This cheesy potato bake with sausage is an easy side dish packed with tender golden potatoes, juicy turkey sausage, and savory mushrooms. Everything gets baked under a layer of melty cheese! It’s perfect for the holidays and great to prep ahead.
From my loaded baked potato casserole to melting potatoes and this easy potato bake, it isn’t a holiday in my house unless there’s a hot plate of potatoes on the table!
I originally made this potato bake with sausage for Easter lunch one year, and it’s become one of my go-to side dishes ever since. Even when it isn’t the holidays! This potato bake recipe has a delicious combination of golden roasted potatoes layered with juicy turkey sausage and heaps of cheese. It’s a bit like potato gratin, or, if you ask my mom, it’s a deconstructed Macedonian moussaka (our version of a meat and potato casserole). I say, call it whatever you’d like. Just get it in the oven ASAP!
Why I Love This Potato Bake Recipe
- It’s easy. Give your sausage, veggies, and potatoes a quick sizzle in a skillet before you transfer them to a baking dish. Add a generous layer of cheese, and bake until bubbly. That’s it!
- Made lighter. This potato side dish uses turkey sausage and it’s made without heavy cream, eggs, or even butter. It’s a lighter way of doing a potato bake, but it’s still flavorful, cheesy, and delicious.
- Perfect for any occasion. I like to think of this potato bake with sausage as the holiday-ready version of my weeknight air fryer sausage and potatoes recipe. Whether it’s Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, brunch, lunch, or dinner, this potato bake is ready to steal the show.
What You’ll Need
Simple ingredients are the name of the game. I’ve outlined them below along with some notes. Have a scroll down to the printable recipe card after the post for the full ingredients list and recipe details.
- Olive Oil – Or your choice of cooking oil, for sautéeing.
- Ground Turkey – I use ground turkey sausage and remove the casings. You can use regular ground turkey or another lean meat, like ground chicken or chicken sausage. Other good choices are Italian sausage, ground pork, or beef.
- Onions – Yellow onions, or another mild variety, diced.
- Mushrooms – I use baby portobello mushrooms or brown mushrooms. White or button mushrooms work, too, but they’re younger and don’t have quite as much flavor.
- Garlic – Freshly minced garlic, or you can substitute ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder per clove.
- Potatoes – I use tri-colored potatoes for some visual interest, but any potato will do. Quartered russet potatoes, Yukon Gold potatoes, and red potatoes are all great options. If you use baby potatoes, you can slice them in half instead of quarters.
- Seasonings – Fresh or dried thyme, plus salt and pepper to taste.
- Broth – Low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable stock. You could use beef broth for a richer flavor.
- Cheese – I like to use a blend of Italian cheeses, like mozzarella, provolone, and parmesan cheese. You can also use cheddar. Freshly grate the cheese so that it melts more smoothly.
How to Make a Potato Bake With Sausage
Browning the ingredients on the stovetop first is an extra step that makes all the difference in this recipe. Don’t skip it! Searing locks in the flavors, and my potato bake is all about flavor. Follow along with the easy steps here:
- Brown the sausage. Start by adding the turkey sausage to a hot skillet with oil. Let that cook for 4-5 minutes, breaking up the sausage as it browns. Afterward, scoop the sausage from the pan to set aside, and drain off any excess grease.
- Sauté the veggies. In the same skillet, sauté the onions, mushrooms, and garlic. Once the onions soften, stir in the potatoes and seasonings and cook for 5 minutes, until the potatoes have browned.
- Put it all together. Now, stir in the sausage and pour in the chicken broth. Transfer the meat and potatoes to a greased 2-quart baking dish and top with shredded cheese.
- Bake. Cover the casserole with foil and bake at 400ºF for 30 minutes. Finally, remove the foil, and bake for another 15 minutes to melt the cheese and brown the top before serving.
Make It Ahead
This potato bake is an easy side dish to prep ahead of time. You can brown the veggies, sausage, and potatoes 1-2 days in advance and store them airtight in the fridge. Or, use leftover roasted potatoes if you have them on hand. When you’re ready to serve, combine the ingredients with broth, top with cheese, and bake as directed. Another option is to assemble the casserole, cover it, and bake it the following day.
Tips and Variations
- Chop your potatoes to an even size. When quartering or halving the potatoes, try your best to cut them into same-size pieces. This way the potatoes will cook through evenly.
- Add a topping. If you’d like to give your potato bake another layer of flavor and texture, try adding a crunchy topping, like parmesan breadcrumbs, crushed Ritz crackers (or cheesy crackers, like I use to top my cheesy potatoes), cornflakes, or leftover stuffing.
- Add bacon. Sprinkle in cooked crumbled bacon or diced chorizo for extra flavor.
- More spices. You can play around with spices and seasonings to suit your tastes. Try adding Cajun seasoning or crushed red pepper flakes for a bit of kick. You can also use different herbs, like basil, oregano, and rosemary.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
- Refrigerate. The leftover potato bake stores well in the fridge for up to 3 days. Refrigerate it in an airtight container, or cover it in the baking dish for easy reheating.
- Reheat. Warm your sausage potato bake under foil in the oven at 350ºF, until it’s hot throughout. You can also reheat smaller portions in the microwave.
- Freeze. You can freeze leftovers for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before you reheat it. You might notice a slight change in the texture of the potatoes after thawing and reheating, but the flavors will still be delicious.
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Prep. Preheat oven to 400ºF. Grease a 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
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Brown the sausage. Heat ½ tablespoon of olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add turkey sausage to the skillet and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, or until browned. Remove sausage from pan, drain, and set aside.
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Sauté the veggies. Return skillet to heat and add remaining olive oil. Add onions and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in mushrooms and garlic and continue to cook for 5 to 6 minutes, or until mushrooms are soft.
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Add the potatoes and sausage. Add the potatoes, thyme, salt, and pepper; cook for 5 minutes or until the potatoes have browned. Stir in sausage and broth and remove from heat.
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Bake. Transfer the mixture to the previously prepared baking dish. Top with cheese, cover with foil, and bake for 30 minutes. Remove aluminum foil and continue to cook for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and serve.
- Adapted from “Cooking Light: All Time Top Rated Recipes”
Calories: 364kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 35mg | Sodium: 95mg | Potassium: 1156mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 24IU | Vitamin C: 38mg | Calcium: 86mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
