This Hashbrown Casserole is the holiday side dish I make when I want something hot and cheesy that goes together in one bowl with no pre-cooking. Frozen diced hash browns are stirred with cream of mushroom soup, milk, chopped onion, and cheddar, spread into a greased 9x13 dish, topped with more cheddar, and baked uncovered until the edges bubble and the top turns golden. The potatoes go in straight from the freezer, so there's no thawing, and the oven does the rest. It serves 8, takes about 10 minutes to put together and 1 hour to bake, and you can assemble it the day before.
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
Chunky Potatoes, Creamy Sauce, One Bowl
This is the dish my mom made every holiday, and it's still a family favorite. I've made it many times over the last 35 years, and now my kids ask me to make it, even though they're grown.
What makes this version different from a lot of hashbrown casserole recipes is the sauce. I skip the sour cream they call for. Milk and cream of mushroom soup make a sauce that's creamy without any tang, and diced hash browns give you heartier, chunkier bites than shredded.
I know some people don't like canned mushroom soup. I get it, but this is a holiday treat, and the holidays are the time to take a break from counting calories.
Planning a full holiday spread? My classic green bean casserole and sweet potato casserole with marshmallows go with this one. And if you like cooking with cream of mushroom soup, my pork chops with cream of mushroom soup are another one to try.
Key Ingredients:
All ingredients and their amounts are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Frozen Diced Hash Browns: These are the base of the casserole, and I use the small cubed kind. I use one 800 g package. Diced hash browns give you hearty, chunky bites, which is exactly what I want.
Cream of Mushroom Soup: This is the one ingredient I don't recommend changing if you can help it. Two cans of condensed soup make the sauce, and mushroom gives the casserole a deeper, earthier flavor than cream of chicken.
Cheddar Cheese: I use 1-½ cups total. One cup is stirred into the mixture, where it melts into the sauce, and the other ½ cup goes on top for the golden, bubbly crust. If you don't have cheddar, you can use Colby or Gruyère cheese.
Pro Tip: Grate the cheddar yourself from a block. Block cheese melts smoother than bagged shredded cheese, which is coated to keep it from clumping.
Milk: One cup of milk loosens the condensed soup, so the sauce spreads through every piece of potato instead of sitting in clumps.
Onion and Butter: One chopped onion adds a little flavor to the sauce. Chop it small so it cooks through during the hour in the oven. I also stir in 1 teaspoon of butter for a little richness.
Want more flavor? Salt, black pepper, or a pinch of garlic powder are easy to add to taste.
How to Make Hashbrown Casserole
Before you start: Heat the oven to 350°F (180°C). You'll need a large mixing bowl and a 9x13 inch (23x33 cm) casserole dish. Grease the dish before you start mixing so it's ready to fill. The amounts for everything are in the recipe card.
- Grate the cheese and mix everything but the milk. I grate the cheddar first and set aside ½ cup for the top. In a large bowl, I add the 2 cans of soup, the frozen diced hash browns, the chopped onion, the butter, and the 1 cup of cheddar that goes in the mixture, and I stir it all together.
- Add the milk. I pour in the milk and stir again until every piece of potato is coated and I can't see any streaks of soup.
- Fill the dish and add the cheese. I pour the mixture into the greased dish, spread it in an even layer, and press it level with the back of a spoon so it bakes evenly. Then I sprinkle the remaining ½ cup of cheddar over the top.
- Bake uncovered. I bake it for 1 hour. It's done when the edges are bubbling and the top is golden. If the top is still pale at the hour mark, I give it 5 more minutes.
- Rest, then serve. I let the casserole sit for 5 minutes. Don't skip this, because the sauce thickens as it rests. Then I serve it hot.
Jeri's Top Tips
Mix it really well. Soup that isn't fully stirred in leaves dry pockets of potato, and those bites come out of the oven plain. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl as you stir so none of the soup gets left behind.
Set the topping cheese aside first. Measure out the ½ cup for the top before you start mixing, so it doesn't end up in the bowl by mistake. Don't skip that top layer. It's what gives you the golden, bubbly finish.
Bake it uncovered. Covering the dish traps steam, and you want the top to brown. Leave the foil off for the whole hour, and if you made it ahead, take the cover off before it goes in the oven.
Make Ahead, Freezing, and Leftovers
Make ahead: Assemble the casserole in the baking dish, cover it tightly, and refrigerate it unbaked for up to 1 day. Bake it straight from the fridge. It may need a few extra minutes, so check that the center is hot and the edges are bubbling.
Freezing: You can freeze this casserole unbaked. Wrap the dish in plastic wrap, then in aluminum foil. When you're ready to bake it, thaw it overnight in the fridge, take off the wrapping, and bake as directed.
Leftovers: Cool the casserole, cover it or move it to an airtight container, and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Reheat covered with aluminum foil in a 350°F oven until it's steaming hot throughout (165°F), or microwave individual portions.
What to Serve with Hashbrown Casserole
Baked ham, double smoked ham, and pellet smoker turkey are the obvious main dishes to serve it with at holiday dinners like Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter. For more ideas, see my post on what to serve with baked ham.
This cheesy hashbrown casserole works just as well next to chicken, pork, or Traeger reverse sear steak on a regular dinner night, and it's a good one to bring to potlucks since you can assemble it the day before. It also holds a spot at a brunch table next to eggs and bacon.
FAQs
I haven't tested it. Fresh potatoes hold more moisture than frozen, so the bake time and texture could change.
I haven't tried it, but both are condensed soups with a similar consistency, so they're the closest swaps. The flavor will be a little different from the earthier mushroom version.
I've only made it as written in one 9x13 inch dish. If you need to feed a bigger crowd, I'd bake two 9x13 dishes instead of packing one dish deeper, since the bake time would change.
They're very similar cheesy potato casseroles. Funeral potatoes usually have a crunchy topping, like cornflakes. This hash brown casserole recipe has a cheddar top instead.
Printable Recipe
Hashbrown Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 package frozen diced hash browns (800 g)
- 2 cans 10.5 oz / 284 mL each condensed cream of mushroom soup
- 1 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon butter
- 1 onion chopped
- 1½ cups grated cheddar cheese divided (1 cup for the mixture, ½ cup for the top)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish and set it aside.
- If you're grating your own cheese, grate 1½ cups of cheddar. Measure out 1 cup for the mixture and set the other ½ cup aside for the top.
- In a large bowl, combine the cream of mushroom soup, frozen diced hash browns, chopped onion, butter, and the cheddar for the mixture. Stir until combined.
- Add the milk and stir again until every piece of potato is coated and you can't see any streaks of soup.
- Pour the mixture into the greased dish and spread it into an even layer. Press it level with the back of a spoon so it bakes evenly.
- Making it ahead? Stop here, cover the dish tightly, and refrigerate for up to 1 day. Baking now? Go straight to the next step.
- Sprinkle the remaining cheddar evenly over the top.
- Bake uncovered for 1 hour, until the edges are bubbling and the top is golden. If the top is still pale at 1 hour, bake for 5 more minutes.
- Let the casserole stand for 5 minutes so the sauce can thicken. Serve hot.
Want to save this recipe for later? 💌
Enter your email below and I'll send the recipe straight to your inbox! Plus, you'll get new recipes from me each week!
Notes
Nutrition
The provided nutrition information is automatically calculated. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Did you love this recipe?
Then please leave a 5-star rating and/or review below! You can also save it! Just tap the heart symbol ❤️ in the lower right corner of your screen, and the recipe will be stored in your own recipe box!📥
Comments
No Comments