Be still my heart! I know it’s wrong to look at this picture and swoon, but I have a serious love affair with potatoes. Yes, I am not proud of that fact, but it’s true.
Potatoes are my absolute favorite food in the whole world, and if I sat at the fancy restaurant in the world, I’d prefer just a huge mound of them, yes, even above a juicy steak. It’s bad, I tell you.
With that being confessed, I routinely set aside days to concentrate on perfecting the art of potato making, and this Cracker Barrel Hash brown Casserole recipe is one I have been making for years and years. In fact, I’ve consistently started doubling this recipe for large groups hoping for left overs, and it doesn’t matter. The more I make, the more is eaten. If I want any the next day (because they are just as good heated up), I have to hide them in a bowl in the back of the fridge, and don’t you think I haven’t done that. 😉
This is one of our favorites for every gathering. It’s a perfect make ahead dish that I often serve with my Delicious Elegant Egg Bake or Sausage Egg Casserole. Just bake right before you are ready to serve.
Try some of our other favorite potato recipes:
Make Ahead Gourmet Mashed Potatoes – Perfect Freezer Potatoes
Twice Bake Potatoes, Double Stuffed Potatoes
Recipe: Cracker Barrel Hash Brown Casserole
Summary: This Cracker Barrel Hash Brown Casserole is a favorite side dish with any meal. It’s super easy to whip up, but grants you restaurant quality taste right in your own kitchen.
Ingredients
- 1 package (2 pounds) frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed
- 1 can (10 3/4 ounces) cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup
- 1 container sour cream (16 ounces)
- 2 cups Cheddar cheese (shredded) – or your favorite cheese
- 1/4 cup onion, chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt (although I now typically use a mixture of seasonings like garlic and onion salt/powder and my favorite french fry seasoning)
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped (optional)
- diced ham or bacon (optional) For ease, bake the bacon in your oven.
- Optional Topping
- 1 cup dry bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl, mix together the hash browns, onion, soup, sour cream, cheese, seasoning, and optional pepper, bacon or ham.
- Spread potato mixture in a greased 9 x 13 baking dish.
- Mix together the topping ingredients and spread over potato mixture.
- Bake for 45 minutes – one hour, until golden brown.
Additional Notes: I have made this so often that I no longer need a recipe, which also means this is fool proof. Take liberties with your favorite ingredients. I have mixed frozen hash browns with my own grated potatoes when I didn’t have enough. I have also made this straight from the freezer when I didn’t have time to completely thaw them. I just gave it extra baking time.
Since I always have pre-prepped veggies like onions and peppers, this truly mixes up quickly, but there have been times when I have sauteed onions and garlic first and added them. Wow, that was extra good, but adds onto the prep time.
The optional topping is delicious, but not necessary. Since I rarely add it for my family, I tend to take the casserole out after 30 minutes of baking and stir it to get everything nice and crispy. I snitch a taste test, and then add additional seasoning, if I think necessary.
I know you will enjoy this as much as our family and guests.
Preparation time: 5 – 10 minutes
Cooking time: 45 – 60 minutes
Number of servings (yield): 12
I’m right there with you with loving potatoes! Sounds wonderful!
Oh, be still my heart! Anytime I go to Cracker Barrel I have to order something that would allow me this casserole, you have just expanded my available eating options at CB…thank you! 🙂
Hi! I came over from the Centsational Girl link party! I was looking through the other recipes, and I laughed when I found yours…. I linked up a Cracker Barrel Green Bean Copy Cat 🙂 Great minds think alike. My husband works at a Potato plant so I make this casserole all the time! (we get free potatoes. 🙂
Off to look around your blog!
Ashleigh
Sounds yummy! I plan on making this for a family get away. Could you use mayo instead of the sour cream?
It’s so yummy. I hope you enjoy it. You could use mayo, but I don’t know if you’d want to use the entire amount. It may be too much. Maybe you could do 1/2 and 1/2?
Oh Yum, you had me at Cracker Barrel! Can’t wait to try!
Thank you! My boys are going to LOVE this!!
Thanks for the tasty recipe! What kind of hashbrowns do you use?? Shredded…cubed..?
Yum!
You can use any that you prefer. I typically make them from my left over baked potatoes but if I buy them I use the shredded.
CB’s casserole doesn’t have peppers in it -just onions, which are sometimes undercooked.
you are correct. I should note it was personal preference mixed in which is totally optional. I just love that addition but I’m sure pepper haters will admit it. 🙂
These look and sound really good but that’s just sooo much for just the two of us. So, can you freeze some of the left overs as I normally just make enough potato dishes to last a couple of times. I calls for a can of soup so to HALF this recipe, I’d be wasting the other half of soup. Just wondering…
Yes, you could freeze it and reheat it. I think it would be perfect for easy meals.
I add the onion to the butter then melt in the microwave. It softens it like a sauté but without the work.
Great tip. 🙂
Your recipe does not say how much ham or bacon for recipe! Could you let me know the amount!
It’s just optional, so I just add to our family’s preference. Sorry for not a specific amount. Maybe 2-3 pieces of crumbled bacon (or more since we love bacon. :))