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Brunches and potlucks call for dishes that feed a crowd, and this loaded hashbrown breakfast casserole delivers. Supremely cheesy, creamy, and loaded with bacon and shredded potatoes, it’s easy to make, and it’s going to disappear fast!
This is your classic cheesy hashbrown casserole with all the amazing flavors but without the canned soup. You don’t need it, and you won’t miss it!
Truly, this is a brunch side dish that everyone is going to devour, and you’ll love it too because it comes together with minimal effort, and you can even assemble it the night before.
Reader Review
“This was so good! I made it late on Christmas Eve and was too tired to cook the bacon, but even without that it was so yummy! Our whole family devoured it.”
Amy
Just like my ham and potato casserole, this is a from-scratch potato casserole—in this case, the creamy sauce comes courtesy of tangy sour cream.
- You can use fresh potatoes instead of frozen hashbrowns. To do this, bake or boil Russet potatoes until they’re tender. Once they’re fully cooled, shred the potatoes. Related: crispy baked potatoes
- Love an extra crispy hashbrown casserole? You have options! Combine panko, coarse breadcrumbs, crispy rice cereal, cornflakes, or crushed buttery crackers with melted butter or some of the bacon grease. Sprinkle this over the top of the casserole.
- I use sharp cheddar for its bold flavor, but a smoked gouda would also be delicious.
PRO TIPS/RECIPE NOTES
- Shred your own cheese! It makes such a difference. Store-bought shredded cheese has an anti-clumping agent that keeps it from melting as smoothly as freshly shredded cheese. If you can’t swing it, you can still use bagged shredded cheese, but you’ll get the best results by shredding your own.
- Make sure you grease all the way up the sides of your baking dish to prevent those impossible-to-scrub-off baked-on bits along the edges.
Loaded Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients
- 3/4 cups bacon, chopped {~5 slices}
- 30 oz frozen shredded potatoes {8 cups shredded cooked potatoes}
- 2 cups sour cream
- 2 cups extra sharp cheddar, grated {medium cheddar is ok}
- 1/2 cup green onions, sliced
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- cooking spray or butter for the pan
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
Instructions
- In a large deep frying oven-safe skillet, cook chopped bacon over medium heat until it is crispy (~5-7 minutes). Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a plate lined with paper towels. Set aside.3/4 cups bacon, chopped
- In a large mixing bowl add potatoes, sour cream, cheddar, green onions, half of the cooked bacon, salt, and pepper, and stir to combine.30 oz frozen shredded potatoes, 2 cups sour cream, 2 cups extra sharp cheddar, grated, 1/2 cup green onions, sliced, 1 tsp kosher salt, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- Grease a 9×13 casserole dish with cooking spray or a bit of butter.cooking spray or butter for the pan
- Add all the ingredients to the casserole dish and sprinkle with smoked paprika and the rest of the cooked bacon.1 tsp smoked paprika
- Cover the dish tightly with a lid, foil, or plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 5 hours, and for up to 24 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350˚F.
- Cover casserole with foil and bake covered for 25 minutes.
- Uncover and bake for 10-20 minutes or until the top is lightly browned and the edges are bubbling.
Notes
- If you’re not using frozen hashbrowns, bake or boil Russet potatoes until softened. Allow potatoes to cool and then shred. You can include some of the peels if you’d like.
- 8 cups of shredded potatoes is ~3 lbs of Russets.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This was so good! I made it late on Christmas Eve and was too tired to cook the bacon, but even without that it was so yummy! Our whole family devoured it.
Amy, I love hearing that! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review.
Can you add eggs to this recipe?
I have no tried it, so I can’t guarantee an outcome. If you do, I would whisk them VERY well before incorporating them into the ingredients.