What do you do when you want to make hashbrown casserole, but you don’t have any sour cream? Well, if you’re me, you decide to get creative and make do with what you have!
This was me two weeks ago.
I woke up Sunday morning and realized that I needed to bring something to our church brunch that morning. We had just bought the Ore-Ida Potatoes at Kroger that were on sale for $0.99 per bag as part of the weekend deal and I had a can of cream of chicken soup + a block of cheddar cheese, so I was itching to make Hashbrown Casserole in the Crockpot.
The only problem? We didn’t have sour cream or Greek yogurt or anything that could stand in for sour cream. And every online search for Crockpot Hashbrown Casserole brought up recipes that had sour cream in them.
However, not to be deterred, I remembered this Hashbrown Potatoes recipe from my sister that doesn’t have sour cream or cream soup in it, so I decided to just try and see if I could make something up with what I had on hand.
Here’s what I did:
I browned the onions in half a stick of butter.
Then, I added the can of cream of chicken soup plus some milk and heated it through.
While this was simmering, I grated some cheese.
I then put one bag of hashbrowns onto the bottom of the crockpot and poured the soup mixture on top. (Note: I should have sprayed the pan, but I forgot to do so — it ended up not sticking to the bottom like I thought it would, but I would still recommend not forgetting like I did. :))
I mixed the soup mixture in with the potatoes.
And then dumped the shredded cheese on top.
And mixed the cheese in.
I cooked it on high for 3 hours. (We cooked it at home for an hour and a half and then brought it to church and plugged it in to cook during the service for an hour and a half.)
The end result was amazing — it smelled so good, tasted amazing, and the crockpot was completely empty in just a few minutes! I would say they were a big hit! 🙂
Not all of my kitchen creations have turned out so successfully, but it’s always a victory when they do — and I get creative and make do with what I have on hand!
By the way, I got 678 points from Fetch for buying the Hashbrown Potatoes! Yay for free points and free gifts cards for something I was already planning on buying!
Looking for another yummy Hashbrown Potato recipe that doesn’t require any sour cream or cream soup? Check out my sister’s Cheesy Hashbrown Potatoes recipe.
Sharon says
I didn’t have cream of mushroom soup but had cheddar cheese soup so I used that my husband and I loved them he even said to make it again
Laura says
I just made Brigette’s Cheesy Hash Brown Potatoes, what a win the whole family loved them! Used frozen hash browns but other than those followed the recipe as written. Thinking I will be making this my new go to potato side dish! Thank you Brigette!
Jordan says
Yay!!! We are so happy you all loved them! -Jordan, MSM Team
Guest says
Chuckled when I read this. I made from scratch cream of mushroom soup last week and no one would touch it but me. Was obviously not going to throw it all out so it turned into cream of potato soup which everyone loved! And had no idea it contained the cream of mushroom.
Crystal Paine says
😉
Rosanna says
I often make things with whatever I have on hand as well. I have learned that over the years and it has saved me so much money! That being said, I’m usually not brave enough to do that when I’m taking it somewhere else unless I’ve tried it in the past. Way to go!
Crystal Paine says
I usually will only experiment like this — with other people outside of my family involved — if I’m pretty confident it’s going to taste yummy. 🙂
Valerie Van Dyke says
Puree cottage cheese and you have better for you sour cream with killer protein! Tastes the same! Sometimes I don’t bother to puree it depending on the recipe.
Crystal Paine says
Oh! That’s a GREAT idea! I’ll keep that in my back pocket for next time!
Anna Rose says
Thank you for sharing great comfort food recipe! I wanted to use up a half package of hashbrowns in the freezer for a while now. This morning I made this but with homemade cheese sauce and added cabbage to the onions and cooked it on the stove 30 mins. It tasted so good.
Crystal Paine says
Oh yum! That sounds so good!
Beth says
I love this! And the timing of the post is perfect for all the holiday potlucks coming up.
A few years ago, my cousin was lamenting how much all the gatherings were costing him, and then he went on to say how he had bought a few pounds of cranberry salad from the deli (at like $5.00 a pound) and had also bought a new bowl at the same time because he hadn’t brought a serving dish along($10 or $15). He probably spent 20 or 30 dollars. If I had made the same dish from scratch and used my own bowl, it could have cost no more than $4.00 total. Anyway, my message to him was that there is a cheaper way. Obviously, you have shown this too! Thanks! And, I’m going to try to make those potatoes!
Crystal Paine says
I love to try to come up with stuff to bring with what I already have on hand! It’s kind of a fun game for me to see what I can concoct that people will love!
Diane says
I think that fun game attitude is what makes being frugal in the kitchen fun instead of feeling like deprivation. I have to keep a good attitude with pantry challenges and a very low food budget (we all have plenty of good food to eat, but are very intentional with the shopping and planning as you are). But I think making it a fun challenge and an exercise in creativity keeps it from feeling like I should feel sorry for myself to not just put whatever I want in my grocery cart. Merry Christmas!
Crystal Paine says
YES! I so agree with you!
Lindsay Pevny says
This looks amazing, I love anything potato. The cheese really tops it off!
Crystal Paine says
YES!
Linda says
Hi, I hope this doesn’t come off the wrong way, but how do you eat such rich foods (like the recipe here) and stay so slim? Is it all the weight lifting that you had mentioned in some earlier posts?
Thanks!
Linda
Margery says
Yes, I wonder that, too. Maybe it was mostly eaten by other people at her church.
Crystal Paine says
Well, I have great genes — thanks to my parents. And I also learned a lot of good eating habits from my parents: Eat small portions of high calorie foods, always eat a lot of fruits and veggies and protein, don’t eat much junk food, drink a lot of water, and get a lot of exercise. I’m not sure if that is helpful at all, but that’s what I abide by and it has worked well to keep my weight at almost the same number since the time I was 17 (except for pregnancy!)
Chris says
I have made the cheesy hash brown recipe you mentioned in the article that is your sister’s recipe several times. It is so easy and our whole family just loves them, especially with pork. I make them with the frozen hash browns. It is definitely a winner of a recipe. I am glad you figured out how to make do with what you have. I had not thought about making them in the crock pot, but what you did looks good too.
Crystal Paine says
I love that recipe from my sister!