Funeral Potatoes – A Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole
Funeral potatoes are the perfect comfort food – a hot, creamy, cheesy, delicious, hash brown casserole with a crispy, salty topping that feeds a crowd.
I was recently asked to bring funeral potatoes to a luncheon for a sweet family in my neighborhood after a beautiful service for their loved one. A few days after the luncheon I received the following email:
Sue and Debbie and I are sitting here in presidency meeting and they are raving about your funeral potatoes. So we looked it up on your site and can’t find that recipe…. Have you put it online somewhere? We want it! We must have it! Help us out!
With a fun request like that, how could I resist posting my recipe. So this week I made another pan for my family, so I could share them with you.
Over the years, I’ve tweaked my funeral potato recipe so they’re easy to make, really flavorful, not too soupy, and not too dry, just rich and creamy. I prefer using cream of mushroom soup but since so many others use cream of chicken soup in their potatoes, I add concentrated chicken base to the mushroom soup for the best of both worlds.
Funeral potatoes are usually topped with a crispy topping, often crackers, corn flakes, or potato chips. I grew up eating them topped with potato chips, but the winner of the Utah’s Best Funeral Potatoes used panko bread crumbs, and they stayed crisp longer. So I decided to combine crispy panko crumbs with salty potato chips, for what I think is the perfect topping.
I don’t know anyone who doesn’t enjoy a big scoop of these luscious potatoes, so ignore the name and enjoy them the next time you’re feeding a crowd, or you’re in need of a little comfort food.
Update: Kristen, from Dine and Dish, shared these potatoes on her Facebook page, and said funeral potatoes are one of her favorite foods, but she calls them party potatoes. I love that idea. I think I’ll call them party potatoes now too.
Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole (Funeral Potatoes)
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- 1 onion, peeled and quartered
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- 1 tablespoon chicken base
- 1 pint (16 ounces) sour cream
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons dried parsley
- 2 packages (20 ounce) fresh shredded hash brown potatoes
- 2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
Topping
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1/3 cup crushed potato chips
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 9×13 pan with non-stick cooking spray.
In a blender, pulse butter, onion, cream of mushroom soup, and chicken base several times to chop onion. Add sour cream, milk, salt and pepper, and pulse just until almost smooth. Stir in dried parsley.
In a very large bowl, combine the hash browns and cheddar cheese. Add the cream sauce and stir until it’s well combined. Pour into 9×13 pan and smooth the top.
Prepare topping: Mix panko crumbs, potato chips and melted butter in a Ziploc bag until well combined. Sprinkle evenly over the top of the casserole.
Bake uncovered for 1 hour until the sauce is bubbling and the topping is golden brown.
Is there any way to make these in a crockpot?
Hi Denise – I haven’t tried it, but others have done it. http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2013/04/slow-cooker-cheesy-hash-brown-casserole.html
The name sounds a little scary. LOL But regardless of that, I will give this wonderful cheesy casserole a try! 🙂
Hi Nagi – it is a funny name, but definitely give it a try.
Does this recipe work better with traditional potato chips like Lays/Ruffles or the Kettle kind? I’m wondering if the Kettle kind will make it toooooo crunchy. I’m going to try to tweek it to make it gluten free so I can eat it.
Hi Kelly – I haven’t tried it with Kettle chips, but I think they would work just fine.
Hi – I was wondering if you could use cubed hash browns instead of shredded? Thanks so much!
Hi Maggie – yes, that should work well without any changes. I’ve often seen people use cubed potatoes.
Thank you! I’ve never made these potatoes before, but I have a bag of cubed in the freezer, so thought I would try it. Sounds delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
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My SIL made these for me, when I visited her in Missouri for the first time. Seriously, I couldn’t stop eating them. They are a caloric explosion, but at that time I didn’t care one bit! Thanks for sharing how to make them. I think. Temptation is calling me.
What a name for this dish. haha….
Kristy
No such thing as hash browns from a bag here. Can we make them from fresh grated potatoes? I would LOVE these regardless the name. 🙂
Hi Maureen – you would love these. Isabel asked the same question below. Just be sure and parboil the potatoes first.
I love funeral potatoes. Miss them. I stopped eating potatoes when I found out they are a nightshade vegetable and are not good for central nervous system issues, like my stupid MS. 😉 Must try making them with sweet potatoes, which are not in that category. Yours look perfect for a funeral or party. 😉
Thanks Katrina! Sorry you can’t have them any more. You’ll have to let me know how the sweet potato version turns out. I would think the cook time would be a lot shorter.
Thank you! I’m so glad to have this recipe! I know that if it’s yours, I can trust it to be good.
I love the crunchy topping, this casserole is irresistible!
Hi Barbara. I would love to make your funeral potatoes here in Malaga but unfortunately I’m not able to find the hash brown potatoes in a bag over this way. Can I make my own hash browns from scratch and how is the best way to do this? Also the chicken base is a no go, ok if I add a chicken bouillon cube or two? Thanks for all your fabulous recipes. Many have become favourites for my family.
Thanks Isabel – that’s such a sweet comment. Yes, you can make your own hash browns. Just parboil the peeled potatoes for 15 minutes http://www.wikihow.com/Parboil-Potatoes. After the potatoes cool, grate them and they’re ready to use in the recipe. And yes, you can substitute bouillon cubes. 1 tablespoon base equals 3 bouillon cubes. I would probably substitute 1/4 cup water for the milk and dissolve the bouillon in the water, let it cool, then add it to the other ingredients in the blender. I hope your family enjoys them.
Thanks to you Barbara! I now feel confident I can serve the family your funeral, oops!, party potatoes and they will surely be delicious!! I´ll let you know… Til your next great recipe, bye!
I don’t know … anything that has a mushroom in it doesn’t get to be ‘best of any world’ in my house. My food allergy – mushrooms!
Sorry about your allergy. I’m sure they would be just as delicious if you substituted cream of chicken soup.
I’ve heard of Funeral Potatoes but have never had them. These sound irresistible Love the Panko topping and the ease of the bagged potatoes.! And I have the perfect weekend to serve these. Sent to printer! 😉
Hi Megan! So glad you’re going to make them. Dine and Dish calls them Party Potatoes. A much better name for a fun gathering.
Funeral potatoes are one of my absolute favorite foods! Love your recipe!
Your potato casserole looks truly comforting and delicious, Barbara. Love that crisp topping.
I kind of am obsessed with funeral potatoes. I didn’t grow up here so I didn’t learn to make them in my mother’s kitchen.
I was at a funeral a few years ago and an older bachelor type guy was sitting at our table inhaling funeral potatoes. I’ll bet he had four platefuls! He kept looking over at me and saying, “Do you think people will mind how much I eat? I never get home cooking.”
He was really sweet and I think the ladies who made the potatoes were quite happy with his enthusiasm…
You mentioned chicken base in your post but not in the recipe. How much do you use?
Thanks Monica for catching my oversight. I used 1 tablespoon. I’ve updated the recipe.
Scrumptious and comforting! I love casseroles like this one.
Cheers,
Rosa
What a name! I’ve definitely had something like this before, but I think they were called something different. Definitely need to give these a try though!