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Sour Cream Hash Brown Casserole

Made both as written and with a small change. I like the cream of mushroom soup better than the chicken. I also omit the topping, just because I never seem to have crushed cornflakes, and it is perfectly fine w/o. Here’s a tip on how to get it to mix better. Make sure hash browns are thawed as per recipe instructions. Pour melted butter/margarine over the potatoes and mix. Then add the cheese and mix.

Lastly, add the rest of the ingredients. It seems to mix faster and better for me this way. It does need the full hour to cook or your onions will be crunchy. I usually divide this in half between 2 smaller casseroles, eat one for dinner and freeze the other.

Very good with a few changes. You can use 1/4 cup of butter instead of the 1/2 cup. I baked it a full hour, I covered it for 45 minutes and uncovered for 15 so that the top gets crunchy. I put the corn flakes on top and drizzled the melted butter over them, saved washing another pan. Turned out great.

What I love about this recipe is its versatility. I browned a pound of sausage with the onion and added it to the mixture. Also since I only had half a cup of cheddar cheese, I shredded an additional cup & a half of processed cheese. I used mushroom soup instead of chicken, and I didn’t have cornflakes, so nothing but a sprinkle of parmesan cheese went on the top.

I also left off the additional 1/4 cup melted butter, and since the processed cheese is so salty, I only used 1/4 teaspoon salt. It was a delicious main dish and would make an excellent breakfast casserole. Our family of 3 had generous portions and only ate half the casserole. My husband, who never likes leftovers and is not crazy about anything in a casserole, loves the leftovers.

My family loves this recipe…I have to make it for every holiday. I, however, do not saute my Corn Flakes. I have noticed that it really needs no butter what so ever. Due to cheese cooking out a great deal of oil. I now use Cambell soups new mushroom/cream of chicken soup….gives it a little twist. If you like potatoes and cheese your gonna love this!!

This is a household favorite. I prefer to use the chunkier country style hashbrowns (chunks a little bigger than a pea) because they don’t get as slimy as the shredded type. I like to thaw these chunkier potatoes in the oven until they are just warm, they cook perfectly even & hold the shape & texture better.

I made this for Easter with the following modifications, and it came out perfectly:

First, use two cans of condensed soup (I used one can cream of chicken and one can cream of mushroom).
Secondly, defrost the hash browns totally before cooking.
Third, saute the chopped onion in 4 tbs. butter for about 3-4 minutes before adding onion mixture to the hash browns.
Fourth, use shredded Colby cheese, not cheddar! Cheddar is far too greasy, and that is part of the reason why some people think this is too soupy.
Fifth, bake covered at 350 for about 45 minutes then remove the foil and bake uncovered for about 45 more minutes.

The casserole will only slightly brown on top, it is unlikely to burn. You may also want to turn the heat up to 375 if you think it is too soupy. It will condense if you give it long enough to cook. If you do all of the above, it will taste almost exactly like the Cracker Barrel’s hash brown casserole. Be sure to let it cool for about 10 minutes after it comes out of the oven as well, as that helps it solidify.