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Baked Cheesy Potatoes [NO condensed soup!]

10 ingredients + 10 minutes of prep time mean you can get these Baked Cheesy Potatoes in the oven for dinner even on the busiest of weeknights! It’s easy. It’s cheesy. And it’s topped with crispy, crunchy, crushed potato chips. And the best part is…there’s NO CONDENSED SOUP!

Overhead shot of a large pan filled with cheesy potato casserole garnished with fresh parsley


 

You Will Love This

  • Tender diced potatoes. Ooey gooey cheese. Crispy, crunchy potato chips. What more can I say? Your family is going to LOVE LOVE LOVE this quick and easy side dish.
  • There’s NO CONDENSED SOUP in it! Skip the sodium-laden cream of chicken soup and opt for a homemade roux! Sounds fancy, but it’s really just butter and flour! And it’s the perfect way to thicken your casserole and give it that classic creamy texture.
  • It’s comfort food at it’s finest! Few things are more comforting than sharing a pan of piping hot cheesy potatoes with the ones you love. And nothing will bring your family to the dinner table as quickly as the smell of homemade cheesy potatoes wafting through the house!
Close up shot of a large pan filled with cheesy potato casserole garnished with fresh parsley

Instructions

Heat butter in a large saute pan over medium low heat.

Large white pan filled with a stick of melting butter

Once melted, add onion and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes. 

Large white pan with onions sauteing in butter

Add flour and cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute. 

Large white pan filled with onions butter and flour

Pour in milk and stir until well combined. 

Large white pan filled with onions butter and flour with milk being poured in

Remove from heat and stir in sour cream until well combined. 

Large white pan filled with ingredients to make cheesy potatoes

Stir in salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and shredded cheese. 

Large white pan filled with ingredients to make cheesy potatoes

Add potatoes.

Large white pan filled with ingredients to make cheesy potatoes

Stir until they are well coated with the mixture. 

Large white pan filled with ingredients to make cheesy potatoes

Top with crushed potato chips. Cover and bake for 45-50 minutes or until everything is melty and bubbly and the potatoes are fork-tender. 

Large white pan filled with ingredients to make cheesy potatoes

Broil potatoes for 1-2 minutes or until the potato chips get dark golden brown, keeping a close eye on them so the chips don’t burn. 

Garnish with fresh parsley if desired and enjoy!

Overhead shot of a large pan filled with cheesy potato casserole garnished with fresh parsley

Tips

  • Test the potatoes in the casserole around the 40-minute mark. Use a fork to carefully spear a couple pieces and taste them to see if they are cooked through. You want them to be fork tender but not mushy. All ovens cook differently and sometimes even the baking dish can make a difference so I like to start checking around 40 minutes and then check every 5 minutes or so after that. 50 minutes is usually the sweet spot for my oven and this enameled cast iron pan.
  • Try topping the casserole with different flavored potato chips for a little twist on the old classic. Jalapeno cheddar chips would give it a little spice but keep with the cheesy theme. Salt and vinegar chips will add a little tang that would balance out the creaminess of the dish really well. Barbecue chips would add a sweet and smokey spicy to the dish as well!
  • If you don’t have a pan that can go in the oven, just transfer the cheesy potato casserole mixture to an oven-safe baking dish. That’s why I love my enameled cast iron pan because it can easily go from stovetop to oven to the dining room table!

Make in the Crock Pot

  • To make these cheesy potatoes in the crock pot just follow the instructions below, but transfer the cheesy potato mixture to a medium/large crock pot.
  • I like this crock pot because it’s basically a 9×13 pan but in crock pot form!
  • Cook on high for 2-2.5 hours or on low for 4-5 hours. Stir potatoes halfway through and then top with the crushed chips and continue cooking. Test the potatoes throughout to make sure they don’t overcook!
Close up shot of a large pan filled with cheesy potato casserole garnished with fresh parsley
How do you make cheesy potatoes from scratch?

This easy cheesy potato recipe starts with a simple roux made of butter and flour along with sautéed onion. Then you add milk and sour cream which makes for a SUPER creamy base. Then you mix in frozen potatoes, spices, and plenty of shredded cheese, and pop it in the oven. That it’s – cheesy potatoes with no condensed soup!

Why are they called funeral potatoes?

Cheesy potatoes are a common staple dish that has been served at funerals across American for decades. Don’t wait until you need to have a funeral to enjoy these potatoes though. They’re something worth making right away!

Can you use shredded hash browns instead of diced breakfast potatoes?

You sure can! Follow the instructions in the recipe card, just replace the diced breakfast potatoes with 32 oz. of shredded hashbrowns instead.

Do I have to top it with potato chips?

No, you don’t! Feel free to top with extra cheese if desired or just leave it plain Jane. I like the variety of texture that the chips add but they aren’t necessary.

So, there’s no condensed soup, but THEN you top it with potatoes chips?!

Yes – the irony is not lost on me. I prefer to cook without the use of condensed soup because of the laundry list of ingredients and the high sodium content. However, I am in no way claiming that this is a “healthy” dish. As I said, it’s comfort food at its finest and not something that we eat every day. So we enjoy the crushed potato chips on top and have no shame in licking our plates clean!

Overhead shot of a large pan filled with cheesy potato casserole garnished with fresh parsley

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Cheesy Potato Casserole [NO condensed soup!]

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 2 reviews

10 ingredients + 10 minutes of prep time mean you can get this cheesy potato casserole in the oven for dinner even on the busiest of weeknights! It’s easy. It’s cheesy. And it’s topped with a crispy, crunchy, crushed potato chips. And the best part is…there’s NO CONDENSED SOUP!

  • Author: Kylie
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 45 minutes
  • Total Time: 55 minutes
  • Yield: 10 servings 1x
  • Category: Side Dish
  • Method: Stove Top + Oven
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/2 onion, petite diced (about 1 cup)
  • 6 tablespoons all purpose flour
  • 1.5 cups 1% milk
  • 8 oz. full fat sour cream
  • 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika
  • 8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 32 oz. frozen diced breakfast potatoes
  • 2 cups crushed potato chips
  • 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley for garnish, optional

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. 
  2. Heat butter in a large saute pan over medium low heat.
  3. Once melted, add onion and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes. 
  4. Add flour and cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute. 
  5. Pour in milk and stir until well combined. 
  6. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream until well combined. 
  7. Stir in salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika and shredded cheese. 
  8. Add potatoes and stir until they are well coated with the mixture. 
  9. Top with crushed potatoes chips. 
  10. Cover and bake for 45-50 minutes or until everything is melty and bubbly and the potatoes are fork tender. 
  11. Broil potatoes for 1-2 minutes or until the potato chips get dark golden brown, keeping a close eye on them so the chips don’t burn. 
  12. Garnish with fresh parsley if desired and enjoy!

Notes

Test the potatoes in the casserole around the 40 minute mark. Use a fork to carefully spear a couple pieces and taste them to see if they are cooked through. You want them to be fork tender but not mushy. All ovens cook differently and sometimes even the baking dish can make a difference so I like to start checking around 40 minutes and then check every 5 minutes or so after that. 50 minutes is usually the sweet spot for my oven and this enameled cast iron pan.

Try topping the casserole with different flavored potato chips for a little twist on the old classic. Jalapeno cheddar chips would give it a little spice but keep with the cheesy theme. Salt and vinegar chips will add a little tang that would balance out the creaminess of the dish really well. Barbecue chips would add a sweet and smokey spicy to the dish as well!

If you don’t have a pan that can go in the oven, just transfer the cheesy potato casserole mixture to an oven safe baking dish. That’s why I love my enameled cast iron pan because it can easily go from stove top to oven to the dining room table!

Nutrition

  • Serving Size:
  • Calories: 361
  • Sugar: 4.4 g
  • Sodium: 237.9 mg
  • Fat: 24.3 g
  • Saturated Fat: 12.6 g
  • Carbohydrates: 27.8 g
  • Fiber: 2.8 g
  • Protein: 9 g
  • Cholesterol: 55.4 mg

12 Comments

    1. I have not, but that sounds like a great idea and I totally think it would work! Please let me know how it turns out if you give it a try!

  1. We loved this recipe and making my own roux. I am not a fan of using canned soup. Next time I will add chopped fresh mushrooms to the onion, I topped with Ritz cracker crumbs






    1. I’ve not tried this recipe with gluten free flour and don’t work with that type of flour on a regular basis so I can’t say for sure if it would work. You could try a cornstarch slurry to thicken it instead though!

  2. Can this casserole be assembled and refrigerated overnight to be baked for brunch the next morning?

    1. Good question, Beth! I haven’t tried it so I can’t speak to whether it would work or not. I do try not to thaw frozen potatoes (tater tots, hash browns, breakfast potatoes, etc.) because they don’t get quite as crisp, but in this case you aren’t trying to get them crisp so I think it could work. Would love to hear how it turns out if you do try it!

  3. Do you thaw your breakfast potatoes prior to adding them? Some potato casserole recipes call for this, but yours doesn’t.

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