This Slow Cooker Hash Brown Casserole is an easy weeknight main dish or side! My S.O. absolutely loves Cracker Barrel’s hash brown casserole. I’ve been looking for a copycat recipe everywhere, but couldn’t find any I liked.
![cheesy slow cooker hash brown casserole](http://buildandbite.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/hash-brown-casserole-pinterest-image-1-825x1024.jpg)
They all used weird ingredients that I didn’t have. I wanted an easy recipe where I could use what I had on hand. The only thing I had to get was the shredded hash browns and they were on sale this week for 93 cents!
Below is what it looks like with all the ingredients before mixing. I tried to break up the cream cheese and margarine into smaller chunks, hoping it would mix easier. There were still chunks that hadn’t mixed in, so I cooked it for an hour and stirred again before adding the last of the cheese on top. Melted cream cheese and margarine are way easier to mix together!
![cheesy hash brown casserole before mixing together](http://buildandbite.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/IMG_20180807_133643468-768x1024.jpg)
After looking for inspiration, I decided to use cream cheese. Some recipes used sour cream, some used milk, some used heavy cream. I figured cream cheese wasn’t too far off! You can also add other seasonings, but I use garlic salt in basically everything I make. The Cajun seasoning just smelled good to me and seemed like it would go well.
This recipe is for about 4 people. We invited my dad over for dinner, so there were three of us, and there was just a little left. If you have little ones, this hash brown casserole will be the perfect size.
![cheesy hash brown casserole ingredients laid out in front of crockpot](http://buildandbite.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/IMG_20180807_132818043-1-1024x902.jpg)
Ingredients:
- 30 oz shredded hash browns, thawed
- 1 can cream of chicken soup
- 1/2 cup margarine (or butter)
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 4 oz cream cheese (1/2 of a block)
- Garlic salt with parsley
- Cajun seasoning
Instructions:
- Put all ingredients in slow cooker and mix together, leaving 1 cup of shredded cheese out.
- Cook in slow cooker on low for 1 hour, then stir.
- Top with remaining 1 cup of shredded cheese.
- Cook on low for an additional 2-2.5 hours.
- Enjoy!
Tips:
- It was hard to combine everything, especially the cream cheese and butter. That is why I cooked it for an hour and stirred it again before adding the remaining cheese. If you feel it’s mixed enough to begin with, you can skip this step!
- Try mixing all the ingredients together except for the hashbrowns. Once the other ingredients are mixed well, add the hash browns.
- You can add cooked bacon, breakfast sausage, or shredded chicken!
- Serve with a side of scrambled eggs and bacon.
What are your thoughts on making hash browns in a slow cooker? Let me know in the comments!