I can still remember the first time my kitchen filled with the scent of my Hashbrown Casserole baking away. It was a chilly Sunday morning, the kind that begs for a hearty, comforting dish, and I was craving something more than just scrambled eggs. I threw together what I had in the fridge and pantry—a bag of frozen hash browns, a lonely tub of sour cream, a can of soup. When I pulled that golden-brown, bubbly casserole from the oven, the aroma was pure nostalgia: buttery, savory, and utterly inviting. That first creamy, crispy forkful was a revelation of cozy simplicity, and it instantly became my go-to dish for feeding a crowd or just treating my family to a special weekend breakfast. It’s the taste of home, every single time
Ingredients
- 1 (30 oz) bag frozen shredded hash browns, thawed
- 1 (10.5 oz) can cream of chicken soup (or cream of mushroom for a vegetarian version)
- 1 (16 oz) container Daisy sour cream
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus 2 tablespoons for the topping
- 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
- 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups crushed Ritz crackers (or cornflakes)
Don’t let the simple ingredient list fool you—each one plays a starring role. That can of cream of chicken soup is the secret to the rich, velvety sauce that binds everything together; don’t substitute it with a broth-based sauce, it just won’t be the same. For the sour cream, I always use full-fat Daisy for its tangy richness—it makes a huge difference in flavor compared to lighter versions. And trust me, shred your own cheddar from a block. Pre-shredded cheese is coated to prevent clumping, which also prevents it from melting into that glorious, gooey perfection we’re after.(See the next page below to continue…)