My grandmother made this every Sunday during hard times. Three ingredients and it fed the whole family.

This oven baked 3-ingredients potato soup casserole is the kind of dish that quietly held my family together during lean years. It’s inspired by the way many Midwestern grandmothers stretched a few basics into a Sunday meal that could feed a crowd: potatoes, canned cream of potato soup, and a splash of milk. Everything bakes together in one deep casserole dish until the potatoes are tender, the top is lightly golden, and the edges bubble like a thick, cozy potato soup. It’s not fancy, but it’s filling, budget-friendly, and exactly the sort of practical comfort food that shows up when times are hard and you still want everyone to sit down to something warm and homemade.

Serve this casserole hot, straight from the oven, with a simple green salad or steamed frozen vegetables to add some color and freshness to the plate. A loaf of crusty bread, dinner rolls, or even plain toast works well for soaking up the creamy sauce. If you have it on hand, a small bowl of pickles or tangy coleslaw on the side provides a nice contrast to the rich potatoes. For a fuller Sunday-style spread, pair it with roasted carrots or applesauce and a pot of hot tea or coffee.

Servings: 6-8

3 pounds russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks

Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Lightly grease a deep oval casserole dish (about 2 1/2 to 3 quarts) with a bit of oil or butter if you have it, just to help prevent sticking.

Peel the potatoes and cut them into roughly 1/2-inch chunks. Try to keep the pieces close in size so they cook evenly. Pile the cut potatoes directly into the casserole dish, spreading them into an even layer.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the condensed cream of potato soup and the milk until smooth and well combined. The mixture will be fairly thick but pourable, similar to a loose chowder base.

Pour the soup-and-milk mixture evenly over the potatoes in the casserole dish. Use a spoon to gently stir and fold so every potato piece is coated and the liquid is distributed throughout. Smooth the top into an even layer.

Cover the casserole tightly with foil to trap the moisture, which helps the potatoes soften and keeps the texture creamy, like a baked potato soup. Place the dish on the middle rack of the preheated oven.

Bake covered for 45 minutes. Carefully remove the foil (watch for steam), then return the uncovered casserole to the oven.

Continue baking, uncovered, for another 25 to 35 minutes, or until the potatoes are very tender when pierced with a fork and the top is lightly golden in spots with bubbly edges. The mixture should be thick and creamy, not watery.

Once done, remove the casserole from the oven and let it rest for about 10 minutes. This short resting time allows the sauce to settle and thicken slightly, giving you that spoonable, hearty potato soup casserole texture with visible tender chunks.

Serve the casserole hot, scooping down through the creamy layers so each portion has plenty of potatoes and sauce. Leftovers reheat well in a low oven or gently on the stovetop with a splash of extra milk if needed to loosen the texture.

This recipe is intentionally bare-bones, reflecting how families made do with what they had, but you can adjust it to your pantry and taste. If you want a bit more flavor without adding extra main ingredients, lean on your spice cabinet: sprinkle the top lightly with black pepper, paprika, or dried herbs before baking. You can also stir in a teaspoon of garlic powder or onion powder with the soup and milk for more depth. For a slightly richer version that still honors the three-ingredient spirit, swap part of the milk for evaporated milk or half-and-half if you have it. If your potatoes are very starchy, you can add an extra splash of milk to keep the casserole looser and more soup-like. To stretch the dish even further, serve it over slices of toast or ladle it into bowls and thin each portion with a bit of hot water or broth at the table. Leftovers can be mashed lightly with a fork and used as a filling for savory hand pies or spooned into a skillet, pressed flat, and pan-fried into crisp potato cakes the next day.