Easy Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole

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This Easy Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole is the perfect complement to many dinner dishes and this great tasting side is also simple to prepare.

Easy Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole

My Easy Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole is the perfect mix of hash brown potatoes, with a creamy cheesy sauce and topped with Cornflakes for added crunch.

This Easy Potato side is a must have on my dinner table for Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. However, it also makes a great addition to any potluck dinner.

When my family eats dinner at Cracker Barrel, a favorite side dish to order is Hashbrown Casserole, sometimes referred to as Funeral Potatoes Casserole.

I have seen a few variations around, but none that everyone in my family loved as much as the restaurant version.

So finally, after a few rounds of trial and error, this is the result that works best for us, and is what we refer to as Copycat Cracker Barrel Hash Brown Casserole at our house.

Best of all, everyone says this Easy Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole Recipe tastes BETTER the 2nd day as leftovers, that’s assuming there are any leftovers!

What is a hash brown?

Hash browns are traditionally a breakfast dish, made with shredded potatoes which are then fried. I use bags of shredded hash brown potatoes when making this Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole.

How to make Easy Hashbrown Casserole:

• Look out all the ingredients, ready to start cooking.
• Prepare your hash browns.

• Spray your pan with non-stick cooking spray.
• Saute your onions in a pan with a dab of butter, until they become translucent.

• Mix your soup, sour cream, melted butter, cheese and sauteed onions in a bowl.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper.

• Add in the hash browns and give everything a good stir to combine.

• Pour the cheesy potato mixture into the baking dish.
• Place the dish in the oven and bake at 350F for 1 hour.

• Crush your Corn Flakes into tiny bits (see the photo above).
• Melt your butter on the stove and then pour over the corn flakes, mixing well.
• When the hour is up, remove the dish from the oven, pour the corn flake mix on top, spreading the mixture over the entire pan.
• Return to the oven to bake for a further 15 minutes.

Can you make Hashbrown Casserole in the Crock Pot or Slow Cooker? 

Yes, this dish can be easily made in your slow cooker, here are the instructions to help you:

• Assemble as instructed above in the recipe, up to the point of baking in the oven.
• Place the potato mixture into a lightly greased Crock Pot OR use a crock pot liner
• Heat on low for 4-5 hours or high for 3 1/2 hours. 
• Top with buttered cornflakes and let it cook for 1 additional hour, then serve.

Hashbrown Casserole ingredients & flavor variations:

• HASHBROWNS: I have found that 1/2 bag of frozen hashbrowns, thawed in the refrigerator the day you are cooking, works best for us as it helps get rid of any excess moisture. However, some of you may prefer to use fresh potatoes and that would work just fine too, just shred them and add as normal.
• BUTTER: you can use salted or unsalted butter in this dish.
• CANNED SOUP: I use either a can of Cream of Celery or Cream of Chicken soup for my hashbrown casserole as it adds great flavor. Add a can of Cream of Cheddar Soup for extra cheesy flavor.
• SOUR CREAM: adds a creamy element, with just the right amount of acidity. You could use heavy cream if you prefer.
• ONION: adds great flavor to the potatoes. You could also add in some minced garlic if you wanted.
• CHEESE: I use a cup of shredded cheddar cheese as it’s got a great strong flavor, but you can use any variety of cheese, eg Velveeta. When it comes to shredded cheese, the kind you buy pre-shredded works absolutely fine. However, buying a block of cheese and shredding it at home right before you add it tastes the best so I always buy a block and shred the cheese myself.
• CORNFLAKES: add the crunch element to the dish and mixed with some melted butter this is the perfect topping for my hashbrown casserole. If you don’t have Cornflakes you could use breadcrumbs instead or even sprinkle over some ready fried onions from a container of French Fried Onions.

Make this Hashbrown Casserole into a main dish:

This recipe is easily adapted from a simple side dish into the main event. Here are some ideas of ingredients to add to make this dish your own:

• MEAT: a great way of using up leftover roast meats for example add diced or shredded chicken, bacon, ham or browned ground beef to this easy recipe.
• VEGETABLES: stir through your favorite veggies for example bell peppers, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, peas, green beans, sweetcorn. Or how about some jalapenos for a hot and spicy twist.
• HERBS: add a burst of fresh herb flavor by stirring through some fresh parsley, thyme or basil.

Should I thaw hash browns for casserole?

Technically, yes. Thawed hashbrowns cook better than frozen hashbrowns and allows you the chance to remove excess moisture.

That being said, I live in the real world where I forget to thaw things some times. When that happens, I will thaw in the microwave instead of the refrigerator.

I’ve also had times when I was overwhelmed with all of the holiday cooking and needed to just get the casserole baking so I could move on to the next dish, and used them straight from frozen. You DO have to cook it longer to get them done, but it won’t ruin this recipe.

Sometimes if I’m splitting the dish in to two containers and freezing one for later, I’ll thaw half the hash browns and leave the frozen ones to mix up and put with the ingredients I’m freezing.

How to store leftover Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole?

This hashbrown casserole makes the best leftovers next day. So store leftover in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. When ready to heat, place in an oven proof dish, cover with kitchen foil and heat up in a warm oven.

Can you Freeze Hashbrown Casserole?

Yes! As I mentioned above, I love to use this as a handy pre-prepared freezer side dish. You can freeze the hashbrown casserole, either before baking it or after it has been baked and cooled.

I prefer to freezer it before, but either way works. Just be sure to cover tightly with plastic wrap and foil and freeze for up to 3 months. LABEL CLEARLY with the contents and date.

When ready to enjoy, thaw in the refrigerator before baking or reheating in the oven.

Recipe tips:

• Special Dietary Need? Try this Gluten Free Hashbrown Casserole Recipe!
• Feel free to add extra cheese if you want a really cheesy hashbrown casserole! My husband feels like there can never be too much cheese, especially with this dish. That’s why we call them Cheesy Hash Brown Potatoes, to remind me to add EXTRA CHEESE for him.
• One 9×13-inch size dish is the perfect size for 2 meals for our family.
• When you’re using frozen hashbrowns, you may need to allow a few extra minutes baking time in the oven.
• I’ve also divided this hash browns casserole into 2 x 8×8-inch square pans, one to bake & eat right away, another to use as a freezer meal side dish. 
• This recipe for hash brown casserole is an excellent choice for potluck dinners, and disposable pans work very well so you don’t have to worry with clean up or keeping track of a dish!

What to serve with Hashbrown Casserole?

Since this is a side dish, I’ll share some main dish suggestions:

• Slow Cooker Mississippi Pot Roast
• Slow Cooker Mississippi Chicken
• Oven Baked Ranch Pork Chops
• Easy Oven Baked Tilapia
• Oven Baked Salmon

This pairs perfectly with Sprite Rolls!

Don’t miss these additional delicious Side Dish Recipes here at When Is Dinner:

• Roasted Green Beans
• Fried Okra
• Loaded Cream Cheese Corn
• Instant Pot Baked Beans
• Deviled Eggs

These are a few of the items I find useful in my own kitchen when preparing this Hashbrown Casserole Recipe: