A twist on funeral potatoes, this Cheesy Potatoes Casserole is cozy comfort food at its finest. This dish is loaded with hash browns, cheddar cheese, bacon, and sour cream for an indulgent casserole that nobody can resist!

Other great ways to use up hash browns is in our Hash Brown Egg Casserole and Hash Brown Crusted Quiche.

Cheesy Hash Brown Potatoes

This cheesy potatoes casserole is the epitome of cozy comfort food. This dish and similar variations are also known as funeral potatoes because they’re so often served after funerals, especially in the Midwest. You may also see them described as party potatoes because they’re just as often served up as a cheesy side dish at parties, and crack potatoes referring to their addictiveness!

Basically, these easy cheesy potatoes are irresistible and once you make them, you’ll want to serve them all the time – and if there are no parties, just enjoy them as a side dish whenever you want; they make a great brunch table addition.

Bonus, this gooey, cheesy casserole is super easy to pull together – you’ll need just 5 minutes or so to combine the ingredients, then it’s time to bake. And there are so many variations on it that you can easily switch it up from time to time too.

Ingredients Needed

Including the seasonings, this comfort food casserole requires less than 10 ingredients.
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)

• Hash brown potatoes: A bag of frozen shredded hash browns works perfectly.
• Cream of potato soup: Canned condensed cream soup gets added, undiluted. Do not add water.
• Sour cream: For a tangy flavor.
• Cheddar cheese: Freshly shredded cheese is the best option for melting.
• Bacon: Bacon should be cooked and chopped ahead of time.
• Seasonings: These cheesy potatoes are simply seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.

Variation Ideas

This recipe has many variations to it and is versatile to use what you have on hand. Here are a few ideas:

• Use a larger bag of hash browns if necessary. This recipe calls for a 30 ounce bag shredded hash brown potatoes, but if all you can find is a 32 ounce bag, that will work just fine.
• Can I use cubed hash brown potatoes? Yes! You may need to increase the baking time slightly. Just test out the softness of the potatoes with a fork.
• Try a different canned soup. The cream of potato can be swapped for cream of chicken or cream of mushroom for a different flavor.
• Spice it up. For an added kick to your casserole, swap some of the cheddar for pepper jack cheese and/or add some red pepper flakes.
• Lighten it up. To cut down on calories, you can use turkey bacon and light sour cream. Of course, even with these swaps this is going to be a high calorie dish. That’s why it’s special occasion comfort food, not every day food!
• Mix up the topping. Instead of topping this casserole with more cheese, add a crunchy topping by mixing together a cup of crushed Ritz crackers and 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Sprinkle over the top before baking.
• Switch up the cheese. While cheddar is most traditionally used and adds lots of flavor, you can really use whatever cheese you want in this casserole. You can even do half cheddar and half another cheese if you like.

How to Make Cheesy Potatoes

These cheesy hash brown potatoes come together quickly and require just under an hour of baking.
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)

1. Combine ingredients. Mix together the canned soup, sour cream, and seasonings. Stir in two cups of the shredded cheddar cheese and half of the bacon. Then gently stir in the hash brown potatoes.
2. Bake. Transfer the mixture to a greased baking dish and bake, covered, for 40 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining cheese and bacon, then return to the oven, uncovered, for another 10 minutes.

Serving Suggestions

This casserole should be served hot, while the cheese is melty and gooey for the best experience. As I mentioned, it’s a great casserole for gifting to someone passing through a hard time or at a family gathering. It can be served for nearly any meal as well, for brunch next to some scrambled eggs, just as well as it does at dinner next to roast chicken.

How to Make Ahead, Store & Reheat Leftovers

• Make ahead. This is a great casserole to keep in the freezer for a rainy day. You can freeze the baked or unbaked casserole for up to 2 months in the freezer. You can also prepare it and store it (unbaked) in the fridge for up to 3 days. Just make sure the casserole is well-wrapped.
• Store leftovers. Leftover cheesy potatoes should be cooled and stored in an airtight dish in the fridge. It will keep up to 3 days.
• How to reheat leftovers. Leftover cheesy potatoes reheat well in both the microwave and oven. If I’m reheating the entire baking dish of potatoes, I’ll pop them back in the oven covered with aluminum foil so the cheese doesn’t burn. If you’re reheating just a portion or two, popping them in the microwave will be fine.

More Potato Recipes:

• Best Mashed Potatoes
• Oven Roasted Potatoes
• Latkes
• Baked Sweet Potato
• Twice Baked Potatoes
• Breakfast Tater Tot Casserole

I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!