Italian Mashed Potatoes with Ricotta and Parmesan 

Italian Mashed Potatoes is delicious and easy way to make the most incredible mashed potatoes. Don’t miss this simple recipe that’s great for special occasions but are easy enough to make on a weeknight.

Never stress about getting mashed potatoes right again! These creamy Italian Mashed Potatoes are baked into a casserole can be made in advance and warmed right before serving. Perfect for your Thanksgiving dinner menu. 

For another delicious potato recipe, give these Italian Roasted Potatoes a try! And, if you love all mashed potatoes, then you definitely don’t want to miss these Boursin Mashed Potatoes, Cacio e Pepe Mashed Potatoes, or classic Ricotta Mashed Potatoes. For a delicious stuffing, try this Pretzel Bread Stuffing recipe!

You’ll Love Italian Mashed Potatoes

If you are looking for a flavorful and stress-free mashed potato recipe, this is it! Italian Mashed Potatoes are a simple and easy recipe with perfect results every time. 

What makes the potatoes so special is the combination of ricotta and parmesan cheeses. The ricotta keeps the potatoes super moist while the parmesan adds a deliciously cheesy flavor. 

This dish is pure comfort food with an irresistible creamy texture. It’s great for your holiday table or any special occasion.

The potatoes used here are red skinned potatoes. These have a very thin skin and peeling ahead of time is not necessary! Plus, keep the red skin adds a wonderful flavor and texture to the potatoes. 

You could mash the potatoes and serve as is, but I like to then transfer these to a casserole dish and top with breadcrumbs and more cheese. This gives it an irresistible flavor and pretty presentation. 

Mashed Potato Casserole is the perfect make ahead potato dish for the holidays. Guests are going to love the Italian flavors of this dish. You can’t beat the perfect creamy and cheesy mashed potato with a fun bread crumb topping. 

Italian Mashed Potatoes are one side dish you need to try. They are the perfect potatoes for any occasion and great for Thanksgiving and the holidays.

Ingredients and Variations

• Potatoes: I like to use red skinned potatoes here because you really don’t need to peel them ahead of time. You can substitute peeled russet potatoes or yukon gold potatoes here. 
• Butter: use salted or unsalted butter for this dish. Room temperature butter works best.
• Ricotta cheese: add in a cup of ricotta cheese, either whole milk or part-skim ricotta work. If love you really cheesy potatoes, add in a bit of mozzarella cheese her too. Can’t find ricotta? Use cream cheese instead.
• Parmesan cheese: use parmesan cheese for both the mashed potatoes and the topping. 
• Milk: use either 2% or whole milk. For extra rich potatoes, use half and half or heavy cream instead. Sour cream can be used here as well.

• Salt and pepper: kosher salt and fresh black pepper for flavoring. 
• Garlic powder: I like to add a bit of garlic powder in this recipe for flavoring.
• Bread crumbs: use Italian-style bread crumbs for the topping. Homemade bread crumbs work too. 
• Olive oil: the olive oil is used to drizzle on top of the Italian mashed potatoes before baking. 

How to Make Italian Mashed Potatoes

If you are making the dish for now, preheat oven to 350 degrees. You can also put the potatoes together through step 4 below, and cover and refrigerate and bake later. 

Step 1: cook the potatoes

Dice the red potatoes into large chunks. I personally like to keep the skin on red potatoes, so I don’t peel them. Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook until fork tender, about 12-15 minutes.  

Step 2: combine with other ingredients

Drain the cooked potatoes and return to the pot. Add in the butter, ricotta, milk parmesan, kosher salt, and garlic powder. 

Step 3: mash 

Mash the potato mixture using a potato masher. You can also save time by using a hand held mixer to mash the potatoes. The handheld mixer is a great way to save time.

If you like really creamy potatoes, put them through a potato ricer before adding the remaining ingredients. 

Step 4: add topping and bake

Pour the mashed potato mixture into a 9×9 inch baking dish or casserole dish. Sprinkle on parmesan and breadcrumbs and drizzle with olive oil. 

At this point, you and either refrigerate the casserole or bake if serving immediately. Bake, covered for 20 minutes and then uncover and bake for another five minutes until golden brown. 

If baking straight from the refrigerator, just add about 10-15 minutes to the baking time. Insert a meat thermometer in the middle of the potatoes to ensure that they are warmed through. 

Recipe Tips

• Red potatoes are a great potato to use here because it is thin-skinned and doesn’t need to be peeled. You can use other types of potatoes, just peel the skin first. 
• Always fill the pot of potatoes with cold water. This will ensure more even cooking. 
• Drain the potatoes and add the remaining ingredients directly to the pot. The warmth of the pot will help to warm all of the other ingredients, plus, less mess! 
• If desired, you can skip the baking dish and just serve the Italian mashed potatoes as is without the topping. 
• Serving a large crowd? You can easily make a double batch of this recipe and serve in a large dish.
• To make ahead, prepare the entire dish without baking, cover and refrigerate. When ready to bake, add an additional 10-15 minutes to the baking time. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Got leftover mashed potatoes? Use them to make these delicious Mashed Potato Cakes!

More Holiday Recipes!