Cheesy Potato Casserole

This cheesy potato casserole is our absolute favorite! And, there’s a secret “extra ingredient” that we add into these cheesy potatoes, which makes them extra awesome!

In our home, cheesy potatoes are a tradition for every holiday and throughout the year, too. A good cheesy potato recipe goes perfect with turkey, ham, and even burgers on the grill! 

See more potato side dishes here.

Unbeatable Cheesy Potatoes Recipe

Are you looking for the very best, best, best cheesy potato casserole? Congratulations! This is it, you have arrived! Now, imagine me standing next to you right now with a big bell.

THIS is the potato side dish recipe that you most certainly need in your life and I’m ringing the bell.

It’s probably the same in every part of the states, but I pick on Iowans… we always need a carb with our dinners.

Having a steak on the grill? Then you need a potato side dish for steaks. Having burgers on the grill?

Your burgers will most certainly be boring if they don’t have this cheesy potato casserole, right? Easter dinner?

There’s no better side dish for ham or side dish for Easter dinner than these easy cheesy potatoes. Having pork chops?

Well, pork chops are basically naked if they’re not served with this cheesy potato casserole. Am I right, am I right? Yes, I’m totally right.

So, this has become our family’s go-to potato bake recipe.

And, there’s a super-secret top-notch, must add ingredient and I’ll share that with you in just a minute. It will blow.your.mind. (No it won’t I’m being incredibly overdramatic here, of course.)

But, I do believe wholeheartedly that some extra creamy soup, a little extra cheese and an extra dollop of sour cream are what makes this hash brown casserole different that it’s “cousins” if you will.

** Note: If you need more room in your oven to bake other items, you will enjoy these Crockpot Cheesy Potatoes just the same!

I’ll get on to the Cheesy Potato Casserole and how I assemble this. Whether I ramble on, or not you’re sure to find out just how easy it really is, right?!

I will usually let the frozen hashbrowns thaw for a little bit. I have never made this potato side dish with “whole” potatoes, although I am sure you could.

I am guessing it might be mushy because of the extra water from the potatoes, but if you decide to try this recipe with red potatoes or baking potatoes, do let me know if the comments, ok?

Once the hashbrowns have had a chance to thaw, you’ll want to gather your ingredients. This hashbrown recipe comes together super fast. And, that’s a good thing, because I just love quick & easy side dish recipes, don’t you?

Recipes that you might enjoy with this recipe:

Mississippi Pot Roast

Instant Pot Pot Roast

Crockpot Philly Cheesesteak

French Dip Sandwich

Crock Pot Carnitas

Dorito Chicken Casserole

A Closer Look at the Ingredients

Frozen hashbrowns

A thirty ounce bag, thawed in the refrigerator for at least two hours. Thawed hashbrowns mix evenly with the sauce. Frozen ones leave icy pockets that bake up watery.

Two cans of cream of chicken soup

Two cans is the part most recipes get wrong with one. The second can is what makes every bite creamy instead of just the top layer.

Sour cream and milk

Eight ounces of sour cream and a cup of milk loosen the soup into a sauce and give it the tang that keeps it from tasting like a can. Full fat sour cream bakes best.

Sharp cheddar

Eight ounces of sharp cheddar, shredded. Sharp stands up to two cans of soup. A mild cheese gets lost in here.

Butter

Six tablespoons, melted and poured over the top rather than mixed in. That is what browns the top into a crust while the inside stays soft.

The optional onions and cornflakes

A quarter to a half cup of diced onion adds flavor if your family likes it. Three cups of cornflakes on top adds crunch. I use both when it is a holiday and skip both on a Tuesday.

Step by Step, With the Details

Thaw the hashbrowns

Move the bag to the refrigerator in the morning, or at least two hours ahead. If they are still icy, break them up in the bowl and let them sit twenty more minutes.

Mix everything but the topping

In your biggest bowl, stir the hashbrowns, both cans of soup, milk, cheddar, sour cream, salt, pepper, and onions if you are using them, until no dry hashbrowns are left.

Into the pan

Spread it into a greased nine by thirteen and level the top with a spatula. It should fill the pan about three quarters of the way.

Butter and cornflakes

Pour the melted butter evenly over the top. If you are using cornflakes, scatter them on first and then pour the butter over them so they toast.

One hour at 350, uncovered

Bake for an hour. The edges should be bubbling and the top golden. Let it sit ten minutes before serving so it firms up enough to scoop clean.

Cornflakes or No Cornflakes

With cornflakes it is a funeral potato casserole with a crunchy top. Without them it is a creamy hashbrown bake with a buttery crust. Both are right, and my house is split down the middle.

If you skip the cornflakes, give the top the last five minutes under the broiler for color. Watch it, because butter browns fast.

Making It Ahead

Mix and spread it into the pan the night before, cover it, and refrigerate. Add the butter and cornflakes right before baking, not the night before, or the cornflakes go soft.

A casserole straight from the fridge needs an extra ten to fifteen minutes. Go by the bubbling edges rather than the clock.

Feeding a Crowd

One pan serves eight to ten as a side. For a holiday table, I make two pans rather than one deep dish, because a deep pan stays cold in the middle for a long time.

It holds well. Cover it loosely with foil and it stays hot for a good thirty minutes while the ham gets carved.

Easy Variations

Ham

Two cups of diced ham stirred in turns the side dish into dinner. This is how I use leftover Easter ham.

Ranch

A tablespoon of dry ranch seasoning mixed in with the salt and pepper. Kids love this version.

Jalapeno

A quarter cup of diced pickled jalapenos and pepper jack in place of half the cheddar, for the people who want a little heat.

Cream of mushroom

One can of cream of mushroom in place of one can of cream of chicken makes it a little earthier. Both cans mushroom works too if you like mushrooms.

Leftovers, Reheating and Freezing

In the refrigerator

Leftovers keep covered for four days and reheat as well as the day they were made. A square in the microwave for ninety seconds is lunch.

Freezing

Freeze the assembled casserole unbaked in a foil pan, without the butter and cornflakes, for up to two months. Thaw overnight, add the topping, and bake as written plus fifteen minutes.

Questions I Get About This Casserole

Do I really have to thaw the hashbrowns?

Thawed is better. If you forget, add fifteen minutes to the bake and expect a little more liquid in the pan.

Can I use diced instead of shredded hashbrowns?

Yes. Diced gives you a chunkier casserole, shredded gives you a creamier one. Same amounts, same bake.

Why was mine watery?

Almost always hashbrowns that went in frozen or still wet from thawing. Pat them dry with a towel before mixing if they look damp.

Can I make it in the crock pot?

Yes. My crockpot cheesy potatoes are the same idea built for the slow cooker, which frees up the oven on a holiday.

What I Serve These With

• Mississippi Pot Roast
• Baked Boneless Pork Chops
• Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches
• Loaded Cheesy Potato Casserole