Who doesn't love a good hearty breakfast? If you do, you will love this easy hash brown casserole.
This is the ultimate make ahead breakfast casserole with hash browns. Waking up with a delicious breakfast like this makes mornings so much easier to deal with.
A hot, tasty, and hearty breakfast is as simple as reheating and way cheaper than grabbing drive-thru.
How To Make Hash Brown Casserole
Similar to our other make ahead freezer meals, like lasagna, this hash brown casserole is completely customizable. Here is our list of recommended ingredients. But you can add more veggies, meat, or whatever you like for your breakfasts!
Ingredients
½ cup or 1 stick of butter (salter or unsalted up to your preference)
1 cup of shredded cheese (we like to use a Mexican blend)
1 cup of sour cream
1 bag frozen hash browns
salt and pepper (to taste)
Can I use fresh potatoes instead of frozen hash browns?
Absolutely! Frozen hash browns are just easier because they are washed, cut, portioned, and ready to go. But if you prefer to prepare the potatoes yourself, feel free to do so.
Directions
Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees. Next you will melt your butter. You can do this on your stove top or break the stick into a few pieces and put in the microwave. We find it will melt completely in about 90 seconds to 2 minutes.
Pull out a large mixing bowl and pour your melted butter into it. Next, add in 1 cup of sour cream. You can use a rubber spatula to make sure you get everything from the bowl.
Add in a few grinds of salt and pepper. Add as much as you like depending on your taste. You can also put in any extra ingredients you may like. Diced peppers, ham, bacon, etc. are all great choices to give a little something extra.
Using your electric mixer, mix everything together. Make sure everything is well blended but don't over whip the sour cream. We usually use the lowest setting to make sure everything is not overly mixed.
Now you will want to get out your 8x8 pan and Canola spray. Spray the inside of your pan to coat the bottom and sides. If you want to make a larger serving (like a 9x13 pan) just double the ingredients.
Open your bag of frozen has browns and sprinkle a layer across the bottom of the pan. Now add a layer of cheese. Make this as thick as you want. We LOVE cheese in our house so we always end up using too much (as if "too much" is even a thing with cheese).
After your cheese is layered you will take about half of your butter/sour cream mix and layer it over the cheese. You can spread it with a spatula. Just be careful not to squish it down into the cheese or potato layer. You want to have clear layers.
Repeat the layers of potato, cheese, and the rest of the butter/sour cream mixture. Finally, add one more layer of hash browns and cover the top of the sour cream mix completely. Now add one more layer of cheese across the top.
Your oven should be preheated by this point. Just place your casserole in the center rack and set your timer for an hour. Check periodically to ensure the cheese is not burning on the top. Cook until the entire casserole is heated throughout.
Common Questions
How do you freeze hash brown casserole?
This recipe makes a great candidate for a freezer meal. All you need to do is cover it with a lid or plastic wrap and stick it in the freezer before cooking.
How do you reheat hash brown casserole?
It's just as easy as freezing it. Pull it from the freezer and stick it in the fridge over night.
Should I thaw frozen hash browns before cooking?
You don't have to. You can put your casserole straight into the oven. If it is frozen, the cooking time may be a bit longer, but there's no need to thaw beforehand.
