Looking for a delicious and different potato side dish? Try this cheesy potato casserole from the 1960s. It’s a retro recipe that your whole family will love.
My favorite food group is potatoes. I love them in almost every form. They are a big reason why you won’t see me on any of the low-carb diets.
The dish I look forward to the most every Thanksgiving and Christmas is mashed potatoes. I always make enough that I have a ton leftover.
I love just simple mashed potatoes with butter, cream, salt, and pepper but I also love to add cheese and garlic sometimes. Those are two more of my favorite foods.
When looking through Betty Crocker’s Hostess Cookbook from 1967, I saw a recipe for a cheesy potato casserole. I was prepared for it to have mayo or jello in it since so many vintage casserole recipes do, but this one looked pretty “normal.”
It did have one different ingredient, corn flakes. While different it didn’t sound bad, a little crunch on the top of potatoes sounded interested.
Tips for Making Vintage Cheesy Potato Casserole
The original recipe did call for mashed Potato Buds, which are instant potatoes. I don’t allow instant potatoes in my house. They just don’t compare to the real thing.
I decided I could make this dish with real mashed potatoes and make it even better. I did also up the amount of cheese and seasoning because the original amounts were a bit bland if you ask me.
To crunch up the cornflakes I used a meat tenderizer. It makes it really easy to crush all of them quickly. You could also throw them in a food processer or just use a ziplock bag.
This would be a great side dish for Thanksgiving or Christmas. You can prep it ahead of time and heat it for about 30-40 minutes, depending on how cold it is, before the meal. It also would be easy to double this dish for a bigger crowd.
Helpful Tools
You can likely make this vintage casserole with things you already have on hand but these are the things I found useful. They are also good tools to have and hand in your kitchen in general.
Vintage Cheesy Potato Casserole

A fun vintage cheesy potato casserole recipe the whole family will enjoy.
Ingredients
- 6 cups mashed potatoes
- 1 teaspoon garlic
- 1 tablespoon parsley
- 2 cups of shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 1/2 cups corn flakes (crushed)
- 2 tablespoons butter (softened)
- 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Prepare your mashed potatoes with salt and pepper to taste.
- Stir in garlic, parsley, and cheese. Taste to see if you want more seasoning.
- Pour into a 8-inch square pan.
- Mix remaining ingredients and sprinkle over the potatoes.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 456Total Fat: 29gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 2gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 65mgSodium: 1017mgCarbohydrates: 33gFiber: 3gSugar: 3gProtein: 17g
Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.
Jen T says
For extra crunch, I like adding French fried onions to potato casseroles. 🙂
Deanna Piercy says
I remember a couple of different potato casseroles with cornflake toppings but not on mashed potatoes. Sounds delicious!