With spring here and summer just around the corner, it’s time to dust off your repertoire of side salads for picnics and cookouts. Be sure to include this Loaded Potato Salad recipe with smoky bacon and sharp cheddar.
For some people there are five love languages. For others, there are six.
Yes, potato salad is a love language. At least at my house. Pretty much every member in my family will do a happy dance (at least inside) when they see a bowl of potato salad chilling in the fridge.
Even me.
There’s something so delicious and comforting about a big bowl of potatoes, blanketed in a tangy dressing and dotted with smoky bacon, creamy cheddar, and sharp red onions. This Loaded Potato Salad is pretty much the perfect addition to your next picnic dinner.
Just ask my husband.
I was first inspired to make a recipe like this when I tried one that was out of this world. From Von’s deli, no less. Grocery store deli salads can be hit or miss. This one sunk my battleship. Oh my! It was good.
Rather than pay a king’s ransom for a small tub of the stuff, I set out to craft my own Loaded Potato Salad, complete with bacon, cheese, and two kinds of onions.
I did throw in one little trick. Since I’m trying to make healthy swaps when I can, I use tangy Greek yogurt in place of sour cream. While it doesn’t make bacon and cheese healthy, it at least adds a little more protein to the party.
What’s in potato salad?
Potato salad typically contains cooked, cubed or diced potatoes mixed with chopped onion, celery, hard cooked eggs, seasonings, and a mayonnaise- or sour cream-based dressing. It is usually served cold.
Variations abound as to mix-ins and dressings. For instance, German potato salad is served cold and features a vinaigrette type dressing.
How do you make a loaded potato salad?
A loaded potato salad often focuses on the ingredients of a loaded baked potato: sour cream, chopped green onions, cooked bacon, and shredded cheese.
Bacon, cheddar cheese, and potatoes? How could you go wrong? I offer two options of sauce in this recipe. You can go with the healthier, protein-filled option of plain Greek yogurt, or go for a more traditional route of 1/2 mayonnaise, 1/2 sour cream. Either way, you can’t really lose. How do I know?
Bacon.
How long is potato salad good for?
Potato salad is good for up to 4 days in the refrigerator — if it lasts that long. Note it is best made a day before serving so that the flavors can blend and the potatoes absorb all the yummy dressing.
Are there other ways to make potato salad?
Yep, for sure! I’ve got several ways that I enjoy serving potato salad, including
Those are all good, but if you’re looking for something a little different, then give this salad a spin. It’s pretty simple, what with only a handful of ingredients and that yummy bacon and cheese!
How to make this good and cheap:
Here are some of the strategies you can use to make this recipe more economical:
- Stock up on ingredients when they are on sale. Stock up when you see bacon on sale and stash it in the freezer. Likewise, load up on onions and potatoes.
- Price match. Check your grocery store fliers to see who has the best price on the items on your list.
Tools I use to make this recipe easy:
This is a pretty straight-forward dish. You don’t need any fancy equipment. However, having some good basic kitchen tools can really make your time in the kitchen more enjoyable. Over time, I’ve honed my collection so that they are perfect for my needs. Here are the tools that I like to use in this recipe.
Here are some tools I use to make it EASY:
- 2 1/2 pounds potatoes peeled and cubed
- 3 slices bacon cooked crisp, drained, and chopped
- 2 Tablespoons finely chopped red onion
- 1/2 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese
- 1 to 2 cups plain Greek yogurt or 1/2 sour cream and 1/2 mayonnaise
- fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- chopped scallions for garnish
- In a large pot of salted water, boil the potatoes until tender. Drain and cool.
In a large mixing bowl combine the cooled potatoes, bacon, red onion, cheese, and enough Greek yogurt to bind. Stir gently to combine. Season generously with salt and pepper. Top with scallions.
Chill for at least one hour before serving, though longer is preferable.
If the potatoes appear dry after chilling, that means the potatoes have absorbed the dressing. Add more yogurt or sour cream to taste.
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Thanks for hosting. Have a lovely night 🙂
Love the theme! Love a good picnic. {BBQ!!!} yum!!
I LOVE picnics. I have two recipes that are prefect picnic food, lemon-filled cupcakes and spicy peanut noodle salad. Thanks for hosting.
We would love this and I already have the greek yogurt.
That salad sounds delish. I love greek yogurt and try to substitute it in recipes as much as possible. I will have to try this one.
Thanks so much for hosting. Your potato salad looks amazing! And so simple too. I will definitely be trying this soon!
I am sharing a recipe for healthy homemade hummus. It is so yummy and costs much less than store bought. It’s a favorite at our house!
Thanks again,
Mindy
I love this potato salad, I’m going to try it. I might add some color, green onions and red peppers? What do you think?
This potato salad is just what I’ve been looking for! I’m not really a traditional potato salad kind of girl. My family always makes one with mustard and eggs included. Just not my thing. Your recipe sounds so good! Thank you for sharing 🙂
Thanks for hosting. Your potato salad looks great, I love the idea of using greek yogurt! I linked up my Grandma’s recipe for potato salad (which ironically enough I blogged about today too), as well as my fruit salsa and jello cheesecake trifle (which is perfect in a tupperware bowl and scoop out at a picnic).
Enjoy!
Aimee
I will plan on making this potato salad; it sounds so good. I have never tried the Greek yogurt, but have heard of it recently numerous times. If I don’t like it, the next time I will use mayo! We can eat anything as there are no allergies or food sensitivities.
Thanks and God bless.
Looks delish!
love the idea of a picnic each week! there was a recipe in kraft family and foods for blt wraps – does use mayo, but I tried making it and we will definitely be making it for local picnics/dinners on the go. mayo and crm cheese mixed together, fold in chopped tomatoes and crumbled bacon gently, then spread on flour tortilla, add chopped romaine lettuce, roll tortillas tightly and then cut into slices.
I’m not a huge fan of traditional “picnic” foods, plus I have a few vegan friends, so when we have a cookout I always make a big pan of Bleack Bean and Sweet Potato Burritos. We cook them on the grill for a few minutes, until they turn nice and crisp. It’s a nice change of pace from veggie burgers or picking at side dishes!
Do great minds think alike or what?!
I just finished preparing my ‘loaded potato salad’ to include in tonight’s dinner which will be featuring BLT’s…yum! Reminds me of summer which we aren’t experiencing here yet. :{ Along the lines of your potato salad, mine include an ingredient that I see yours did not…diced pickle! Try it. You will be pleasantly surprised.
What other way do we think alike? Weekly picnics for me and my crew. I want this summer to be fun and hoping to leave some good memoires. I’ve made out a daily (weekdays only) routine to hit the library to take up their summer reading program, picnic at the park, science experiment/craft day, painting day along with ‘visit a friend/family’ and the beach or pool, depending on weather. To top it all off, we’ll plan to bike it into our little city whenever possible since we live right off the bike trail – wahoo!
My lunch menu is always like a disaster without plans (even planning for the disaster) so I wrote up as many meals for lunch that could be portable for the most part and to be intentional overall. I worked out enough for a whole month of meals which I will repeat for the summer months. I’m loving this break already! I hope my kids do too.
Thanks for many of those inspirations!
How does the greek yogurt taste in it? Is it sour tasting?
The original that I was copying had sour cream. The greek yogurt has a very similar taste. Tangy, but not overly sour.
Our favorite picnic food is a big sandwich….we take a loaf of french bread and put some lunch meat and cheese on it, lettuce and then we serve with sliced tomatoes, green peppers, banana peppers, oil and vinegar. Serve on paper plates and this is a very wonderful filling sandwich! We usually have to make at least 4 for a small family gathering though! Another simple picnic is a loaf of crusty bread, sliced cheese, grapes and apples, and some sparkling water and maybe some sliced sausage from an ethnic store.
What a wonderful idea to plan in picnics. My daughter has been begging for a picnic. I think I will take the opportunity with this awesome looking recipe and plan one!
Thanks
I shared a recipe for roasted carrots which meet my requirements for picnic food. They keep for a few days in the fridge and are great at room temperature. thanks for this roundup, great topic!
Wow, this sounds awesome! I love potato salad too and while I too am not afraid of mayo or sour cream, too much is not good. This sounds like a wonderful swap! I am going to try it for sure! Thanks!
Have you ever tried freezing this?
That’s not something I would recommend. Potatoes get a little funky when frozen. You can do it, but there is a texture change. I’m not sure I would want to with potato salad. If you’re feeling wild and crazy, though, freeze a small portion next time you make this and see how you like it after it thaws.
https://goodcheapeats.com/2010/12/freezing-potatoes/