 3-4 days.
- Can You Freeze This? Yes, you can! Your ranch potatoes will keep in the freezer for several months. The texture will be slightly softer after freezing. You may also need to add a little milk after thawing, as the potatoes will absorb some of the creaminess of the sauces when frozen. Be sure to use an airtight, freezer-safe container.
- Some people find gallon zip-lock bags work best for freezer storage. Others use aluminum pans with lids, plastic containers, or tin foil.
- To thaw, let it sit in the fridge overnight, then scoop and reheat. You can also pop it in the oven to rejuvenate its texture!
- Food Safety: If you’d like more info on food safety, check out this link.
Tips
How to Cube Potatoes: Peel the potatoes, slice them in half lengthwise, and slice each half lengthwise three more times. You will have eight long strips of potato. Line up the ends, then quickly chop widthwise from one end of the strip to the next.
Add Onions: To change the flavors of the casserole, add 1/2 cup of chopped onion to the potatoes at step #2.
Make These Saucier! When you add the liquid ranch dressing, stir in 1/2 cup of sour cream to make the sauce creamier!
Coating: It can be tricky to get a uniform covering of seasoning in any dish. If you are struggling with the russets, try this trick: Pour your cubed potatoes into a large bag, sprinkle in the seasoning, close the bag, and shake until well coated!
Serving Recommendations
These ranch roasted potatoes truly go with everything. I love them with Crockpot pork tenderloin or my easy tropical flank steak, which we make on repeat all summer long!
It’s also wonderful with tangy, vinegary-sweet barbecue like my fabulous crockpot pulled pork that I use to make pulled pork sandwiches or my pulled chicken that I also use to make more epic sandwiches.
Serve my copycat KFC coleslaw, Southern green beans, and/or my calico beans (my hubby’s absolute favorite baked beans ever!)
How To Make Ranch Potatoes Recipe
-
Coat the baking pan with a thin layer of olive oil. Evenly sprinkle peeled, cubed potatoes with ranch seasoning mix(the powder from the jar) and pepper.
- Place seasoned potatoes in the prepared baking dish and evenly dot the top with butter. Place baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet.
-
Cover the baking dish with foil and bake in a preheated oven until the potatoes are tender, about 60 minutes.
-
Remove from oven and mix in the ranch dressing, half the cheese, and cooked bacon. Top with the remaining cheese and return to the oven until heated through and melted. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.
- Garnish with parsley and Serve.
***See the full instructions below.
More Potato Side Dishes Recipes
Want more potato side dishes for your dining adventures? Here are some more faves!
- Crack Potatoes
- Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes
- Campfire Potatoes
- Parmesan Potatoes
- Au Gratin Potatoes
- Buttered Potatoes
- Funeral Potatoes
- Stewed Potatoes
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Ranch Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4 pounds russet potatoes, peel, then cut Into 1/2 inch cubes
- 2 teaspoons Hidden Valley ranch seasoning, (the powder from the jar, not the envelope)
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 tablespoons butter, cut into cubes
- 1 cup sharp cheddar, shredded
- 1 cup Monterey jack cheese, shredded
- 1 cup ranch dressing
- 6 ounces bacon, cooked and crumbled
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Spray a 9X13 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Evenly sprinkle peeled, cubed potatoes (4 pounds) with ranch seasoning (2 teaspoons) and pepper (1/4 teaspoon).
- Place seasoned potatoes in the prepared baking dish and evenly dot the top with butter (4 tablespoons). Place baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet.
- Cover the baking dish with foil and bake in preheated oven until the potatoes are tender about 60 minutes.
- Remove from oven and mix in the ranch dressing (1 cup), half the cheese, and cooked bacon (6 ounces). Top with the remaining cheese and return to the oven until heated through and the cheese is melted.
Fans Also Made:
Notes
- How to Cube Potatoes: Peel the potatoes, slice them in half lengthwise, and slice each half lengthwise three more times. You will have eight long strips of potato. Line up the ends, then quickly chop widthwise from one end of the strip to the next.
- Add Onions: To change the flavors of the casserole, add 1/2 cup of chopped onion to the potatoes at step #2.
- Make These Saucier! When you add the liquid ranch dressing, stir in 1/2 cup of sour cream to make the sauce creamier!
- Coating: It can be tricky to get a uniform covering of seasoning in any dish. If you are struggling with the russets, try this trick: Pour your cubed potatoes into a large bag, sprinkle in the seasoning, close the bag, and shake until well coated!
Nutrition
On your phone? Check the web story here.
So easy!
Can you use red potatoes
Yes, I think they’d be great, Nancy <3