Crock pot cheesy potatoes will be your go-to make-ahead side dish

Crock pot season is finally here! Sure, we can use the popular slow cooker year-round. Once school goes back into session and the season starts to change, though, there’s something amazing about the set-it-and-forget advantages of the slower cooker. Putting something into the crock pot early in the day and then coming back hours later to a fully cooked meal gives you a warm-fuzzy feeling that’s hard to top.

Well, except maybe when you use it to cook up a make-ahead side dish option that’s also a classic comfort food choice. Crock pot cheesy potatoes could be the star of your next party and you can prep them before everyone arrives!

Crock pot cheesy potatoes take a basic ingredient like frozen cubed potatoes and make them into the ultimate comfort food guilty pleasure. Don’t settle for a plain baked potato for your side; the slow cooker does all of the work for you to make something a little more special.

We found a lot of things to love about this crock pot cheesy potato casserole from Patty Catalano of Kitchn. First, the prep time is only 10 minutes. Also, we appreciate a recipe that uses basic ingredients that most people either already have or can easily get their hands on. There’s nothing worse than finding a must-try recipe and not having the supplies necessary.

To make this perfect potato side dish, you’ll need frozen diced potatoes, yellow onion, shredded sharp cheddar, sour cream, Dijon mustard and some other pantry staples. You can also add some bacon on top for more savory goodness.

The full recipe only has four steps and can be fully prepared in 3 to 4 hours, if you put the slow cooker on high, or 5 to 6 hours on the low setting. Because the potatoes are partially cooked before freezing, it cuts down on the time necessary to cook, which makes this a nice shortcut for a slow cooker meal.

These crock pot cheesy potatoes can either be made for a typical family dinner or served on your holiday table. They are that versatile — and their ooey-gooey deliciousness will have everyone asking for seconds. So, you might want to make an extra batch, just in case!