Cracker Barrel Loaded Hashbrown Casserole

Cracker Barrel Loaded Hashbrown Casserole has sausage and four kinds of cheese. It is cheesy, hearty, and incredibly delicious. You can enjoy it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

homemade Cracker Barrel loaded hash brown casserole on a spoon


Original vs Loaded Hashbrown Casserole

I know, you love the original Cracker Barrel hashbrown casserole. They have now raised the bar with Cracker Barrel Loaded Hashbrown casserole. It’s creamy, cheesy, and hearty with sausage.

Cracker Barrel Loaded Hashbrown Casserole with sausage was a dish served as part of their seasonal menu. They often switch out menu items on a seasonal basis, and I fell in love with this new heartier casserole.

While I love both versions of this casserole, this one is more sophisticated. It features four different types of cheeses and red bell peppers along with the sausage. This casserole is filling and can be served as a main dish for dinner.

overhead view of homemade Cracker Barrel loaded hash brown casserole in a baking dish

What makes this hash brown casserole different? Four types of cheese would be one. This one has American cheese, Colby cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, and Cheddar. All of these cheeses together make a wonderfully rich cheese sauce that is smooth and creamy.

You won’t be disappointed here. I also like the addition of the red bell peppers and sausage. The sausage adds a nice touch to this casserole. I like to use sage breakfast sausage, a bit must be those Midwest roots in me showing. You could make this with a spicy sausage as well.

Ingredients

Here’s a list of what you need:

  • Country breakfast sausage
  • Red bell pepper
  • Shredded American cheese
  • Shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
  • Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
  • Shredded Colby cheese
  • Butter
  • All-purpose flour
  • Milk
  • Frozen hashbrowns
Cracker Barrel loaded hash brown casserole ingredients

How to Make Cracker Barrel Loaded Hash Brown Casserole

  1. Thaw hashbrowns according to the package instructions.
  2. Brown sausage in a large skillet over medium heat, breaking the sausage into small bite-sized pieces when browning.
  3. When sausage is almost done, add chopped red bell pepper into the sausage. Drain sausage after it is browned.
  4. Add butter in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat.
  5. When the butter has melted, add flour. Stir and cook for 1 minute.
  6. Add a quarter of the milk and stir until thickened.
  7. Add another quarter of the milk and stir until thickened.
  8. Add the remaining milk. Stir and cook until thickened.
  9. Add the cheese and stir until the cheese has melted.
  10. Place hash browns, cheese sauce, and sausage in a large bowl. Stir to combine.
  11. Pour mixture into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish.
  12. Top with Colby cheese.
  13. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Recipe Variations

If you want to make this loaded hashbrown casserole your own, here are a couple of suggestions. Both would make this casserole very tasty.

  • Add onions into the sausage while you are browning it.
  • Add chopped jalapeno pepper.

I did find this casserole reheated fairly well. If you don’t finish it all at once, it will reheat just fine.

homemade loaded hash brown casserole on a spoon

More Cracker Barrel Recipes

Favorite Casserole Recipes

Check out more of my easy casserole recipes and the best Cracker Barrel recipes here on CopyKat!

homemade Cracker Barrel loaded hash brown casserole on a spoon

Cracker Barrel Loaded Hashbrown Casserole

Cracker Barrel Loaded Hashbrown casserole with sausage is great for breakfast or dinner. 
5 from 13 votes
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Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Cracker Barrel Recipes, Hashbrowns, Loaded Hashbrown Casserole
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 8
Calories: 520kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 pound sausage
  • 3 tablespoons chopped red bell pepper
  • ½ cup shredded American cheese
  • ½ cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
  • ½ cup shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded Colby cheese 1 cup is for the casserole topping
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups milk
  • 2 pounds frozen hashbrowns thawed

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Set 1 cup of Colby cheese aside for the topping.
  • Brown sausage in a large skillet over medium heat, be sure to break the sausage into small bite-sized pieces when browning.
  • When sausage is almost done add 2 to 3 tablespoons of chopped red bell pepper into the sausage.
  • Drain sausage when finished cooking. 
  • Add 2 tablespoons of butter in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat.
  • When the butter has melted, add 2 tablespoons of flour to the butter. Stir and allow the butter and flour to cook over medium heat for about 1 minute. You must cook the flour and butter mixture together so that the flour won't taste raw.
  • Add ¼ of the milk to the roux and stir until thickened.
  • Once the sauce is thick add another ¼ of the milk and stir until thickened.
  • Add the remaining milk to the sauce. Stir and cook until it has thickened. 
  • Add the cheese and stir until the cheese has melted.
  • Place hash browns, cheese sauce, and sausage in a large bowl. Stir to combine.
  • Pour mixture into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish. 
  • Top with the reserved cup of shredded Colby cheese.
  • Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 520kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 100mg | Sodium: 814mg | Potassium: 607mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 790IU | Vitamin C: 14.2mg | Calcium: 450mg | Iron: 2.2mg

About Stephanie Manley

I recreate your favorite restaurant recipes, so you can prepare these dishes at home. I help you cook dinner, and serve up dishes you know your family will love. You can find most of the ingredients for all of the recipes in your local grocery store.

Stephanie is the author of CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home, and CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home 2.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Linda Elser

    If you use cooked potatoes and then grate add cheese sauce with sharp cheddar and a a couple of hardy spoons of sour cream. Salt pepper and bake. I always sprinkle cheese on top. This dish goes quick. Serve with any meat. Doesn’t have sausage or peppers but you could try adding spinach broccoli ham or whatever you want.

  2. Cindy Berka

    This sounds like something I could make ahead and take camping with us. We can heat it up in the little microwave in the camper. I’ve been looking for easy recipes that will travel like this.

    • stephaniemanley

      I use frozen hash browns. If you wanted to use fresh, I would make sure the potatoes have been par boiled slightly.

5 from 13 votes (4 ratings without comment)

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