This post may contain affiliate links.Please read our disclosure policy.
Sauerkraut Mashed Potato Casserole is a warm and hearty dish made with sauerkraut, apples, and creamy homemade mashed potatoes. It’s a delicious comfort food side that you can make ahead and that’s always a hit!
This mashed potato casserole with sauerkraut and apples brings a new spin to a dinnertime staple! A great comfort food for winter and fall that’s easy to prepare, loaded with flavor, and topped with a cheesy breadcrumb topping. The apples add sweetness and the crispy breadcrumb topping adds some nice crunch, a great dish with a hearty and warm flavor.
Mashed Potatoes are probably my favorite way to eat potatoes. They are so versatile and I love the taste and texture especially with gravy. When I was in college I even used to eat mashed potatoes without anything else for dinner.
But this easy casserole takes mashed potatoes to a whole new level! With Thanksgiving right around the corner, this Potato and Sauerkraut Casserole would be a delicious addition to your dinner table. It is a side dish that wow’s and is easy enough to make even if you aren’t totally kitchen confident.
Tips and Tricks for making this Mashed Potato Casserole
- This casserole makes a great side dish for every meal but it is also great for using leftover mashed potatoes. You can easily half the recipe depending on how much potatoes you have and you can also add leftover turkey or any other meat to the sauerkraut.
- Instead of using panko breadcrumbs you can also use stale bread and process it in a food processor until you have coarse crumbs. 3-4 slices sandwich bread will make about 1 cup breadcrumbs.
- If you’re not a fan of sauerkraut or don’t have any at home you make this casserole without it.
- You can use any apples you have at home for this dish. I prefer sweeter apples like Gala or Golden Delicious.
How to make mashed potatoes
Making homemade mashed potatoes is really easy. When I started cooking for my husband and me, I always used Instant Mashed Potatoes because I thought it would be too complicated to make them from scratch and would take forever. But then I tried it a few year ago and to my surprise, it was easier than I thought.
So here are my hints for perfect mashed potatoes:
You need to use the right potatoes to get a smooth texture. Russet potatoes work best. Peel the potatoes, then slice them into 3/4-inch rounds, this ensures that they will cook more evenly. I learned this trick from Cook’s Illustrated and it really works!
Rinse them, put them into a large enough pot and cover them with cold water, THEN turn on your stove. Bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes until the potatoes are tender, it is better to overcook them then to undercook them.
While the potatoes are cooking, melt the butter in a small saucepan. When the butter is melted add the milk to the butter so that it gets warm.
Drain the cooked potatoes and set a potato ricer over the now empty but still warm pot in which you cooked the potatoes. Process the potatoes into the pot. Then stir in the warm milk-butter mixture and seasonings. Serve as soon as possible, mashed potatoes taste best fresh.
How to make this Mashed Potato Casserole ahead
You can make this casserole one or two days ahead, perfect for busy days! To make ahead, cover the assembled but unbaked casserole tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
When you are ready to serve it, take the casserole out of the refrigerator and then preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove the plastic wrap and cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake until the casserole is heated through and the crumbs are crisp, 20 to 25 minutes longer.
Looking for more easy side dish recipes?
Pumpkin Dinner Rolls
German Cucumber Salad Recipe
Brown Butter Maple Glazed Roasted Rainbow Carrots
Easy German Spaetzle Recipe
Tools and Products used for Making this Mashed Potato Casserole
Sauerkraut: You can get sauerkraut on amazon but also in your local supermarket or any health food store. The only ingredient should be sauerkraut and it shouldn’t have added sugar, vinegar, or preservatives.
Potato Ricer: I love this one! It has soft handles and hooks on any size of pot or bowl. This makes ultra fluffy and smooth mashed potatoes.
[social_warfare buttons=”Facebook, Pinterest”]
Sauerkraut Mashed Potato Casserole
Ingredients
For the Mashed Potatoes:
- 4 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, sliced into 3/4-inch-thick rounds, and rinsed thoroughly
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup half-and-half, warmed
- 1 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
For the Apple Sauerkraut:
- 25 oz sauerkraut, drained
- 1 cup apple cider
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 medium apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, optional
- salt and pepper
For the Topping:
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
- Salt and pepper
- 2 cups shredded cheddar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Place the potatoes in a large pot or dutch oven and cover with 1 inch of water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan combine sauerkraut, apple cider, bay leaves, chopped apples, and cumin seeds. Bring to a boil and let simmer with the lid on for 15 minutes until the apples. Season with salt and pepper.
- When the potatoes are tender, drain them in a colander. Process the potatoes with a potato ricer into a large bowl or use a potato masher for chunkier mashed potatoes. Stir in the melted butter, warm half-and-half, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and Dijon.
- For the topping, heat 2 tbsp butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the breadcrumbs and toast them while stirring constantly until golden brown, about 1-2 minutes. Take them off the heat and let them cool, then toss them with the parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
- Transfer the apple sauerkraut into a 13 by 9-inch baking dish, spread mashed potatoes on top, and sprinkle the cheddar cheese evenly over the mashed potatoes, followed by the breadcrumbs.
- Bake the casserole until the cheese is melted and the breadcrumbs are crisp and browned, 25 to 30 minutes.
Nutrition
I would like a copy of this recipe, but I don’t know how to get it to my email. I don’t do Twitter or Pinterest.
You can use the “Print Recipe” button in the recipe card and download a pdf of the recipe.