By The ISFA work continues — another kitchen table this week, another young family with numbers that might work. I sat across from a couple in Story County and laid out the grants and watched their faces change from fear to possibility, and the change is the thing I live for now.
Thursday was tater tot hotdish, because Thursday is always tater tot hotdish and the schedule doesn't change for anything — not pandemics, not loss, not the passage of years. The tater tots go in at 375 and come out golden and the family eats them and the eating is the Thursday and the Thursday is the structure and the structure holds. But I also made chicken and dumplings earlier this week, because the kitchen doesn't only look backward. The kitchen grows.
The garden winding down. Corn stalks brown and leaning. Last peppers picked before frost. Jack's garlic going in — the patience crop, planted now for next July. Nine months underground. The faith that the future needs what the present plants.
There’s something about a week spent helping other families find their footing that leaves you craving the meals that don’t require any decisions — the ones that just hold. The garden is putting itself to bed, the garlic is underground and waiting, and I wanted a dish that matched that feeling: simple, golden, sure of itself. This hash brown casserole is the kind of thing that sits on the table and says everything is going to be fine without making a single promise it can’t keep.
Copycat Cracker Barrel Hash Brown Casserole
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 55 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes | Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 1 bag (30 oz) frozen shredded hash browns, thawed
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 1 can (10.5 oz) cream of chicken soup
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced
- 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded, divided
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat. Heat your oven to 350°F and grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray or a light coating of butter.
- Mix the base. In a large bowl, combine the melted butter, cream of chicken soup, sour cream, diced onion, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Stir until smooth and well combined.
- Fold in the hash browns. Add the thawed hash browns and 1 1/2 cups of the shredded cheddar to the bowl. Fold everything together until evenly coated.
- Fill the dish. Spread the mixture into the prepared baking dish in an even layer. Scatter the remaining 1/2 cup of cheddar over the top.
- Bake. Bake uncovered for 50–55 minutes, until the top is golden, the edges are bubbling, and the center is set. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 390 | Protein: 10g | Fat: 26g | Carbs: 30g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 620mg