Hashbrown and Sausage Casserole

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A breakfast side dish favorite, Hash Brown Casserole made into a meal! Adding cooked sausage makes this a one pan delight for any meal!

overhead shot of sausage hashbrown casserole

A Country Breakfast Favorite

Wanna know how to take a side dish that is already fab on its own and make it SUPER FAB? Add MEAT! My husbands psychology is that everything is better with Meat! So that is what we did. We took a tried and true Hashbrown Casserole recipe and added some cooked, ground sausage to the mix!

What you have here is a meal made from a side dish! THIS is why I love cooking! You can make almost any recipe your own by changing a tad here or adding something new there. Just like our SAUSAGE GRAVY, adding just one little thing can take a small side to a whole 'nuther level!

How to Make it

Casseroles are really great because they are a dump and go kind of recipe. They can be made ahead of time and either refrigerated or frozen until ready to cook. Just like our yummy EASY BREAKFAST CASSEROLE! While some folks think casseroles are heavy and not at all good for us, they can be modified to be healthier OR if we eat things like this in moderation and only every once in a while, it will improve our overall health.

~Ingredients

1 pound ground breakfast sausage, browned
26 oz bag frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed
½ cup butter, melted
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 small onion, chopped
16 oz cheddar cheese, grated and divided into 1 cup portions
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
8 oz sour cream

~Method

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a large casserole pan. I use a 9 X 13 for this recipe.
In a large bowl, add in Hash brown potatoes, butter, salt and pepper and mix well.
In a medium bowl, mix sour cream and cream of chicken soup. Add onions, cooked sausage, butter and 8 oz of cheese to potatoes and mix well. Combine soup/sour cream mixture with potato mixture and spread evenly in lightly greased pan.
Top with remaining 8 oz of cheese and bake for 30-45 minutes until top is melty an potatoes are bubbly and browned around edges.
Remove from oven and allow to cool and rest for about 10 minutes.

Tips and Tricks

Can this be made ahead of time?

Yes! I love to use this recipe as a great food gift. Lots of times, I will make it ahead, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and foil and freeze. It will need to set out a bit when ready to cook. I like to set out on the counter the day before and refrigerate it overnight and cook it the next morning.

What can you substitute for a lower sodium version?

Low-fat sour cream or unsweetened greek yogurt is ALWAYS a win to sub for any recipe that requires a canned soup. If you don't want to lose what the canned soups add to the recipe, look for lower sodium versions of the traditional favorites.

Can I leave out the sausage?

Yes! And it will not change a thing. We like to convert side recipes to an entire meal so that is the draw for adding the sausage but feel free to leave it out!

close up of sausage hasqhbrown casserole on a white plate

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