So we kind of have this unspoken rule around OBB that we don’t have recipes with Cream of Something soup in them. And I totally adhere to that in my own cooking 99.9% of the time–it’s just not my thing, you know? However, there are times and places and sometimes there are rules that need to be broken. The time is now. The place is here. I give you…Funeral Potatoes.
But why funeral potatoes???
Believe it or not, “Funeral Potatoes” is not actually their technical name–it’s usually something like Cheesy Potato Casserole. But these are often found served with ham on Easter dinner tables as well as luncheons following funerals which, shockingly, is how they got their name.
Since Easter is coming up and ham is often served at Easter, and since this is my favorite side dish for ham, I had to swallow my feelings about Cream of Something soups. If you have a little extra time/motivation on your hands, you can always make Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup (make a half batch of the soup for the potatoes recipe), but honestly, these potatoes are so good and so easy and such great comfort food that I wholeheartedly recommend just popping open the can of soup. C’mon, just one time won’t hurt, right?
how to make them
So anyway…you’ll need a bag of shredded hash brown potatoes from the freezer section (thawed), a can of cream of chicken soup (or cream of mushroom if you’re going vegetarian), shredded sharp cheddar cheese, sour cream, an onion, a few cloves of garlic, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and a little butter.
Preheat the oven to 350 and then, in a large skillet, melt a tablespoon or two of butter over medium heat. I’m actually doing the entire thing in a 12″ cast iron skillet which is amazing on so many levels (only dirtying one pan, fun/rustic presentation, stovetop to oven…if you want to learn more about why I love cast iron, check out this post.)Â Chop an onion and mince 2-3 cloves of garlic…
and saute until the onions are translucent and the garlic is fragrant.
While the onions and garlic are sautéing, combine together the sour cream, cream of chicken soup, salt, and pepper.
Remove the pan with the garlic and onions from heat and add the thawed hash browns, the sour cream mixture, and the cheese…
Combine the ingredients well.
If you’re not baking this in the skillet, transfer the mixture to a 9×13″ baking dish.
to crunch or not to crunch
Now, there is a serious, relevant, and ongoing debate about whether or not Funeral Potatoes should have a crunchy topping. I am firmly in the “no topping” camp–I love these because they don’t necessarily have to be served immediately and because they make awesome leftovers. When a crunchy topping is involved, both of those virtues fly out the window because the topping gets soggy. HOWEVER. If you want a crunchy topping, you can add crushed cornflakes, seasoned bread crumbs, or even crushed saltines to the casserole before you bake it.
Bake for 50-60 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly throughout and the casserole is hot in the center.
You can serve this as a main dish (kind of like mac and cheese, right?) with a salad and fruit or serve it alongside pot roast, ham, or roasted chicken. The funeral is totally optional.
(For the sake of nostalgia, here’s what these looked like back in 2011 when we originally published this recipe…)
Funeral Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1 small-medium onion diced
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced
- 1-2 tablespoons butter
- 1 28-30 ounce bag shredded hash brown potatoes thawed
- 1 16- ounce container sour cream
- 1 10- oz. can cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup
- 8 ounces about 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- OPTIONAL: Crushed cornflakes seasoned bread crumbs, crushed potato chips, or crushed Ritz or saltine crackers
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. In a large skillet (or 12" cast iron skillet), melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute until the onion is translucent and the garlic is fragrant. Remove from heat. Add the thawed hash browns, sour cream, cream of chicken soup, cheese, salt, and pepper and combine well. Add additional salt and pepper if necessary.
- If not baking in the skillet, spread the mixture into a 9x13" (or similar) dish and bake for 50-60 minutes or until the casserole is hot in the center and the cheese is bubbly throughout. Serve as a main dish with a salad and fruit or alongside roasted ham, turkey, chicken, or beef. Makes 6-8 main dish or 10-12 side dish servings.
Questions & Reviews
I have not had funeral potatoes for over 20 years, found your recipe on Pinterest, tried it and we loved it.
Is it ok to mix this up the night before?
Yep!!
Just to add to the debate:
I wince a little bit when I see people making funeral potatoes the wrong way (read: not my way). Frozen hash browns have no place in funeral potatoes (I bake, peel and shred mine) and neither do garlic and onions. I guess I’ll try to be happy that you’ve never had my funeral potatoes because you would never fully appreciate yours after that! ?
The tip my mom always gives when people ask for her funeral potato recipe is, less potato and more funeral! Keep them moist! ? (I know we all love that word!)
So, used to LOVE this dish, but I developed an allergy to cheddar cheese as an adult (only cheddar – it makes my throat swell and gives me hives and everything), it’s my lifelong sorrow…. Anyway, do yo think these would work with a different kind of cheese? Maybe a blend of a few like Swiss, Parmesan, etc…. I want to make these so badly!
Totally! Sub any good melting cheese you like 🙂
These do very well in a crockpot, too.
Wondering if these can be baked and then frozen?
Yep, absolutely!
These are holiday potatoes for our family but we skip the extra step of cooking onions. We just chop them really fine. They will cook during that hour. We use melted butter, 1 cup, and 8 oz sour cream. Add everything together at once. In any case, they are everyone’s favorite !
Great recipe! Just fold in all the goodies till blended. It is a lot of hash browns, Easier to Mix when doing half potatoes/with half sauce, in another bowl. It made 2 dishes. Yummy!!
This is a long time family favorite that we call “Fat Lady Potatoes”. We first saw the recipe in the newspaper along with the photo of the lady who submitted it. She was, for lack of another term, fat! We figured it had to be a good recipe for that reason so we tried it. We were right and those potatoes are great! Plus, if you eat enough of them, you will be fat too!
This is hilarious and too much effort for those of us without time. There is no need to cook anything. Add all ingredients in a bowl (it doesn’t even need garlic) add extra butter, if desired. Stir everything together and put in a casserole dish and bake for one hour. Delicious! I’ve been making these for years and I always add crushed corn flakes with melted butter on top. They have always been a huge hit!!
Thank you! Have to take potatoes to an LDS funeral tomorrow. This is exactly the recipe I needed but couldn’t exactly remember.
I think I might make extra for my own lunch haha!
Do you cover these with foil before baking? Thanks for your reply.
Nope, no need for foil.
I add green Chile and use Panko bread as my topping…. Solo delicious
I went a little overboard and made waaaay too much of this tonight. Do you think this can freeze after it’s already been cooked?
My in laws introduced me to substituting the regular onion for green onions instead, 1/2 bunch greens & all, it’s so yum!
I just finished reading all of the above answers to coming up with a good casserole of potatoes. Not once, did I see just what is used to “grate” cooked potatoes without making them crumbly.
I boil them, let them cool, then run them through my food processor with the shredding cutting blade. Works perfectly every time.
I doubled the recipe (for a family gathering) and used a can of cream of mushroom soup and a can of cheddar cheese soup and doubled the other ingredients accordingly. Then after spreading in the 9×13 pan, put an even layer of Panko bread crumbs and baked as directed in the recipe. May have to add extra time because of doubling the recipe. Just taste test a little bit from the middle of the dish at the end of the initial cook time. If not done enough, add time in 8-10 min. intervals until done to your taste. The Panko crumbs stay crunchy, if you happen to like a crunchy topping. The cheddar cheese soup really added to the cheesy flavor of the potatoes. 😀
what I love about these . they can be doubled if feeding a crowd . also I buy store brand hash browns .. . as I shop aldi this can be a good deal for a crowd and its a great thing with steak . have found both men and women want the recipe and want more . so I always double the recipe and two pans of it .
and if you take it to a potluck or any kind of gathering . print out a few copies of the recipe because someone will be asking for it . also I always have a business card with my email address on it for those who dont know it . and I write on the back . what its about . anyway thanks for the great recipes
Jim
You could add ham to this (or bacon) to give it some more protein & make it more of an entree item.
Your cream of soup rule is one I also often adhere to; but this is the one dish I break it for. I love these for Christmas, Easter, and the occasional other special dinner.
I’ve made this several times & I can honestly say it is SO MUCH BETTER if you ADD 1-1 1/2 Cups of diced/cubed ham. It’s good without it, but it’s so much better with it! Try it, you’ll like it! I also sauteed my onions before adding them to the recipe as I don’t want the “crunchy” onion texture. I also topped mine with the French’s French Fried Onions & browned them for about the last 5-7 minutes of baking time. SO YUMMY!!
I cannot do the creamed soup as I am very allergic to MSG. I just use a brick of cream cheese thinned with a little milk to the consistency of creamed soup. I add fresh ingredients for the “flavor” of the soup.
I am so happy to find this recipe, I had them a few years ago for the first time at a funeral. Didn’t know what they were called but have been looking for a recipe ever sense. It was made with frozen shoestring french fries instead of hashbrowns. That maybe the reason I couldnt find a recipe. Never would of thought to look for funeral potatoes. I am also impressed by your site. Will definately visit again. Thanks for sharing
The name Funeral Potatoes just made me laugh and laugh, since I have a recipe book my family calls The Death Book. (My mom thinks that is just horrinle!) It’s where I keep all the recipes my family loves the most, with all my ingredient changes and alterations, along with notes on which variations each familymember favors the most. You know, the recipes everyone wishes they had gotten after someone passes away!
I make a casserole just like this..mine is called Shwartzies Hash brown casserole. I make the odd change……I’m not fond of sour cream so I just add an extra can of cream soup…( any kind is fine ) I’ve used Cream of chicken, broccolli or mushroom . I do cut back on the cheese…..I use lots of onion. I don’t use the shredded hash browns…I use the hash browns that are in peices…so much better. Thaw them before you mix it up.You can make
this ahead and freeze it. Just bring it out ahead of time so it can start thawing. Everyone loves it with ham…and there is hardly ever any leftovers. It’s a wonderful dish for a pot luck…..I do not put any crunchy topping on…I don’t think it needs it.
I tried to see if anyone else used my topping, but didn’t have time to read all 191 comments!!! my topping is French onion, the dehydrated ones. I use some in the casserole for extra flavor, and more on top instead of corn flakes. we love this much better!! we have made this for years also, if it is for a holiday or picnic, one casserole is never enough, have to make 2, if they don’t all get eaten, someone will always take the leftovers home, they fight over them!!!
This sounds weird, but trust me. Salt n’ Vinegar crips…or chips (american) smash em up on top. It’s awesome.
If you can’t find hash brown potatoes then just do wat we do to mark our hash browns in a lot of restaurants .when you bake potatoes the next time bake a few extra. After the have been in the fridge over night,just peel and shred. That is where hash browns got their name, cause all you have to do is brown them, they are already cooked.
I use the hash browns that are cubed or real potatoes. I recently used Rice Krispies for the topping. We were scrapping the pan by the end of the night.