Funeral potatoes (cheesy hash brown casserole)
Utah’s legendary cheesy, creamy hash brown casserole under a buttery crunchy topping, the kind of dish you go back to for seconds.
- 65 min total
- 15 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 8
- About $1.44 a serving
- 470 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegetarian
Dolly says: Make the full amount. Whatever’s left keeps for tomorrow.
Ingredients
For 8 servings.
- 1 lb 14 oz frozen shredded hash browns, thawed
- 6 tbsp butter, melted, divided
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- 1½ cups sour cream
- 2 cups shredded cheddar
- ½ yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1½ cups butter crackers, crushed
From your pantry
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¾ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
Each serving has about 470 calories, 11 g protein, 34 g carbs and 33 g fat, and costs about $1.44 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No butter? Ghee works.
- No sour cream? Plain Greek yogurt works.
- No shredded cheddar? Cheddar cheese or Mexican blend cheese or Monterey Jack cheese works.
- No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9x13-inch baking dish.
Preheat. Preheating means turning the oven on before you start, so it’s fully hot when the food goes in. Food that starts in a cold oven cooks unevenly and doesn’t brown the same.
How you’ll know: The oven beeps or its light clicks off, usually 10 to 15 minutes after you turn it on.
Dolly’s tip: Thaw the hash browns in the fridge overnight. Short on time? Microwave them in a covered bowl on the defrost setting for 5 to 8 minutes, stirring halfway, and use them right away.In a big bowl, stir together 4 tablespoons butter, the soup, sour cream, cheddar, onion, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
Melt. Melting means gently heating something solid, like butter or cheese, until it turns liquid. Low or medium heat keeps it from browning or burning.
How you’ll know: It’s smooth and liquid, and butter may foam a little but hasn’t turned brown.
the hash browns until they’re evenly coated, then spread them in the dish.
Fold. Folding means mixing gently by scooping from the bottom and turning it over the top, instead of stirring hard. It keeps light mixtures airy and soft things like berries or herbs in one piece.
How you’ll know: You use slow, wide strokes and stop as soon as there are no streaks left.
the crushed crackers with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and scatter them over the top.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Melt. Melting means gently heating something solid, like butter or cheese, until it turns liquid. Low or medium heat keeps it from browning or burning.
How you’ll know: It’s smooth and liquid, and butter may foam a little but hasn’t turned brown.
Dolly’s tip: Crushed cornflakes are the Utah classic. Buttery crackers work just as well.until bubbling at the edges and on top, 45 to 50 minutes. Let it sit 5 minutes before serving.
Bake. Baking means cooking in the oven with dry heat all around the food. It cooks evenly from every side, so you can mostly leave it alone.
How you’ll know: It’s golden on top and passes the recipe’s check, like a clean toothpick or the right temperature.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Timer: 47 min
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
When you host a dinner, Dollop builds the menu around your guests’ allergies, works out a cooking timeline back from when everyone sits down, and puts it all on one grocery list.
