Southern Hash Brown Casserole
I have been making this hash brown casserole for over ten years and it has always been the most requested casserole by my family. A lot of love has been mixed into this recipe over the years as I have made adjustments each year to perfect this casserole. So, I am very happy to share my labor of love with you! I usually make this casserole ahead of time when I know we will be hosting family for the weekend or holidays; also breakfast for dinner is a family favorite in our home and needless to say this hash brown casserole is usually on the menu!
Equipment
- 1 Medium Sized Casserole Dish
- 1 Large Baking Sheet
- 1 Large Cast iron Pan – I prefer using cast iron pans; however, you can use your favorite non-stick pan.
- Parchment Paper
- Foil
Ingredients
- 1 lb Jimmy Dean Hot Ground Sausage
- 8 slices Bacon
- 15 oz Shredded Hash Browns
- 15 oz Southern Style Has Browns
- 1/2 large Yellow Onion – Finely chopped.
- 1/2 cup Salted Butter
- 1/2 cup Sour Cream
- 1/2 cup Whipped Cream Cheese
- 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
- 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Black Pepper
- 4 cups Colby Jack Cheese
- 3 stalks Green Onions – Finely chopped.
- Crisco – To grease the casserole dish. You can also use olive oil as a substitute.
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper to cook 8 slices of bacon until they are very crispy. Remove bacon from the oven once all of the slices are crispy and set the slices aside on a paper towel lined plate to cool.
- Now lower your oven temperature to 350 degrees.
- Grease a medium sized casserole dish with crisco then set aside.
- On a medium sized cutting board, finely chop 3 green onion stalks. Set aside.
- Pre-heat a large pan to medium heat on the stovetop. Brown 1 lb. of hot ground sausage. Once the sausage is fully cooked and completely browned, transfer from the pan to a bowl, and set aside. Leave the sausage drippings within the pan.
- Reduce your burner heat to medium-low and add 1/2 cup/stick of salted butter to your pan with the sausage drippings and allow it to fully melt.
- While your butter is melting, chop 1/2 large yellow onion and then add the onions to your pan within the butter and sausage drippings. Cook the onions until they are tender.
- Once the onions are tender add 15oz of shredded hash browns and 15oz of southern style hash browns to the pan. Stir the hash browns over medium heat until they are fully coated with the butter and onions, then add 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp salt, and 1 tsp black pepper, and stir everything together until the hash browns are fully coated with all of the ingredients. Allow the hash browns to cook over medium heat, stirring often, until they are tender.
- When the hash browns are tender, crumble your crispy bacon slices over the top of the hash browns, stir them in, along with 1/2 cup sour cream, and 1/2 cup whipped cream cheese. Stir everything together until all of the ingredients are evenly combined. Turn your stovetop burner off and remove your pan from the hot burner.
- Add half of hash brown mixture to your pre-greased casserole dish, then sprinkle 2 cups of Colby Jack cheese over the top. Repeat this step by pouring the other half of the hash brown mixture within the casserole dish and top it with the other 2 cups of the Colby Jack cheese.
- Cover your casserole dish with foil and bak it at 350 degrees for 35 minuets. Once the casserole has baked for 35 minuets, uncover the casserole, and bake it for another 10 minuets.
- Finally, top your beautiful has brown casserole with finely chopped green onions and enjoy!
Cheesy Pork Chop Casserole
This casserole takes me wayyy back… My mom made pork chop casserole often throughout my childhood. It was a weeknight dinner treat for me because I always looked forward to it and the creamy rice! Mmm! This was the second recipe that I ever learned how to make by myself growing up. Each time I made it I would add my own little twist to it until it became the Cheesy Pork Chop Casserole! This casserole smells and tastes like home to me. I hope this becomes a family dinner favorite in your home as well!
Equipment
- 1 9"x9" Clear Glass Casserole Dish
- 1 Large Frying Pan
- Aluminum Foil – To cover casserole while baking if your casserole dish does not have a glass lid.
- Cooking Tongs – To flip pork chops while browning.
- 1 Large Knife
- 1 Cutting board
Ingredients
- 4 Thin Bone-in Pork Chops
- 2 tbsp Dry White Wine – I recommend a Pinto Grigio.
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 tbsp Butter – You will need a little extra butter to top the pork chops with before baking.
- 3 cups Beef Bone Broth
- 1 10.5oz Can Cream of Celery
- 1/2 Yellow Onion – Finely chopped
- 1 1/2 cups White Rice
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
- 1/2 tsp Celery Salt
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese – Thick cut
- 1/4 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese – Topping
- 1/2 tbsp Fresh or Dried Parsley – Topping: If using fresh parsley, be sure to finely chop it.
Instructions
- Set pork chops out to reach room temperature.
- Pre heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Lightly season your room temperature pork chops with, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, black pepper, and dried or fresh parsley.
- Let the seasoned pork chops sit for 15 minutes.
- Drizzle 2 tbps of olive oil into a large frying pan and bring the pan to medium-high heat.
- Once your large frying pan has reached medium-high heat, brown the pork chops on each side, about 30 seconds per side. Place the browned pork chops on a plate and set aside to rest. You do not want to fully cook the pork chops; we are just giving them a nice brown sear on each side.
- Reduce your frying pan heat to medium and add 1 tbsp of butter to your large frying pan.
- Sauté 1/2 finely chopped yellow onion in the frying pan with the pork chop drippings on medium heat. While the onions are cooking add in 2 tbsp of your dry white wine to the pan and continue to cook the onions until they are tender and soft.
- In a 9”x9” glass casserole dish, pour in a 10.5oz can cream of celery, 3 cups beef bone broth, the sautéed yellow onion, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1/2 tsp celery salt, 1/4 tsp salt and whisk together in the casserole dish until all ingredients are fully combined.
- Add 1 1/2 cups of white rice to the casserole dish mixture. Stir until well combined.
- Finally, stir in 1 cup thick cut sharp cheddar cheese.
- Place browned pork chops over rice and cheese mixture within the casserole dish, top each pork chop with a slice of butter, and then sprinkle 1/4 cup thick cut cheddar cheese evenly over the top. Garnish the pork chops with some fresh or dried parsley at this time, if desired.
- Cover the casserole with aluminum foil or a glass lid if your casserole dish has one and pop your casserole in the 350 degree pre-heated oven.
- Let the casserole bake for 1 hour. Your pork chops will finish cooking during this time while adding a lot of flavoring to the casserole.
- Do not lift the casserole cover while it is baking. Allow the rice to fully cook through, uninterrupted. – (I can still hear my grandmother jokingly yelling at me "don't take the lid off of that rice dish!," as a reminder to me. Haha! She always cooked the most beautiful and fluffy rice. I learned from the best!)
- Allow your casserole to rest for 15 minuets before digging in.
Notes
Why use a clear glass casserole dish? I am passing down some advice to you that my mother taught me when I was a little girl. She would tell me that it is best to use a clear glass casserole dish while baking casseroles that include rice so you can see how the rice is absorbing the liquids on the sides of the casserole dish. This will allow you the option of adding more liquid if you think that the rice looks too dry throughout the baking duration. You don’t want to take the lid off of the casserole dish if you do not have to while baking rice. It needs all that locked in steam to fully cook through. So this method of monitoring the rice while baking is great! Enjoy, my friends!
