Life In Pleasantville

Food, Travel, Life

Cheesy Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes

by Candace Sampson
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

After I made my very first Thanksgiving dinner many years ago, I developed a whole new respect for my Mom. She just always made Thanksgiving seem so effortless. We’d have tons of guests in our house and my Mom always put on a huge meal with delicious food. She was never frenzied or stressed, but always perfectly coiffed and ready to entertain.

After my first Thanksgiving disaster, I asked her how she did it. As it turns out 90% of the Thanksgiving meal was prepared and cooked ahead of time. Brilliant! I’ve since adopted her method and I now find Thanksgiving dinner so much easier
cheesy make ahead mashed pototoes

Start now and look for recipes that can be made ahead of time like this Cranberry Sauce or these Cheesy Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes.

Cheesy make ahead mashed potatoes

There’s two things I really love about these Cheesy Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes. First, they don’t dry out when they are reheated. Second, cheese. Who tries to get more cheese in their life all the time? This chick right here, that’s who. The older the cheese the better for this recipe, so don’t be nervous buying an extra old or sharp block of cheddar. 

Pro-tip for boiling your potatoes. Cut you potatoes into 1 inch chunks rather than leaving whole to boil. This ensures that your potatoes will cook evenly. 

 

This recipe is perfect for any meal when you’re entertaining from Sunday dinner to Thanksgiving to Christmas. Add it into your menu rotation and you’ll never be sorry. 

 

0 from 0 votes
Print

Cheesy Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes about 6, peeled, cut into chunks
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup shredded old Cheddar Cheese
  • 1/4 cup Miracle Whip Original Spread
  • 1 green onion sliced

Instructions

  1. Cook potatoes in boiling water in large saucepan 15 to 20 minutes or until tender; drain.
  2. Mash potatoes. Stir in remaining ingredients. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
  3. Spoon into microwaveable bowl. Microwave on HIGH 5 to 7 minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally.

Cheesy make ahead mashed potatoes, grated cheese

Category: , , Tag: , , , ,

About Candace Sampson

Candace Sampson is the founder of Life in Pleasantville and the host of What She Said, Canada’s longest-running women’s talk show turned podcast. A trusted voice in Canadian lifestyle and travel media for over a decade, Candace blends storytelling with sharp insight to connect with women on everything from solo travel to social issues. She’s also the creator of Girl Trips, a women-focused retreat and travel brand. Find her on Instagram @candace_said @whatshesaidtalk and @girltrips.ca

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. janicour

    I make my perogies ahead of time.

  2. Alayne Langford

    I make my cranberry sauce ahead of time, as I find it thickens the longer it is refrigerated! ❤️

  3. Rachel

    Looks looks delicious !

  5. Pam

    Green bean bake.

  6. Wendy Hutton

    we make our cranberry sauce a few days ahead

  8. Francine

    My pumpkin pie!

  9. Holly MacRitchie

    My favourite make ahead dish is layered jello! The kids love it

  10. jan

    I prep all of my vegetables so they are just roast or boil away

  11. Tricia Cooper

    My favourite make-ahead side dish for Thanksgiving and the holidays Scalloped Peas and Onions.

  12. SUMMER PLEWES

    my favorite dish to make ahead of time is barbecue baked beans. So good!

  13. Brandy Oliver

    I make my special potato and bread filling a few days prior, as well as a few desserts.
    It makes everything much easier on Thanksgiving Eve and Thanksgiving Day, if we have some things already made or at least prepared.
    We have veggie and fruit and cheese trays so I try to get most of that cut up at least the day before.
    Thank you for sharing your recipe! I never even thought of doing this and combining these ingredients! I am anxious to try this!!

  14. Heidi Pawluk

    Make my veggies, cabbage rolls & periogies ahead of time, love to just reheat

  15. Mark V

    I make fresh homemade dinner rolls the day before. and then just reheat them the day of.

  16. elliottgyal

    pie is something that we make ahead. Most other things we make the day of.

  17. andrea amy (@mommy2fiveboys)

    I prep all my veggies ahead of time so that when its time, all I have to do is pop them in the oven and turn on the stove. Since my kids don’t like mashed potatoes, I do a roasted vegetable dish. I use carrots, baby or creamer potatoes, parsnips, turnips, garlic (left whole), onion, and celery and I toss them with a little bit of Italian salad dressing, and about an hour before dinner I pop them in the oven (covered) and roast them up.

  19. edmontonjb

    I make apple and blueberrie pies ahead of time

    Jonnie

  20. joy

    oven baked French toast

  22. Tina L.

    prepare the veggies ahead of time.

  23. lilfifi

    My favorite make ahead side dish for holiday meals is cabbage rolls.

  24. kristen visser

    definitely pumpkin pie and perogies too mmmm

  25. ivy pluchinsky

    we make perogies or meatballs

  26. Carey Hurst

    Have to make the pumpkin pie the night before and the pumpkin cheesecake so it has time to set .

  27. Lori Jackson

    I make a wicked potato salad that the whole Family goes nuts for!

  29. Andrea

    Pumpkin Pie!! Yum!

  30. Tracy D

    We love a Broccoli salad

  32. Bailey Dexter

    Our favorite is pasta salad! Pasta, shredded cheeses (we use cheddar, havarti and mozzarella), black olives, diced peppers, green onion, mix 1/2 and half of Greek salad dressing and Kraft Miracle Whip, toss all together and the longer it sits, the better it tastes!

  33. Jackie M

    I make a potato salad and pie 🙂

  34. Erika Letson

    Mine would have to be stuffing/dressing. I don’t like to actually stuff the bird, I like to make it ahead of time on the side.

  35. Florence C

    I make apple pie the ahead of time.

  36. Angela September

    Mmmmm my husbands Newfie stuffing lol
    Delish

  39. Nicole B

    curry carrots. They are always a hit and you can prepare them ahead of time which is handy!

  40. LUCKY

    cranberry sauce!

  41. Emily C

    Potato salad.

  42. nicolthepickle

    Mashed potatoes and then you reheat the whole thing in the oven with more cheese on top.

  43. Eldon

    I like to make ahead carmelized onions

  44. Robyn Bellefleur

    I make a cheese ball ahead of time.

  45. Glogirl

    My favourite make ahead side dish would be a marinated carrot salad.

  46. prairiebelle

    i make my cabbage rolls in advance

  47. lori b

    mine is candied yams

  48. ginette4

    My favourite make ahead side dish is my famous spinach dip

  49. Lushka Smith

    Pumpkin pie, always tastes best made ahead

  50. Lisa Neutel

    i bake pumpkin and apple pies ahead of time..and of course they are my fave

  51. Judy Cowan

    My favourite make-ahead side dish is a sweet potato casserole.

  52. sarah sar

    I like to make puff pastry pinwheels ahead of time…they freeze really well and save me so much time!

  53. Lori L.

    My favourite make ahead appetizer for the holidays is bacon & spinach wrapped chicken bites – so yummy! Thanks for the chance to win!

  54. gene d

    scalloped potatoes

  55. Jolie

    Pumpkin pie & cranberry sauce.

  56. Yuen C

    Mashed potatoes

  57. Amie E

    The pies ! Love the smell of baking ! “D

  60. Ann W

    Cranberry Sauce

  61. Courtney

    Broccoli salad!

  62. David

    mashed potatoes

  63. Anu Chopra

    Apple crisp for dessert!

  65. Jenness M

    I make perogies a couple days before.

  67. Charlene A.

    My favourite make-ahead dish is the Cranberry sauce.

  68. angela m

    I love to make apple pie

  69. Lana H

    I like to make a sweet potato/pecan casserole.

  70. magscheung

    I love to make either my shortbread or french onion soup.

  71. Josh S

    I make ahead dish is the potato salad.

  72. Theresa Black

    My favorite make ahead Thanksgiving dish is Homemade dinner buns and pies 🙂 Thanks so much for the chance.

  73. Jennpup

    I made a quinoa stuffing ahead, it was YUM!

  74. Krista M

    Garlic & Cream Cheese mashed potatoes. They can be made a couple days ahead of time, then baked the night before or the day of. They’re a bit of work, but the taste is worth it!

  76. Jenny

    Pumpkin pie 🙂

  77. Shelley N

    My favourite make ahead side dish for the holidays is a 3 fruit cranberry sauce. I found the recipe years ago. very yummy

  78. Nate Fuller

    Mostly the desserts get made ahead of time, pies, cakes cookies!

  80. Jay M (@JaySaver)

    I usually make a few batches of Grandma’s spice cookies for neighbours and friends a couple of weeks before Christmas. Always gets me in the mood for more Christmas baking!

  81. marie s

    i make broccoli casserole bake. very easy

  82. favgreen(Rhonda W G.)

    I make the tomato jelly salad passed down from famly!

  83. Valerie Mallette

    My favourite make-ahead side dish for Thanksgiving and the holidays is butternut squash soup.

  85. Nicole

    Cheesy loaded mashed potatoes

  86. Jane Reid

    I make lots of dishes ahead of time for the holidays soups which I freeze home baked bread to freeze and mountains of ice Cream

  87. Silvia D

    i make homemade buns and cranberry sauce ahead of time.

  88. tracy k.

    apple pie

  90. aly3360

    My favourite make ahead meal is scalloped potatoes with cheese. They’re great the first day and even better the next day (or the day after that).

    – amber y