Description
This Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole is a comforting, creamy, and cheesy side dish perfect for family dinners or holiday gatherings. Featuring tender hash browns baked in a rich mixture of evaporated milk, sour cream, and cream cheese with a crispy buttery Ritz cracker topping, it’s sure to be a crowd-pleaser.
Ingredients
Scale
Milk Mixture
- 1 (12-oz) can evaporated milk
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 (8-oz) container chive and onion cream cheese
- 1 cube chicken bouillon
- Salt & black pepper, to taste
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp onion powder
Main Ingredients
- 1 (30-oz) bag frozen hash browns
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 2 cups shredded Colby-Jack cheese
Topping
- 1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Dish: Preheat your oven to 350ºF (175ºC). Lightly spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray to prevent sticking.
- Make the Creamy Mixture: Place evaporated milk, sour cream, chive and onion cream cheese, chicken bouillon, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder into a blender. Blend the ingredients until the mixture is perfectly smooth and creamy.
- Combine Hash Browns and Ingredients: In a large bowl, stir together the blended milk mixture, frozen hash browns, ½ cup melted butter, and shredded Colby-Jack cheese until everything is evenly mixed. Spread this potato mixture evenly into the prepared baking dish.
- Prepare the Cracker Topping: In a small bowl, combine the crushed Ritz crackers with ¼ cup melted butter. Sprinkle this buttery cracker crumb mixture evenly over the potato casserole to create a crunchy topping.
- Bake the Casserole: Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the casserole is bubbly and the topping is golden brown. Remove from the oven and let rest briefly before serving.
Notes
- For best results, thaw the frozen hash browns partially and drain excess moisture to avoid a soggy casserole.
- You can substitute chicken bouillon with vegetable bouillon to make this dish vegetarian (but this would alter the original flavor).
- Feel free to add cooked and crumbled bacon or diced onions for added flavor.
- Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and reheat before serving.
- To make the topping gluten-free, use gluten-free crackers instead of Ritz crackers.
