By Mama and Cody flew to Nashville for a long weekend. The Sapulpa-cafe-Sapulpa rhythm Cody and Mama have been running now allows for occasional travel like this — the cafe is closed Mondays and Wednesdays, the staff has stabilized enough that Cody can leave for four-day stretches a few times a year, Mama can travel with him. Brayden hasn’t seen them in two months. He recognized them at the airport pickup and reached for Mama with both hands.
Sunday I made hamburger hash brown casserole because Mama had requested it as the Sunday family dinner. Hamburger hash brown casserole is the kind of midwestern comfort-food dish that lives in church-cookbooks and family-reunion potluck-tables across the central United States.
The technique: a pound and a half of ground beef browned in a heavy skillet for ten minutes. Drained. One yellow onion diced and four cloves of garlic minced added; cook five minutes.
The casserole base: in a large bowl, combine the browned beef-and-onion mixture with one bag of frozen hash browns (no need to thaw), one can of cream of mushroom soup, one cup of full-fat sour cream, two cups of grated sharp cheddar, a half-cup of milk, salt, pepper, a teaspoon of garlic powder, a half-teaspoon of dried thyme.
Spread the mixture into a deep nine-by-thirteen baking dish. Top with another two cups of grated sharp cheddar and a sprinkle of paprika.
The bake: three-fifty for forty-five minutes uncovered until the cheese on top has bubbled and the edges are golden. Rest five minutes.
Mama and Cody had two helpings each. Brayden had a small portion of the cheese-and-potato corner. The casserole is one of those Sunday-family-dinners that doesn’t announce itself but feeds everyone.
Frozen hash browns straight in. Cream of mushroom + sour cream + cheddar. Three-fifty for forty-five. Here’s the build.
Hamburger Hash Brown Casserole
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 1 hour | Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes | Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs ground beef (80/20)
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (10.5 oz) can cream of mushroom soup
- 1 (10.5 oz) can cream of chicken soup
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 (30 oz) bag frozen shredded hash browns, thawed
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
- Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat and prep. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish and set aside.
- Brown the beef. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the ground beef and diced onion together, breaking the meat apart as it cooks, until the beef is no longer pink and the onion is softened, about 8–10 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook 1 minute more. Drain excess fat.
- Make the sauce. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cream of mushroom soup, cream of chicken soup, sour cream, and milk until smooth. Stir in the garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
- Combine. Add the browned beef mixture, thawed hash browns, and 1 1/2 cups of the cheddar cheese to the bowl with the sauce. Stir until everything is evenly coated.
- Assemble. Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared baking dish. Top with the remaining 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese.
- Bake. Cover the dish loosely with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake an additional 15 minutes, until the top is golden and bubbling and the casserole is heated through.
- Rest and serve. Let the casserole rest for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh parsley if desired.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 480 | Protein: 26g | Fat: 28g | Carbs: 32g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 820mg