How many church cookbooks do you have? Even though I love the creativity and beautiful photography of professional cookbooks, there is something special about the tried and true daily recipes, approved by families, and shared with their friends in the church cookbook.
I used to be so diligent about taking notes while cooking. I would write the date, any alterations made, and how the dish was rated by my family. As I thumb through cookbooks, I am also slightly horrified by how brutal some comments were.
Sadly, that “organized” part of my life is over. Recipes that I have tried, or am currently working on, end up written in some illegible script on tiny pieces of paper, and stashed in a drawer.
Maybe this is evidence that “evolution” is just a theory.
One recipe that continues to be requested by my son for every holiday meal (and many times in between) is cheesy hash brown hotdish. At least one version seems to be in every church cookbook.
The beauty of this dish is that it makes a massive amount. It is perfect for a crowd, or for having several small pans stashed in the freezer to pull out on busy days. When hosting holidays like Christmas and Easter, I’m often in church 4-6 hours before coming home to a house full of hungry people. This dish can be made weeks in advance and frozen, alleviating some of the stress.
The only real “tweaking” this recipe needed to become gluten free was substituting the cream soup. Although my preference is to use homemade mushroom soup, Pacific Foods has really decent soups that can be picked up at the grocery store or ordered online. Use either Creamy Mushroom or Creamy Chicken – or a combination of both – to complement the potatoes and sour cream.
Classic Hashbrown Potato Casserole Made Gluten Free
Description
Easy to make ahead, this company classic never goes out of style.
Ingredients
- 2 large white or yellow onions, finely diced
- 2 bags frozen hash browns (approximately 2 pounds each), thawed
- 1 stick (1/4c) butter, melted
- 4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 3 – 12 ounce boxes cream of mushroom (or chicken) soup
- 24 ounces sour cream
- 1 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Combine the diced onions, thawed hash browns, and shredded cheddar in a large bowl. Combine the cream soups, sour cream, melted butter, and black pepper in a separate bowl.
- Add the creamy mixture to the hash browns, stirring until combined.
- Divide between pans coated with nonstick spray.
- This batch makes one 9″x13″ pan AND a 9″ pan.
- Bake at 350 degrees 45 minutes, or 325 for 60 minutes (perfect timing to bake a smaller ham).
- If frozen, bake covered with foil for one hour, then remove the foil and let the top brown (about another 10 minutes).
Notes
This makes a 9×13″ pan for now and a smaller pan to freeze for later. Or just have the entire gang over!
If you love beautiful writing and gorgeous photography, I recommend Kinfolk. The stories, recipes, and pictures are absolutely stunning.
