My Grandma Was An Idaho Potato Farmer—Her Must-Make Potato Casserole Is Pure Comfort

Every family has a favorite casserole. Some love chicken casseroles, others prefer a taco casserole or dessert casserole.

My grandma was famous for her cheesy potato casserole. She was a potato farmer from Idaho, so I guess it only makes sense. She also has plenty of comforting country favorites and great fall classics, like my apple dessert.

She grew up tending to the farm before school, feeding chickens, and harvesting. If she wasn't out on the farm, she was cooking—and since she lived on a potato farm, there were plenty of potatoes to use. She got pretty good at cooking them, and this cheesy potato casserole is one of her best.

How to Make My Grandma’s Potato Casserole

It’s quite simple: There are only four steps and less than 10 ingredients. Once you get the potato mixture made, you just add it to a 9x13-inch pan. Next, mix your butter and cornflakes and spread it over the casserole. The butter can be left out to soften or you can pop it in the microwave quickly to melt it.

In this recipe, my Grandma explicitly says to use Ore-Ida Hash Browns. I can’t quite speak for Ore-Ida, but I think the casserole is better for them.

What comes out of the oven is golden and cheesy. The hash browns are perfectly cooked, and each bite is a comforting pop of flavor.

Ingredients:

• 1 can cream of chicken soup (about 10.5 ounces)
• 2 cups sour cream
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ Teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
• ⅓ cup green onions, sliced
• 1 package ore ida country style hash browns
• 2 cups corn flakes cereal
• ¼ cup melted butter
• More salt and pepper to taste, if desired
  

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (176 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, whisk together cream of chicken soup, sour cream, salt, and pepper. Stir in cheese, green onions, and hash browns until well mixed. Spoon mixture into a buttered 9x13 inch baking dish.
3. In another bowl, mix corn flakes and softened butter. Spread cereal over the potato casserole.
4. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Let stand for five minutes. Garnish with more green onions, if desired.

Your Grandma's Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole

There are two recipes on our website that resemble my Grandma’s recipe. One of them is another recipe from a grandmother.

You can’t go wrong with either of our cheesy hash brown casseroles as a side to serve for a group or as a comforting breakfast or lunch. 

All of them use cornflakes, which can also be found in funeral potatoes. They all include the necessary amounts of sour cream, butter, and cheese—and of course, they all include hash browns.

• Grandma's Hash Brown Casserole
• Cheesy Hash brown Casserole
  

Tips and Tricks for Perfect Casserole

Our Allrecipes community members are casserole aficionados to say the least. Here’s what reviewers have to say about some of our top-rated recipes:

• “This is a household favorite. I prefer to use the chunkier country style hash browns (chunks a little bigger than a pea) because they don't get as slimy as the shredded type,” says reviewer Gwyndylan. “I like to thaw these chunkier potatoes in the oven until they are just warm, they cook perfectly even and hold the shape and texture better.”
• “This is a holiday favorite! I doubled the recipe and used 2 cups of cheddar cheese and 2 cups of grated parmesan cheese,” says reviewer Jillian. “I stuck with the cream of chicken soup as my grandma always had, but this recipe is so versatile that any cream soup will do, which is nice. Everyone loves the cornflake topping, but again it's a matter of preference. This does take an hour in the oven even with the thawed hash browns.”
• “Huge huge hit at Thanksgiving! I also added half a packet of powdered Ranch dressing, some garlic, cayenne, and some bacon pieces,” says reviewer jekku60. "The whole pan was gone in minutes!”