A funeral potatoes recipe that is even better than your average hash brown casserole. We call these 'death at a funeral' potatoes because they have two delicious upgrades from the original recipe.
Funeral potatoes recipe:
What do you do when you want a cozy casserole, but don’t want leftovers for 17 days? You come to me, don’t you?
Most casserole recipes make enough to fill a 9x13” pan, which is 3.75 quarts. I’ve even seen ‘deep-dish’ casserole pans with the same dimensions but much deeper to total 6 quarts in capacity.
I’m all for feeding a crowd lots of delicious food, but what about those of us who cook for two? Don’t we deserve the warmth of a cozy casserole without being forced to eat it as leftovers for 2 weeks?
Typically, when I come across a casserole recipe that I want to make that calls for a 9x13 pan, I halve the recipe and bake it in an 8x8” dish. An 8” square pan is the same pan you use to make brownies in. Well, if you make brownies for two, you use a loaf pan, but I’m digressing.
Hash brown casserole recipe:
Ok, can we talk about the title of this recipe yet? If you’re from the South, you’re familiar with a dish called ‘Funeral Potatoes.’ It’s basically a comforting casserole made with hashbrowns, condensed soup (don’t worry, we’re skipping it here), sour cream, cheese, and a cornflake topping.
The full-size recipe for funeral potatoes uses a can of cream of chicken soup. That's great, but a mini casserole for two doesn't need an entire can. So, I set out to make it from scratch. However, I have a strong theory that small recipes should create even smaller dirty dish piles. We're going to make a small batch of cream of chicken soup in the microwave in just 60 seconds!
If, however, you lack a microwave, just follow the instructions for the recipe in a small saucepan, like below. The only super important part is dissolving the cornstarch in COLD milk first. The mixture will come together and thicken into homemade cream of chicken soup as soon as it comes to a boil on the stove.
Well, my husband decided we could improve upon it by stirring in fried onions and making our own quick condensed soup. Then, we collectively agreed that cornflakes don’t belong on your dinner plate (unless you’re using them to make my baked breaded chicken strips), and decided to go big or go home. We use sour cream and cheddar ruffled potato chips on top of the casserole.
The hash brown casserole dish is EPIC. You might feel your arteries tighten as you eat it, but I just serve it with a kale salad and my guilt vanishes into thin air, hah!
OTHER PANS YOU CAN USE FOR THIS FUNERAL POTATOES RECIPE:
The one-quart casserole dish in the photos is so adorable that I couldn’t resist buying it. My kitchen is stocked with all sorts of ‘small batch’ bakeware, but if you don’t want to add to your dish collection, I have ideas for you!
If you don’t have a 1-quart casserole dish, I recommend:
-2 10-ounce ramekins. They will be filled to the brim. A 10-ounce ramekin is much larger than a typical creme brulee ramekin, heads up.
-2 6” mini pie pans. So cute for my mini apple pies, but so great here, too.
-9” bread loaf pan. Did you know a standard bread loaf pan holds 1.5 quarts? Now you do!
If after one bite of this delicious, creamy shredded potato casserole makes you want to scale it up to share with friends, I have good news: just multiple the ingredients by 3 and bake it in a 9 x 13 x 2” dish.
On the left is the full size recipe in a 9x13" pan that holds 3.75 quarts; on the right is a 1-quart mini casserole dish.
I highly recommend these potatoes for a Thanksgiving for two celebration.
Funeral Potatoes Recipe
Best ever Funeral Potatoes recipe! A hash brown casserole with sour cream, cheese, and cheddar chips on top.
Ingredients
Homemade cream of chicken soup:
- ⅓ cup cold milk
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- ½ teaspoon chicken bullion powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder*
- ⅛ teaspoon onion powder
- pinch of dried parsley
Funeral potatoes recipe:
- 10 ounces frozen shredded potatoes, defrosted
- 1 recipe for homemade cream of chicken soup (above)
- ½ cup sour cream
- 3 tablespoons melted butter, divided use
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup canned fried onions
- ½ cup grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup (2 ounces) crushed sour cream and cheddar chips
Instructions
- First, make the cream of chicken soup: in a microwave-safe 2-cup measuring cup, whisk together the milk and cornstarch. Whisk very well to dissolve.
- Next, add all remaining ingredients for the cream of chicken soup. Whisk to combine, microwave for 30 seconds, whisk, and then microwave another 30 seconds. At the end of 60 seconds, the mixture will be thick. It will thicken further as it cools.
- Preheat the oven to 350-degrees F.
- Next, make the funeral potatoes: combine the defrosted potatoes in a large bowl with the soup mixture you made. Stir in the sour cream, 2 tablespoons of the melted butter, salt, pepper, fried onion, and shredded cheese. Stir very well to combine.
- Pour the mixture into a 1-quart casserole dish (see blog post for alternative baking dishes). Bake for 20 minutes.
- While the casserole bakes, crush the chips and mix with the remaining 1 tablespoon of melted butter.
- After 20 minutes, sprinkles the chips mixture on top of the casserole, and return it to the oven for 10 minutes, until the chips are lightly golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
*If you have garlic salt, it usually has parlsey flakes in it. In this case, use ½ teaspoon of garlic salt, and omit the salt, garlic powder, and parsley from the recipe.
Notes: to make this recipe in a 9x13" pan, use the recipe in the card with the following amounts. For condensed soup: 1 cup milk, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 1 ½ tablespoons butter, 1 teaspoon chicken bullion powder, ½ teaspoon salt, ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, ¼ teaspoon onion powder, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, and ⅛ teaspoon parsley flakes. For the funeral potatoes casserole: 30 ounces hash browns, 2 cups sour cream, condensed soup recipe from above, 8 tablespoons of butter (divided), 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, ½ can of fried onions, 2 cups shredded cheddar, and 1 cup of cheddar and sour cream chips.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
2Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 864Total Fat: 64gSaturated Fat: 34gTrans Fat: 2gUnsaturated Fat: 22gCholesterol: 160mgSodium: 2038mgCarbohydrates: 51gFiber: 4gSugar: 4gProtein: 23g
Notes: to make this recipe in a 9x13" pan, use the recipe in the card with the following amounts. For condensed soup: 1 cup milk, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 1 ½ tablespoons butter, 1 teaspoon chicken bullion powder, ½ teaspoon salt, ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, ¼ teaspoon onion powder, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, and ⅛ teaspoon parsley flakes. For the funeral potatoes casserole: 30 ounces hash browns, 2 cups sour cream, condensed soup recipe from above, 8 tablespoons of butter (divided), 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, ½ can of fried onions, 2 cups shredded cheddar, and 1 cup of cheddar and sour cream chips.
Jennie says
Is the recipe for cream of chicken soup equal to half a can of condensed cream soup? I would like to try it out in other recipes that need some cream soup but maybe not a full can. I’m looking forward to making these funeral potatoes! I’ve always enjoyed them and this version for two will let me make them at home for my single person family! Thank you for your wonderful site of small serving recipes!
Christina Lane says
Yes! A can is typically 10 ounces.
Sarah says
Hey! If you want to make a vegetarian version, would you just leave out the chicken bullion powder and it would still taste good?
Christina Lane says
Yes...I think. What about vegetable bullion?
Fiona says
We don’t see this a lot in my part of Canada, but I think
I had the original version years ago at a church supper. If I wanted to make this with the original cornflake topping for my kids who don’t like chips (I know, we’ve checked for alien DNA, but no dice- they’re mine), would you post that in the future?
Christina Lane says
Just sub cornflakes tossed in melted butter, and proceed :)
Bethany Wiegel says
Am I missing what degree to bake at?
Cynthia says
I did that too! I think step 3 says to bake them at 350 f.
DeeAnn says
Christina: I'm not seeing what temperature to bake this. Am I just not seeing it? I have this in the oven presently and am baking it at 350. Just my guess. Please advise for the future. This recipe looks enticing, by the way. And I love the smaller size.
Heather says
Can you please post the oven temperature to bake this at? I also do not see it in the recipe. Also, how long should I bake this if I'm using a 9x13 recipe size?
Aricka (Ericka w an A) says
I grew up in that “other“ southern state not located in the south…Idaho! Funeral Potatoes are still alive are well and send their regards. I’ve seen so many variations of this and I’m here for them all. I love them all, making my inspiration easier when ingredients are not readily handy. We’ve skipped CoC Soup completely for small batches adding crazy alternatives like cottage cheese (rec for dietary substitution!) adding a small tsp of better than bullion to the dish. We’ve added chopped canned Ortega chili’s, Mexican cheese. Also have tried ranch dip mix (go easy it’s salty) with bacon (opt chilis). Friend added shrimp and lobster. Did not attend that function so can’t say! My children prefer fried onions (and they are grown but will scrape off and reheat w new crunchy opinions! I created monsters) but I grew up eating whatever crunchy item was around, chips, cereal, breadcrumbs, etc. youngest son loves the spicy crunchy jalapeños but I’m too old for that (meaning digestive system says noooo)