Following the holidays we often find ourselves seeking out creative recipes to use up the leftovers. This cheesy hash brown ham casserole was a huge hit in our house! Loaded with hash browns, cheese, and ham bits, this hearty casserole is sure to impress even the pickiest of eaters.
We’ve made this several times, sometimes just using leftover boiled or baked potatoes. If you’re using a baked potato, make sure it is chilled quite well before finely dicing it into squares. You’ll also need to reduce the baking time by about fifteen minutes if the potatoes are not frozen.
How to Make Cheesy Hash Brown Ham Casserole
Finely dice the onions and bell peppers (if using). I used about half a cup worth of each, this isn’t exact, I was literally just using up a few leftover bits that were in the refrigerator so they wouldn’t go to waste.
In a medium-sized bowl, combine the sour cream, cream of chicken soup, and garlic powder, mixing well to incorporate all ingredients. Add the bell peppers and diced Vidalia onion. You can use any type of onion that you like, red onion adds a bit of bite compared to a sweet onion such as vidalia.
Then add the finely diced ham.
Place half of the frozen potatoes in a greased 9 x 13-inch pan. Season with salt and pepper. Pour half of the melted butter over the frozen potatoes. Pour half of the ham mixture over the potatoes, top with half of the cheese.
Add the remaining frozen potatoes, season with salt and pepper, drizzle the remaining butter over the potatoes, top with the remaining ham mixture, spreading it evenly, and top with the remaining cheese.
Bake in a 350°F oven for 50-55 minutes. This casserole can easily serve six, but it can also be halfed and baked in a 9×9-inch pan for a smaller family.
Cheesy Hash Brown Ham Casserole
You’ll Need:
2 lbs frozen southern style hash brown potatoes or 4 large baked potatoes, diced
salt & pepper
2 cups sour cream
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup (10 1/2 oz)
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup butter or margarine (1 stick, melted)
1 small finely diced onion
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
2 cups finely diced Ham
1/2 green or red bell pepper, diced (optional, for color)
In a bowl combine the sour cream, and cream of chicken soup, and garlic powder, mixing well to incorporate all the ingredients. Add the bell peppers, diced onion, and finely diced ham.
Place half of the frozen potatoes in a greased 9 x 13-inch pan. Season with salt and pepper. Pour half of the melted butter over the frozen potatoes.
Pour half of the ham mixture over the potatoes, top with half of the cheese. Add the remaining frozen potatoes, season with salt and pepper, drizzle the remaining butter over the potatoes, top with the remaining ham mixture, spreading it evenly, then top with the remaining cheese.
Bake in 350°F oven for 50-55 minutes.
This casserole easily feeds 6, but can also be halved and baked in a 9×9-inch baking pan to accommodate smaller families. If you prefer more cheese, you can add an extra cup or so to the top of the casserole during the last 10-15 minutes of baking.
Ham Casserole Variations
Here are a few variation ideas that we’ve enjoyed with this casserole, we welcome you to share your ideas in the comments below.
- Add 1/2 – 3/4 c. chopped pickled jalapeno pepper slices, evenly layer or mix into the sauce mixture prior to layering
- Add 1 tsp Cayenne Pepper to the sauce/ham mixture
- Add 1 Tbs of honey dijon mustard to the sauce mixture & use Swiss cheese instead of cheddar
- To the sauce mixture, add 2 Tbs of fresh chopped herbs (herbs that go well with ham include: marjoram, mustard, oregano, sage, rosemary, thyme, garlic)
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