Crockpot hashbrown casserole with cream of chicken soup

A cheesy and savory Crockpot Hash Brown Casserole is perfect for brunch. You won’t find cream of condensed soups in this recipe! Refrigerated hash browns are tossed with a creamy mushroom and onion base and lots of cheese. Top the casserole with cooked and chopped bacon and fresh chives!

Pair this casserole with some other brunch favorites like Homemade Crepes, this Ham and Cheese Quiche, or this country breakfast Egg Skillet.

This cheesy and rich hash brown casserole is loaded with flavor and makes such a great addition to your breakfast or brunch! It also makes a great holiday side dish — we have a hash brown casserole for just about every major holiday — Easter, Christmas, Thanksgiving — you name it! A cheesy hash brown casserole like this one pairs exceptionally well with a holiday ham or turkey.

It’s especially nice to have a hash brown casserole recipe that cooks in the slow cooker if you need to save oven space for the main dish. This casserole “bakes” up perfectly in a slow cooker and can stay warm for serving. If you’re craving that classic crispy hash brown casserole topping, simply transfers the slow cooker base (so long as it is oven safe) into the oven to broil for a few minutes. Another secret to keeping this casserole from not getting soggy? Layering paper towels in between the casserole and lid. The paper towels gather steam and liquid keeping the casserole from becoming too gooey or wet.

A unique aspect of this recipe is that we don’t use any canned condensed soups, which is the base for most hash brown casserole recipes.  For this recipe, we make a creamy base from scratch. It only takes a bit more prep time, and it’s really not difficult– but it’s so worth it for freshness and flavor (plus no questionable added ingredients to be concerned about!). Making the sauce is very similar to making gravy.

QUICK TIP

When we mention crockpots, we’re using that as a generic term for all slow cookers. Crock-pot is a trademarked name for a slow cooker sold by the Sunbeam corporation.

Crockpot Hash Brown Casserole ingredients

• Butter: We use unsalted butter so we can perfectly control the amount of salt that goes into this casserole.
• Yellow onion: The onion adds loads of flavor and texture, so dice it into small pieces so it will be well distributed in the casserole.
• Mushrooms: Any variety works, and I prefer baby bella or cremini mushrooms.
• Seasonings: The seasonings make this casserole! We use quite a bit — dried parsley, dried thyme, chicken bouillon powder, onion powder, garlic powder, and of course salt and pepper. Don’t underestimate the power of salt and pepper in this casserole; potatoes need a good amount of salt and pepper to bring out the flavor. Don’t be afraid to add more at the end to really make the flavors sing.
• Flour: White, all-purpose flour will thicken this creamy base.
• Chicken broth: This adds more flavor and seasoning to the base.
• Milk: I use whole milk for a thicker and creamier base, but 1% or 2% will also work. I don’t recommend a milk alternative or skim milk.
• Sour cream: Low-fat, fat-free, or regular — any works. Obviously, full-fat sour cream is going to be the creamiest, but we’ve tried all different kinds and there isn’t too much of a noticeable difference.
• Dijon mustard: It adds a nice depth of flavor to the casserole.
• Hash browns: I recommend fresh, refrigerated hash browns (as opposed to frozen) for this casserole. I use Simply Potatoes® hash browns (not sponsored). They contain only real ingredients and are fresh, not frozen, which makes this casserole that much better. You can find these hash browns in the refrigerated section of your grocery store, usually near the eggs.
• Extra- sharp Cheddar cheese: Freshly grated cheese is best since it melts better into the casserole. (Packaged cheese has a cellulose coating that makes it resistant to melting. It can also make the casserole greasy.)

Adding protein to this casserole

We love adding freshly cooked and chopped bacon to the top of this casserole. If you’re wanting to make Crockpot Hash Brown Casserole more of a meal (rather than a side dish), I recommend adding some type of protein — either bacon on top or stir in some chopped ham or sausage to the slow cooker.

I recommend smoked (already cooked) diced ham and/or sausage. Simply stir in either (or both) along with everything else in the crockpot. If using raw sausage, brown it before adding it to the casserole.

Garnish

Since this is a rich and cheesy casserole, herbs cut the richness and add a fresh flavor. We love fresh chives or freshly chopped parsley. Fresh thyme would also pair nicely.

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• One-pan Breakfast Potatoes and Bacon
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• ▢ 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ▢ 1 cup finely diced yellow onion
• ▢ 1/2 cup finely diced mushrooms (I use baby bella)
• ▢ 3 cloves finely minced garlic
• ▢ 1 teaspoon EACH: garlic powder, onion powder
• ▢ 2 teaspoons EACH: chicken bouillon powder, dried parsley
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• ▢ Fine sea salt and freshly cracked pepper
• ▢ 1/3 cup white, all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 and 1/2 cups whole milk
• ▢ 1 and 1/2 cups chicken broth
• ▢ 1 and 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• ▢ 1 cup sour cream
• ▢ 2 packages refrigerated shredded hashbrowns (each package is 20 oz)
• ▢ 3 cups freshly shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• ▢ Optional toppings: 7 slices cooked and chopped bacon, fresh chives

• PREP: Spray a large slow cooker (I use a 6-quart pan) with nonstick spray. Set aside.

• MUSHROOMS AND ONION: Add the butter to a large and deep skillet set to medium heat. As the butter is melting down, add in the finely diced onion and finely diced mushrooms. Sauté, stirring frequently, until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Reduce the heat if anything is burning.

• GARLIC AND SEASONINGS: To the skillet, add the minced garlic, garlic powder, onion powder, dried parsley, dried thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. (I add in 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, but add to preference -- depending on how salty the chicken broth is, you may want less.) Stir and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Sprinkle in the flour and whisk until a thick dough forms. Cook for about 1 minute to eliminate the raw flour taste.

• MILK AND BROTH: Gradually, while whisking constantly, add in the milk, cooking until thickened. Continue in the same manner with the chicken broth. Reduce the heat and simmer until thickened. Stir in the Dijon mustard.

• SOUR CREAM AND HASH BROWNS: Remove from heat and stir in the sour cream. Pour this creamy mixture into the base of the prepared slow cooker. Add both bags of hash browns and the freshly grated Cheddar cheese (See Note 1). Stir everything together and press into one even layer (Quickly wipe down the edges of the crockpot to avoid burning).

• COOK: Place a few sheets of paper towel in between the lid and the crockpot (this helps gather steam and liquid to keep the casserole from getting soggy). Cook on high for 2-3 hours (See Note 2). Remove the lid and if desired, place the casserole base in the oven and broil for 2-3 minutes to get a crispier top and edges. ( Only do this if your cooker crock is oven safe!) Taste the casserole and adjust seasonings -- add more salt and pepper as needed.

• TOP AND ENJOY: Garnish the casserole with toppings of your choice such as cooked and chopped bacon, thinly sliced chives, etc.

Note 1: Cheese: Freshly grated cheese is preferred over packaged cheese (which has a tendency to get greasy and not melt as well). This casserole is very cheesy -- you may want less cheese (if so, reduce to 2 cups). Alternatively, you can use two types of cheese such as 2 cups Cheddar and 1 cup Parmesan.

Note 2: Cooking time: Watch carefully, depending on your slow cooker. If you have a really hot one it may be done sooner and a cooler one may take longer. Each appliance is different. Mine typically takes about 2 hours and 20 minutes.

Serving: 8as a side | Calories: 1273kcal | Carbohydrates: 88g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 86g | Saturated Fat: 39g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g | Monounsaturated Fat: 24g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 182mg | Sodium: 1692mg | Potassium: 1412mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 1910IU | Vitamin C: 28mg | Calcium: 997mg | Iron: 2mg

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