Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole

This is one of my very favorite things to make eat. I actually try not to make it often because it makes quite a bit and I just can’t stop eating it! Cheese and hash browns are an unbeatable combo. And the mix of salty and sweet is amazing. Plus, it’s so easy to throw together.

It’s sweet, you ask? Why yes, I love sweet. You could take the sweet out, but I’d be sad. The sweet comes in on top of the casserole. The original recipe (I don’t actually know where the original is from. For me it came from a friend over the phone years ago.) calls for regular old cornflakes crushed up and mixed with butter on top. I did that for a while, but my only problem with that was that after I used the 2 cups of crushed cornflakes that I needed, I still had quite a bit left in the box. And I don’t eat unsweetened cereal. Boring! So one day I decided to try Frosted Flakes. That way I could eat the leftover cereal. I have NEVER gone back and I never will. Like I said, the sweet and salty are KILLER. Maybe you could do without it, but I can’t. So when you make this, you’ll have to make that call.

The reason I bring this to you now is that Thanksgiving is only a short bit away and I love this thing so much that for the past few years it has shown up along side mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes (and other things of course) in our Turkey Day feast. That’s a lot of potatoes I know. But they are a staple, right?

We had a number of fabulous guests (friends from out of town) for Thanksgiving last year and this may have been the biggest favorite. It not only was eaten with the feast, but the leftovers were part of breakfast AND lunch for the rest of the weekend. I made a lot so I’d have plenty of leftovers. Thanksgiving only comes once a year!

But even though I usually make this casserole as a side with dinner, it truthfully could be made for breakfast too. That’s probably what it’s meant for. After all it is hash browns. And hash browns are one of my favorite breakfast foods.

So I seriously recommend you try this. For breakfast, lunch or dinner. OR all three. You decide. You can’t go wrong.

Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole

1 30oz bag frozen hash browns, thawed
12 oz shredded cheddar cheese
8 oz sour cream
1 tsp salt
1/2 onion, chopped
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup butter, divided, melted
2 cups cornflakes, crushed (or Frosted Flakes, as I use)

1. Combine hash browns, cheese, sour cream, salt, onion, soup and 1/2 cup butter in a large bowl. Mix well.
2. Put mixture into a 9×13 casserole dish.
3. Combine cornflakes and 1/2 cup butter and sprinkle over top of casserole.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes.

Enjoy!

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