We’re taking comfort food to the next level with these Slow Cooker Loaded Mashed Potatoes.
Bacon, ranch, cheese and chives oh my.
When we say loaded, we really mean it! These garlicky mashed potatoes have it all. Slow cooked to buttery perfection and loaded with all the goods – crispy bacon, gooey cheese, creamy ranch and freshly chopped chives. So much flavor in every.single.bite.
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Like, what more could you ask for?
It’s a side-dish everyone will love. You simply can’t beat a good ol’ scoop of loaded mashed potato to round out a meal. We like to pair these potatoes with a perfectly grilled grass-fed steak from Butcher Box and roasted broccoli or Brussels. Slow Cooker Loaded Mashed Potatoes will make an ‘okay’ meal turn it into an incredibly delicious meal you’ll want to make again and again.
Cheese is recommended but optional.
If you are one that doesn’t tolerate dairy or maybe you’re currently eliminating it from your diet, than you can totally omit the cheese. They’ll still be awesome thanks to the ranch, bacon, garlic and chives, we promise.
So how do these Slow Cooker Loaded Mashed Potatoes come together?
First, the cubed potatoes are tossed into the slow cooker with broth and garlic and let cook on high for 4 hours until tender and mashable. While the potatoes cook, we made our homemade ranch (you can use a pre-made one of you wish), cooked up a few strips of bacon, shredded some grass-fed cheddar cheese and chopped some fresh chives. All in all, it took only about 20 minutes to get this done.
When the potatoes were tender, we mashed them right in the slow cooker then stirred in the ranch, bacon, cheese and chives reserving some of each for adding on top.
Are you ready to dig?
We are!
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Let’s Get Cookin’
Slow Cooker Loaded Mashed Potatoes with Ranch
These fluffy mashed potatoes loaded with bacon, cheddar and chives topped with a creamy ranch dressing are pretty much a comfort food dream-come-true.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 4 hours
- Total Time: 4 hours 20 mins
- Yield: Serves 12 1x
- Category: Side Dish, Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 4 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 1 cup chicken broth (or water)
- ¼ cup ghee or butter (use ghee for Whole30-friendly)
- 4 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- 4 strips crisp cooked bacon, chopped
- ½ cup homemade ranch or store-purchased
- 6 oz. shredded cheddar cheese + additional for topping (1-1 1/2 cups) (Omit for Whole30-friendly option or substitute ¼ cup nutritional yeast)
- ¼ cup chopped chives
Instructions
- Halve or quarter potatoes into 1- to 1 ½-inch chunks. Place in slow cooker.
- Add ghee or butter, liquid, garlic and salt.
- Place lid on slow cooker and set heat to HIGH. Cook 4 hours or until potatoes are tender and mashable.
- Using a potato masher or immersion blender, mash potatoes adding additional water or broth as needed to achieve desired consistency.
- Add bacon, ranch dressing, cheese and chives and stir well to combine. Top with additional cheese, a drizzle of ranch and a sprinkle of bacon and chives if you’d like.
- Serve immediately or hold in slow cooker set to ‘Warm’ until ready to serve.
Notes
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Nutrition
- Serving Size: 12th recipe
- Calories: 296
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 271mg
- Fat: 13g
- Carbohydrates: 41g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 7g
Are you a Ranch fan, too? What’s your favorite comfort food side dish? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.
Pin now to make later!
Photo Credit: The photos in this blog post were taken by Jess of Plays Well with Butter.