My take on a classic Southern Hash Brown Casserole includes shredded hash browns, homemade soup concentrate, and lots of cheese. Similar to the one from Cracker Barrel, but better - because mine is made with love, the way my Grandma used to do it.Â
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I feel like every region in the United States has their own version of Hash Brown Casserole. When I was in my 20's, I moved back to Mississippi and, if I was lucky, Olga Mae (my Grandma) would have a pan of hers on the stovetop when I went to visit on Sundays. She called them her Sunday Potatoes. Olga Mae was pretty clever.
In the Midwest there's another version called Funeral Potatoes, I guess because they're an easy dish to bring to someone's house after a funeral? Most funeral potatoes are topped with corn flakes. Olga Mae topped her potatoes with crushed Ritz crackers. Told you she was clever.
Update: It wasn't until, I'm gonna say 2022, that I went to a Cracker Barrel for the first time in my life and ordered their hash brown casserole, and realized that it was remarkably similar to my Grandmother's potato casserole. Mind blown. Hers is still better 😉
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Ingredients & Substitutions
- Cream of chicken soup concentrate - We will be making our own in this recipe with butter, flour, chicken broth, milk, and a tiny bit of dried bouillon, but you are free to use a store-bought can if you want.
- Hash browns - This recipe calls for a fresh bag of hash browns, usually found in the egg and bacon section of your local Mega Market. If you can't find them, you can use 20 ounces of frozen hash browns. Just allow them to thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
- Onion - Half an onion - red, white, or yellow - sautéed in a bit of butter, is added in for an extra boost of flavor.
- Shredded cheese - You can use whatever cheese suits your fancy in this recipe. I tend to use whatever I have in my fridge at potato time. My preferred combo is cheddar jack, sometimes with a bit of mozzarella (for that oozy, melty factor.)
- Sour cream - Adds, well, creaminess and a touch of tang.
- Cream cheese - See above, and also keeps the sour cream from separating as it bakes.
- Salt - Potatoes are inherently bland and literally cry out for salt. There is salt in the soup concentrate, but you'll want to add more salt when mixing this together, and taste for seasoning before you put in in the baking pan.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How to make Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole
- Make your "soup" So simple. Melt butter in a small saucepan. Using a small whisk, whisk in flour and cook for one or two minutes, to give it some color and to cook out the raw flour taste. Whisk in chicken broth, then milk, and simmer, stirring constantly, until thickened, about three minutes. Add a teaspoon of chicken bouillon or a pinch of salt.
- Sauté onions Give half a chopped onion a quick sauté in a tablespoon of butter, remove from the heat and add three more tablespoons of butter. Set aside for the butter to melt.
- Mix In a large bowl, mix together your soup, seasonings, onions, sour cream, cream cheese, and all but ½ cup of your cheese. Add your potatoes and gently fold together until all the potatoes are coated.
- Bake Place your potato mixture in a buttered casserole or 10 inch cast iron skillet, or a square baking pan, and topped with the reserved cheese. Bake at 400°F for 35-40 minutes, or until it is bubbly and the cheese on top is nicely browned.
- Make ahead To make mealtime go as smoothly as possible, while still getting warm potato belly, you can make this ahead of time. After assembly, cover the baking pan, and refrigerate for up to two days. You may need to adjust the baking time by 10 minutes to account for the chill, and cover the pan with foil if the top is browning too quickly.
Love a good casserole? Try my Biscuits and Gravy Breakfast Casserole, with layers of potatoes, sausage, and eggs, covered in creamy country gravy and topped with flaky biscuits!
Serving Suggestions
- Breakfast Serve these beauties with fried eggs and some crispy bacon for a classic breakfast or breakfast chops for a Southern twist.
- Brunch/Dinner What could be better than steak and eggs with a big serving of Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole on the side? No really, I'm asking. What?
- Anytime I'm literally sitting here with a bowl of leftover Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole as I type this. For motivation, of course.
📖 Recipe
Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole
Recommended Equipment
Ingredients
Chicken "soup"
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 3 tablespoons flour
- ½ cup chicken broth
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon optional
- 1 teaspoon salt if you don't use bouillon
Hash browns
- 20 oz fresh cubed or shredded hash brown potatoes
- Chicken soup concentrate from above, or 1 can of cream of chicken soup concentrate
- ½ onion finely diced
- 4 tablespoon unsalted butter divided
- 2 cups shredded cheese divided
- 4 ounces cream cheese ½ block,softened and cut or torn in chunks
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Garnish
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, melt butter. Whisk in flour and let cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Slowly stir in chicken broth, then milk. Continue whisking until it begins to thicken. Add bouillon and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside to cool
- Sauté onion in 1 tbs butter until just beginning to turn translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and add 3 tablespoons of butter and allow to melt in residual heat.
- Preheat oven to 400° Butter the inside of a 10 inch cast iron skillet or a square baking pan.
- Add all soup concentrate, diced onion with butter, all but ½ cup of your shredded cheese, cream cheese, sour cream, and seasonings to a mixing bowl and Mix well. Add potatoes and fold together until completely combined.
- Transfer to the well-buttered square baking pan or 10 inch cast iron skillet. Top with the reserved shredded cheese and bake at 400 until golden brown on top, about 35-40 minutes.
- If you want the cheese more browned and crispy on top, place the casserole under a broiler for 3-4 minutes - watch it carefully!!
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Amazing recipe! Made it for dinner and warmed up some for next morning breakfast. So easy and insane flavor. Better than any restaurant offering.
Thank you so much!
i made a mini version of this recipe for breakfast yesterday, and it came out perfectly! so so so luscious and tasty.
I’m so glad you made it work for you! I love these potatoes!