A creamy, cheesy hashbrown casserole recipe made with French onion dip instead of sour cream that’s even better than Cracker Barrel’s!
JUMP TO RECIPEA few years ago I decided to make a big Christmas dinner for some friends of ours who’d had a rough couple of months to try to make things easier for them during the holidays.
Side note: if you’re ever looking for a way to help someone out at Christmas, cooking a meal is a great idea because receiving food never feels like taking a hand-out which can be hard for hardworking, proud folks.
I made the typical Southern Christmas dinner of baked ham, macaroni and cheese, sweet potato casserole, etc. and was looking for one more casserole-type dish that I could make because they’re just so easy to travel with and reheat.
I decided I wanted to make a hashbrown casserole and realized I’d never actually made one before! Which seems odd since it just seems like something everybody ought to know how to make!
I looked through a few cookbooks and on some of my favorite recipe blogs to learn the basics: frozen hashbrowns, cream of something soup, sour cream and cheese. Some recipes called for onion and some didn’t.
I wanted to add onions to mine but I knew not everyone likes them so I had an idea… I decided to use cream of onion soup (which wasn’t rocket science) but I also decided to use French onion dip instead of sour cream!
The French onion dip is my secret weapon for a more flavorful casserole! French onion dip is just sour cream, onions, herbs and spices which is so much more flavorful than plain sour cream!
I pretty-much doubled everything I made that day to keep half for our own Christmas dinner and was pretty excited to try the hashbrown casserole since I’d never made one before. And we loved it!
It’s very much like the Cracker Barrel hashbrown casserole but without the diced onion. It’s super creamy and cheesy and has the best combination of flavors!
INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR SECRECT INGREDIENT HASHBROWN CASSEROLE
To make this super easy and super tasty hashbrown casserole, all you'll need are the following ingredients:
- Frozen hashbrown potatoes
- Cream of onion soup
- French onion dip
- Cheddar cheese
- Seasonings
- Melted butter
I’ll mention this in the recipe instructions below but I want to share with you a tip I’ve learned making this over the years since that first time. You want to defrost the frozen hashbrown potatoes just enough that the shreds loosen up and can be stirred into the other ingredients but not so much that they become too mushy.
And to illustrate that, you can see that I didn’t do that in this batch because the potatoes didn’t hold their shape enough! I set out to cook this for y’all then remembered an appointment I had forgotten about and had to throw everything in the fridge and leave!
I didn’t get to make this until the next day and by then the hashbrowns had set in the fridge and gotten somewhat mushy. So, this will be one of those do as I say, not as I do recipes! It tastes the same – and is still delicious! – but the texture isn’t as good.
NOTES ABOUT MAKING SECRET INGREDIENT HASHBROWN CASSEROLE
- Use any refrigerated, sour cream based French onion dip such as Dean’s, Heluva Good or Aldi’s (the Aldi brand one is my favorite!)
- You can substitute sour cream for the French onion dip if needed (maybe consider adding a little extra seasoning if so).
- Substitute Cream of Cheddar or Cream of Chicken for the Cream of Onion soup if desired.
- Keep the hashbrowns partially frozen when preparing the recipe. Allow them to defrost just enough that the shreds aren't frozen into big clumps.
Recipe for Secret Ingredient Hashbrown Casserole
Secret Ingredient Hashbrown Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 30-oz bag frozen hashbrown potatoes
- 1 can cream of onion soup
- 1 pint French onion dip (see notes)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 8-oz block cheddar cheese
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
Instructions
- Allow hashbrowns to defrost just long enough to loosen the shreds so that the potatoes can be stirred into the other ingredients. When I’ve let them completely defrost they tend to break up too much when stirred (such as in the pictures above!).
- Shred cheese then set aside about one cup to top the casserole with before baking. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Combine cream of onion soup, French onion dip, salt, garlic powder and pepper in a large mixing bowl then stir well. Add cheese (reserving 1 cup for later) and potatoes then gently fold to combine.
- Spoon mixture into a greased 13x9 casserole dish then top with remaining cheese. Drizzle melted butter over cheese then bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly around the edges. Enjoy!
Notes
- Use any refrigerated, sour cream based French onion dip such as Dean’s, Heluva Good or Aldi’s (the Aldi brand one is my favorite!)
- You can substitute sour cream for the French onion dip if needed (maybe consider adding a little extra seasoning if so).
- Substitute cream of cheddar or cream of chicken soup if desired.
Do you think this will work if I leave out the cheese?
ReplyDeleteWhy would you want to leave out the cheese.....??
DeleteI think so, it just might not be as pretty on top ;)
Deletewould like to make this ahead for easter. do you think this would freeze well?
ReplyDeleteI tend to not like potato dishes after they've been frozen but since this starts with frozen hashbrowns I don't see why not!
DeleteSounds yummy, I'll have to give it a try!
ReplyDeleteWhat a genius idea! I'll bet that adds great flavor. I can't wait to try it!
ReplyDeleteWhat a genius idea! I'll bet that adds great flavor. I can't wait to try it!
ReplyDeleteI made these yesterday for an early Easter dinner and they were delicious!!!
ReplyDeleteMade this yesterday for Easter dinner and it was a huge hit! Delicious!
ReplyDeleteMade this yesterday for Mother's day it turned out good.
ReplyDeleteWe made this 2 nights ago....OUTSTANDING!
ReplyDeleteYum! I bet the French onion dip added so much flavor. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
ReplyDeleteI have always used French Onion Dip! Sour Cream and Chive dip is also good! I prefer sharp cheddar cheese, too. It just seems like it gives it some extra zip!
ReplyDeletemy grocery store doesn't carry cream of onion soup; is there a substitute I could use?
ReplyDeleteHave never bought cream of onion soup for hash brown casserole. You can use any "cream of" soup that seems like it goes with cheesy potatoes. I usually use cream of chicken & the casserole turns out great! No chicken taste once it melts into the sour cream & cheese.
DeleteI am going to use cream of celery soup, I have never seen a can of cream of onion, I am also would not recommend a dry french onion soup mix, too salty, and the french onion dip would add enough onion flavor for my tastes.
DeleteI made this today and OMG it is seriously delicious! My only addition was additional cooking time of approximately 20 extra mins. I started about 55 mins and increased by 10 min increments until the middle looks golden and bubbly like the sides. My oven may not cook as hot as others though so cooks use your judgement. Hubby and I think we could add diced ham and this would be a perfect week night casserole. My goal was a great side dish for Thanksgiving and this is definitely going to be on the menu!
ReplyDeleteI love the diced onion on the old school recipe. Would it be too much if I added some to this?
ReplyDeleteSimilar recipes, such as the Cracker Barrel copycat, call for only one cup of sour cream. Have you ever tried using only one cup of the French Onion Dip instead of an entire pint? Wondering which amount would taste best for texture. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteWe dont have frozen hash browns here in NZ, only hash brown patties (pre-made patties)..How would I substitute grated fresh potatoes to this...boil first? thx!
ReplyDeleteJust grate the potatoes; no need to boil them first --- they'll bake in the oven.
DeleteI'm thinking of making this as a base for Christmas breakfast. I can't eat eggs and most breakfast casseroles have eggs. I think that I will enhance it by adding a pound of cooked ground sausage to it. I may even add a diced onion! I'll cook the sausage, shred the cheese, and dice the onion the night before. Wonder if celery would be good in it...
ReplyDeleteI cannot find cream of onion soup. What can I substitute?
ReplyDeleteChicken, mushroom, cellery... whatever you like :)
DeleteDoes cream of onion soup not having any onion pieces in it? Just curious have never used it but assumed it would. I love onion flavor but not a big fan of the onion texture.
ReplyDeleteThese are so good and easy!! I use frozen potatoes cubed now and like those better. I also top with green onions or diced bacon pieces
ReplyDeleteCan it be done in a crockpot?
ReplyDeleteI tried this recipe but had to make a few changes because that's what I had on hand. I used about three cups of frozen regular sized tater tots which I let thaw out for about 10 minutes and then placed in my baking dish in the microwave for 1 minute and used a Pampered Chef tool to crush them up. I chopped up 3/4 lb of bacon and fried the pieces up and added it to the mix. The bacon was low sodium so I did not add any additional salt. I used the same amount of Aldi's French onion dip and the chicken soup called for in the recipe. I use a little bit of the bacon grease to grease the bottom of the baking dish and used a smaller baking dish. I used two cups of cheese in the mix because we like cheese and then sprinkled extra on top. Did I mention we like cheese? I baked it for 40 minutes and it came out perfectly. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDelete