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This Easy Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole is a crowd favorite at any gathering. Simply mix the ingredients together and bake! It could not be any easier!
This cheesy hash brown casserole recipe is ideal when you are mad at your arteries, need to grow into a new pair of pants, or just feel like people would love you more if there was more of you to love. Really the healthiest thing in this dish is your fork. Yeah… but it is worth it.
Why is this Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole Easy?
If you are going to get fat, it is nice if you at least don’t have to spend a lot of effort doing it, and this recipe has you covered (like the tarp you’ll soon be wearing for a shirt)! This cheesy hash brown casserole could not possibly be any easier to make becauseyou don’t have any cutting, peeling, measuring, or sautéing to do! Every ingredient can be purchased from the grocery store in the exact quantity needed for this recipe. Just dump them together and throw it in the oven!
How to Make Easy Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole
You will want to purchase frozen shredded hash brown potatoes from the grocery store.Freezing potatoes actually damages their internal structure which allows them to bake up fluffier, which is what we need for this casserole. Being an overachiever I tried shredding the potatoes from scratch and then proceeded to bake it so long my stove's union representative finally filed an unfair labor practice complaint against me... but the raw potato shreds still never softened sufficiently.
Most Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole recipes call for sour cream. However, I make my Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole without sour cream. My secret ingredient for this dish is using Green Onion Dip instead, it adds a subtle herbal tanginess. Dean's sells a Green Onion Dip as does the "Top the Tater" brand. However, you are certainly welcomed to use sour cream instead if you wish.
This dish bakes up perfectly in a 9x13" baking dish, or a 12" cast iron skillet. Technically you could make this recipe in the slow cooker instead, but you would be missing out on the great crisp texture from the crust browning in the oven.
Easy Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole Recipe
Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole is ideal when you are mad at your arteries, need to grow into a new pair of pants, or just feel like people would love you more if there was more of you to love. But the recipe is so easy and delicious, it is worth it!
Open can of cream of chicken soup, bag of hash browns, Green Onion Dip container, and bag of shredded cheddar cheese and pour them all into a large bowl.
Add melted butter to the mixture and combine thoroughly.
Pour hash brown mixture into a 9x13 baking dish or a 12” cast iron pan.
Bake uncovered for 1 hour or until brown crust begins toform on top.
This recipe was originally published on FoxValleyFoodie.com January 6, 2015.
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Pamela
I made this tonight to go along with dinner. First words out of my significant others mouth was WOW and I have to agree! I only had about 6oz sour cream but I did have some Deans French onion dip so I used that for the balance. It was perfect! Will be making often I’m sure.
Frozen hash browns will leak moisture during cooking, which could leave a soggy, sad mess behind. For the best results, let the frozen hash browns thaw overnight in the fridge, then thoroughly pat them dry to remove as much moisture as possible before cooking them to crispy.
The biggest culprit that's making your hash browns come apart is moisture. You need to make sure the potatoes are dry before adding them to the flour and egg mixture. Whether you squeeze them out in a dish towel or use a salad spinner, get the potatoes as dry as they can be.
Most recipes for shredded hash browns advise squeezing the potatoes to release as much liquid as possible before they're cooked. This makes sense—potatoes are loaded with moisture, which makes browning difficult.
The potato is a starchy root vegetable native to the Americas that is consumed as a staple food in many parts of the world. Potatoes are tubers of the plant Solanum tuberosum, a perennial in the nightshade family Solanaceae.
Wild potato species can be found from the southern United States to southern Chile.
Heat the oil in the pan first: Make sure you are using enough oil to generously coat the pan well, and get the oil shimmering before adding the potatoes. Spread the potatoes in a thin layer: A thin layer of shredded potatoes in the pan will help the hash browns crisp up better and cook more evenly.
Most recipes require soaking your raw, shredded potato in cold water to rinse off the excess starch, then squeezing every last bit of moisture out before tossing it in a pan.
Here's what I'm doing: sliced up the potatoes by hand ('cause I don't have a shredder), soaked them up and dried them to get rid of starch, heated up pan to medium with clarified butter, put the potatoes onto the pan and let it cook until brown on bottom, and now they aren't sticking together like a patty.
Cover and cook just until the perimeters start to get golden, about 5 minutes. Use a spatula to press the top down. Season with salt and pepper and flip. Cook, uncovered, until the bottom is golden and crispy, another 3 to 5 minutes.
You'll want to remove as much moisture as possible because this will prevent your hash browns from getting as crisp as possible. All the water will just create steam and as any additional starch is released from the potato it's going to get gummy, just not as gummy as before.
Sprinkle shredded potatoes into hot butter in an even layer; season with cayenne pepper, paprika, salt, and black pepper. Cook potatoes until a brown crust forms on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Flip or stir and continue to cook until potatoes are browned and crusty all over, about 5 more minutes.
Hash browns, also spelled hashed browns and hashbrowns, are a popular American breakfast dish consisting of finely julienned potatoes that have been fried until golden browned.
Incorrect oven temperature - Casseroles that are baked at an oven temperature that is too low may not cook evenly, resulting in a soggy top and a firm or crunchy bottom. Too much liquid - Casseroles that have too much liquid may not be able to absorb all of the moisture, leading to a soggy top.
If you stored your potatoes in water to prevent discoloring, be sure to drain them well and pat them dry before adding to your casserole. Some of the waxier potatoes can release more water than starchier ones, so look for good baking potatoes like russet or Yukon golds.
You might not realise it, but those perfectly ripe, bursting-with-moisture-veggies that you're tossing into your casserole are most likely the culprits when it comes to a watery bake, which is why it's important to heed the recipe when it comes to prepping your vegetables and cooling your finished product.
Why Is My Breakfast Casserole Runny? The key to a breakfast casserole that is moist and delicious but not runny is to make sure you have the proper ratio of bread, eggs, and milk. If there is too much liquid for the bread to absorb, the result could be a runny casserole.
Introduction: My name is Rev. Leonie Wyman, I am a colorful, tasty, splendid, fair, witty, gorgeous, splendid person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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