The BEST Easy Cheesy Potato Casserole Recipe (Prepped In 5 Minutes)

This cheesy potato casserole recipe is a hearty, comforting dish that will leave your entire family wanting more with each bite. It combines shredded hash browns with chicken soup and cheddar cheese to make a cheesy casserole that's to die for. And the best part is you can prepare this casserole in just 5 minutes!

The Best Cheesy Potato Casserole

There are very few foods in this world that are as hearty, tasty, and just plain awesome as cheesy potatoes. I mean, this classic combination - potatoes and cheese that is -  is a staple of so many delicious meals, but this cheesy potato casserole recipe takes the iconic combo to a whole new level.

I mean, you have tender seasoned shredded hashbrowns that are mixed into a creamy hearty filling and then everything gets topped with loads of shredded cheese. How delicious does that sound?!

These party potatoes are the perfect side dish, main course, or shareable dish to bring to a dinner party or to impress your friends at a potluck. Everyone always raves over how good they are, and no one can ever believe how easy they were to make!

Seriously, all you have to do is mix the canned soup, onion powder, and frozen hash brown potatoes together, put them in a baking dish, and then let the oven take care of the rest. 

By the way, this cheesy potato casserole recipe is certainly satisfying enough to serve alone, but it's also delicious served with this easy Southern meatloaf recipe. So, for a complete meal, you might want to pair 'em together - we always do when we make 'em at our house anyway.

Ingredients

As I mentioned above, this cheesy potato casserole recipe is really straightforward, and it only requires a few simple ingredients. In fact, I can almost guarantee that you'll have most - if not all - of them at your house already since they're pretty much all kitchen and pantry staples.

Anyway, here's everything you'll need to make this easy cheesy potato casserole:

• 20 oz. frozen shredded hash browns
• 8 oz. condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1 tsp onion powder
• ¾ cup milk
• 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese or grated cheddar
• Salt, to taste

Pretty simple stuff, right?!

By the way, if you prefer to make your own hashbrowns, you can whip up these air fryer hashbrowns using russet potatoes and freeze them beforehand.

Or, you could even make these sweet potato hash browns and use them in this recipe. My dad loves it when I do that. He's a sucker for sweet potatoes though.

INGREDIENT SUBSTITUTIONS & SUGGESTIONS

While I recommend making these funeral potatoes with the ingredients listed above, there are definitely some substitutions you can make to the recipe and still have it turn out delicious.

Use Diced Potatoes Instead Of Hash Brown Potatoes

Diced potatoes make a great substitute for hash browns and provide a bit more of a bite to this casserole dish. You can even use a combination of both diced potatoes and hash brown potatoes so that your casserole has delicious little potato chunks throughout.

Sub Out The Chicken Soup

This cheesy potato recipe uses condensed cream of chicken soup, but you can also use cream of potato soup, onion soup, celery soup, mushroom soup, or any other condensed soup in place of the cream of chicken soup to give your hashbrown casserole the right consistency. By the way, if you're looking for a hash brown casserole that's similar to this one - but is made without soup - you can make my hash brown casserole without soup!

Try Different Cheeses In Your Cheese Sauce

I like to use cheddar cheese when I make this cheesy potato casserole, but you can really use any kind of shredded cheese that you prefer. Some other great options are mozzarella cheese, colby jack cheese, or even pepper jack cheese. All will work great in place of the cheddar.

How to Make Cheesy Potato Casserole

Now it's time for the fun part - making the potato casserole.

Again, making these cheesy potatoes really is about as easy as it gets. I mean, it's hard to beat a recipe that requires a few basic steps and only 5 minutes to prepare. 

So, with that said, let's not waste another second and jump into the recipe!

Step 1: Prep Work

First things first, you'll want to preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C) and spray an 8-inch baking dish with cooking spray - or you can grease it with butter.

Next, you can take out your frozen hash browns and break them up. And the easiest way to break-up frozen hash browns is while they are still in the bag because you can really twist and smash them up without causing any mess.

Also, breaking them up will ensure that the cheesy potato casserole ends up with the right texture when it cooks.

Step 2: Make The sauce

Now it's time to add the creaminess to the casserole.

So, to make the sauce for the filling, you'll want to add the milk, cream of chicken soup, and salt to a large bowl and give it a little mix. Then, you can add the hash browns and half of the cheddar cheese to the bowl and gently mix them with the cream of chicken soup.

Step 3: Bake The Casserole

Once the creamy potato mixture is ready, you can pour it into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese on top of it.

Then, you can cover the casserole dish with some foil and put it in the oven to bake for about 45-50 minutes. After that amount of time, you'll want to uncover the casserole and bake it for another 5 minutes until the cheese has melted and it's golden brown on top.

Finally, once the casserole is baked to perfection you can transfer your funeral potatoes to a wire rack to cool for a couple of minutes. Then, you can slice 'em up and serve 'em with some sour cream and diced green onions on top. Enjoy!

How to Store Cheesy Potato Casserole

This recipe for cheesy potato casserole will make about 6 servings, so it's really the perfect amount to serve if you're hosting or need a hearty side for a family dinner. Also, if you think you'll need more, you can easily double or triple this recipe! Just make sure to use a bigger casserole dish or two dishes.

Anyway, if you end up with some leftovers, you can store 'em in the casserole dish covered with a lid, or you can keep them in an airtight container. Stored either of these ways the leftovers will last in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Also, for what it's worth, if you'd like to store this cheesy potato casserole for even longer you can freeze it. Stored in the freezer it will stay good for up to 4 months.

How to Reheat Cheesy Potato Casserole

Once you're ready to enjoy these cheesy potatoes again, you'll definitely want to reheat them.

With that said, the best way to reheat this cheesy potato casserole is to put it back in a baking dish and cook it in the oven at 350°F for about 10 minutes - or until all that lovely cheese has melted again.

Alternatively, you can heat up single servings in the microwave in 30-second increments until it's fully warmed through.

FAQS About This Cheesy Potato Casserole Recipe

Why are cheesy potatoes called Funeral Potatoes?

Cheesy potatoes are often referred to as funereal potatoes because they are a popular dish served to a large crowd at funeral luncheons. Traditional funereal potatoes have diced potatoes and crushed corn flakes on top, but I like to use hash browns and cheddar cheese instead of potatoes and crushed corn flakes to make these extra cheesy potatoes.

Can I add a crispy topping to my cheesy potatoes?

Yes, you totally can add a crispy topping to your cheesy potatoes. All you need to do is sprinkle domr crushed corn flakes or crushed potato chips on top of them before baking. You can also use some Ritz crackers, bread crumbs, or french fried onions to add a crunchy texture on top of the cheesy potatoes as well.

Wrapping It Up

Well, that's how to make a cheesy potato casserole in just a few simple steps!

I know I'm biased, but I really do think this is the best cheesy potato casserole you'll ever make. I don't know whether it's the melty cheese or the crispy shredded potato in each bite, but there's something about this dish I just can't get enough of - and my family can't either.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this potato casserole as much as I/we do.

As always, if you give this recipe a try and let me know how it went in the comments!

More Casserole Recipes

Did this recipe get you in the mood to make more casseroles?

If it did, then you're in luck. We have a ton of other really tasty casserole recipes that you can try next!

Here are some reader favorites:

• Chicken tater tot casserole
• Chicken hashbrown casserole
• Cheesy ham and potato casserole
• Sloppy joe casserole
• Pork chop casserole
• John Wayne casserole

Oh, and as always, make sure to check us out on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube! We post new recipes on them every day.

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