The Best Cheesy Potato Casserole recipe that you need for every holiday!

Cheesy potatoes. Let’s talk about them. This incredible holiday casserole was not one I grew up with. In fact, I really feel like I missed out on like 20 years of this deliciousness and now I am making up for it! Cheesy Potatoes were first introduced to me during Friendsgiving years ago.

I decided to do my take on this recipe and it has ALL the holiday feels and plus it’s super easy to make! Cheesy, carby and oh so good!

The Best Cheesy Potatoes Casserole

Seriously, where has this casserole been all my life? I grew up with mashed potatoes, which are delicious, but why have just one potato when you can have two! Plus, hello cheese! Basically, this holiday casserole needs to become part of your holiday tradition every year. Everyone will thank you. Trust me.

I made two tiny tweaks to this incredibly delicious and easy recipe. One, I switched out my Cream of Chicken Soup Substitute for the canned stuff. And drumroll please… I added more cheese! The original recipe calls for two cups of shredded cheddar mixed into the casserole, which I kept, but I added an additional cup of shredded cheddar underneath the corn flake topping because it’s the holidays and calories don’t count. Also, the cheese near the topping gets the tiniest bit crispy adding some nice texture.

For a spicy version, add chopped jalapeños to half of the casserole! So if your crew digs spice, add half a cup of chopped jalapeños to one side of the casserole. You can add some slices of jalapeños to the top of the half with the jalapeños so everyone knows which side is which. Or add a full cup to the whole thing. You can used fresh or pickled jalapeños, whichever you prefer!

Best part of this recipe? It uses lots of pre-made ingredients which means less prep time for you and you can mix it all together in one bowl and pop this into the oven! So easy. Yes, you can make ahead and keep in the fridge for up to three days then add the topping and bake when you are ready to serve.

Pro Tip: If you want the meltiest, creamiest casserole, opt for shredding the cheese yourself. It takes a little extra work but it’s so worth it. The bagged shredded stuff has a coating on the cheese so it won’t stick together and prevents it from melting the best. If you’re not into shredding cheese, I’ve found Tillamook to be best bagged shredded stuff.

The Best Cheesy Potato Casserole

Makes one 9×13 casserole

Ingredients: 

2 lb frozen hash browns

1 cup Cream of Chicken Soup Substitute

16 oz or 2 cups of sour cream

1 stick or 1/2 cup of melted butter

1/2 cup of white onion, chopped

3 cups sharp cheddar, shredded, divided

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

Topping:

1 stick or 1/2 cup melted butter

2 cups corn flakes, crushed

Optional:

1/2 cup diced (pickled or fresh) jalapeños + sliced jalapeños for top if desired

• If you want the entire casserole spicy, I suggest adding one cup diced jalapeños to the whole thing

Directions: 

1. In a large bowl, mix hash browns, Cream of Chicken Soup, sour cream, butter, onion, salt and pepper together with 2 cups of the cheddar until well combined. Put into a well greased 9×13 inch casserole dish. Top with remaining cheddar. Option: Mix in diced jalapeños.
2. In a separate bowl, crush corn flakes, then mix together with remaining melted butter. Spread on top of casserole. Option: Top with sliced jalapeños.
3. Bake for 50 minutes at 350 degrees or until cheese is bubbling around the edges and topping is golden brown. 

    

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The Best Cheesy Potato Casserole

The Best Cheesy Potato Casserole recipe that you need for every holiday!

4.15 from 84 votes

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Course casserole, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Servings 16

Calories 313 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 lb frozen hash browns
• 1 cup Cream of Chicken Soup Substitute
• 16 oz sour cream
• 8 tbsp unsalted butter melted
• 1/2 cup white onion chopped
• 2 cups sharp cheddar shredded
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

Topping

• 8 tbsp unsalted butter melted and cooled
• 2 cups corn flakes crushed
• 1 cups cheddar shredded

Optional

• 1/2 cup pickled or fresh jalapeños diced (if going spicy on the whole casserole use 1 cup)
• 9 slices of jalapeños for topping (double if going spicy on whole casserole)

Instructions

 

• In a large bowl, mix hash browns, Cream of Chicken Soup, sour cream, butter, onion, salt and pepper together with 2 cups of the cheddar until well combined. Put into a well greased casserole dish. Top with remaining cheddar. Option: Mix in diced jalapeños.
• In a separate bowl, crush corn flakes, then mix together with remaining melted butter. Spread on top of casserole. Option: Top with sliced jalapeños.
• Bake for 50 minutes at 350 degrees or until cheese is bubbling around the edges and topping is golden brown.

Notes

You can make ahead and keep covered in the fridge for up to three days then add the topping and bake when you are ready to serve.

 

If you want to make ahead even further in advance, you can assemble filling in a freezer safe container (like plastic or foil) cover and freeze for up to six months. Wait until ready to bake to add topping. The thawing process can make the topping soggy. Then let thaw in fridge overnight and bake according to recipe. **If the center is still frozen or very cold after thawing, you may need to increase baking time. 

Nutrition

Calories: 313kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 8gFat: 25gSaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 68mgSodium: 392mgPotassium: 331mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 870IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 194mgIron: 2mg

Keyword casserole, cheese, holiday, potatoes

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