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!
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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! 🙂
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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
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Sounds yummy! I plan on making this for a family get away. Could you use mayo instead of the sour cream?
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Jen Reply:
December 22nd, 2012 at 10:50 am
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?
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Oh Yum, you had me at Cracker Barrel! Can’t wait to try!
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Thank you! My boys are going to LOVE this!!
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Thanks for the tasty recipe! What kind of hashbrowns do you use?? Shredded…cubed..?
Yum!
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Jen Reply:
March 22nd, 2014 at 11:40 am
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.
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CB’s casserole doesn’t have peppers in it -just onions, which are sometimes undercooked.
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Jen Reply:
October 10th, 2014 at 1:34 pm
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. 🙂
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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…
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Jen Reply:
October 12th, 2015 at 1:19 am
Yes, you could freeze it and reheat it. I think it would be perfect for easy meals.
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I add the onion to the butter then melt in the microwave. It softens it like a sauté but without the work.
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Jen Reply:
October 12th, 2015 at 11:15 am
Great tip. 🙂
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Your recipe does not say how much ham or bacon for recipe! Could you let me know the amount!
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Jen Reply:
October 27th, 2015 at 8:05 pm
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. :))
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