This cheesy hash brown casserole is creamy and gluten-free. The addition of shredded chicken or diced ham makes it a full meal all by itself, though you could also add a small salad as a side dish.
We made this casserole for dinner last week, and it was very fine. I ate the leftovers for every meal until they were gone. It really was that good.
Cheese, potatoes, crunchy. How can you go wrong?
You can’t.
The only snag is that this is the least healthy potato dish ever. (Maybe not ever. It’s not deep fried. But close.)
It’s definitely an occasional treat, not an everyday food. But then, you’re a grownup, and you can eat unhealthy potatoes anytime you want to. Have fun.
When you make this, don’t skip the step where you sauté the onions. Onions really make the potatoes in this dish sing, but if you don’t sauté them first, you will have raw onions in your finished casserole. Any nobody likes raw onions in their cooked potatoes.
Ask me how I know. Better yet, don’t. I don’t want to relive that experience.
Just trust me. Cook the onions first.
One more thing. If you’re not gluten-free, I think this would be really good with some of those french fried onions on top rather than corn flakes. Corn flakes are good and do give it a nice crunch on top, but I used to love those onions and think they would really elevate the casserole to a whole new level.
While you’re here, take a look at these delicious brunch recipes:
This cheesy hash brown casserole can be a breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner recipe because it is so versatile and delicious. Your guests are going to love it as much as my family did!
Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole (Gluten-free)
Ingredients
- 24 oz frozen hash browns doesn't have to be exact
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 small onion
- 1 cup chicken cooked, shredded or diced - or use ham
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 2-1/2 cups 1% milk divided, but not skim!
- 1-1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1 package onion soup mix
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt or sour cream
- 2 cups Cheddar cheese
- corn flakes (if you're not gluten-free, French fried onions would be good, too)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- In a large skillet, sauté garlic, onion, and chicken until onions are clear and softened. Set aside.
- Melt 1/2 cup butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in cornstarch and cook for two minutes. Add 2 cups milk, broth, soup mix, and sautéed garlic, onion, and chicken. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer (that means to cook just below the boiling point) until it's thickened. Stir frequently to prevent it from sticking and burning.
- Add sour cream to the saucepan. Mix well.
- If your saucepan is big enough, add the hash browns and shredded cheese and stir until it's well blended. If the saucepan isn't big enough, either dump them in a mixing bowl or mix them in your baking dish.
- If you haven't already, pour the whole mess into a 9x13 baking dish. Pour some milk in (that's the remaining 1/2 cup, but you may use a little more or a little less) so that all the potatoes are covered.
- Sprinkle corn flakes over the top of the potato mixture. Cover with foil and bake for 90 minutes or until it's bubbly. Remove the foil and cook the last 10 minutes to toast the corn flakes.
Notes
A free cookbook? Yes, please!
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© 2015 – 2020, Tara Ziegmont. All rights reserved.
Amy says
Great recipe!!
Becky says
You may want to update your recipe… calls for cornstarch in the ingredients list and then you say flour in written instructions. Also, the onion soup mix is missing in the written instructions. Otherwise, very yummy
Tara Ziegmont says
Thanks for the heads up! I don’t know how in the world it got so out of whack, but I’m fixing it.
Elizabeth hobbs says
Onion soup mix is not gluten free