Pepper Jack Potato Casserole – our favorite potato casserole recipe. It is like a cross between traditional potato casserole and scalloped potatoes. LOVE the cheesy bacon cracker crust!!! Frozen shredded hash browns, cream of chicken soup, heavy cream, pepper jack cheese, butter, sour cream, onion powder, garlic powder, ritz crackers, parmesan and bacon. Can make ahead and freeze for later. I always have a batch on hand for a quick and delicious side dish! #potatocasserole #freezermeal #sidedish
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Pin This RecipeThis Pepper Jack Potato Casserole is a new favorite in our house!!! OMG! So creamy and delicious. This potato casserole is different from other recipes in that it uses heavy cream. The cream makes this a cross between a potato casserole and scalloped potatoes. It makes such a difference! So yummy!!!
If you are watching your calories, you can substitute half-and-half for the heavy cream without sacrificing the creaminess. I have made this Pepper Jack Potato Casserole with both and it turns out great either way.
This casserole is loaded with tons of great flavor! I loved all the yummy pepper jack cheese. If you aren’t a fan of pepper jack, feel free to substitute Monterey jack. Don’t skip the topping – it really puts the potato casserole over the top! Ritz crackers, parmesan cheese, and bacon – YASSS!!!
You can make this casserole ahead of time and freeze for later. I like to split the casserole between a couple of foil pans and bake one now and freeze the others for a quick side dish later.
These potatoes go with just about everything. Here are a few of our favorite recipes from the blog that go great with this easy casserole:
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Pepper Jack Potato Casserole
Ingredients:
- 1 (30 to 32-oz) bag frozen shredded hash browns
- 1 (10.5-oz) can Unsalted Cream of Chicken Soup
- 2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese
- 1½ cups heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup butter, melted
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 sleeve Ritz crackers crushed
- ½ cup cooked chopped bacon
- 1 tsp paprika
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 400ºF. Lightly spray a 9x13x2-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, combine hash browns, cream of chicken soup, pepper jack cheese, heavy cream, butter, sour cream, ¼ cup grated parmesan, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
- Spoon potato mixture into prepared pan.
- Combine crushed crackers, bacon, remaining ¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese, and paprika. Sprinkle over potatoes.
- Bake, uncovered, for 45 to 50 minutes, until bubbly.
Notes:
- I suggest using Unsalted Cream of Chicken Soup in this dish to control the sodium.
- You can buy it by the case at Amazon: https://amzn.to/49n4uZE
- Need Gluten-free Cream of Chicken Soup? You can buy it here: https://amzn.to/3MtqQ1s
- Here is our recipe for Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup: https://www.plainchicken.com/homemade-cream-of-chicken-soup/
- Can assemble casserole ahead of time and refrigerate or freeze for later.
- To bake after freezing, thaw in the refrigerator overnight and bake as directed above.
Steph
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My family LOVED this!! Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Made this for a dinner added rosted chicken it was amazing 👏 😋
Can I use regular hash browns instead of shredded? Well I know I can, but would I need to change the cooking temp or time? I prefer cubed hash browns but last time I made a hash brown casserole and swapped cubed for shredded the potatoes were undercooked.
I’m not sure if it would take longer or not. My guess is that it might take a little longer since the potato chunks are larger.
Just made this for the first time. Halved it cuz it was just 4 of us.
Delicious!
Will definitely make often!
p.s didn’t add the bacon to the topping but I will next time.
Do you thaw the hash browns first or mix frozen?
I use them frozen, but you can thaw them if you would like
What can I use in place of Whipping cream in this recipe?
A usual replacement for whipping cream is whole milk + 2 tbsp butter. This recipe already calls for a lot of butter so milk is a fine replacement. I did. Turned out great.
How do you think Cauliflower would do in place of hashbrowns?
I’ve never made this with cauliflower, so I can’t say with certainty. Sounds like it would work.
This was excellent! Very creamy and flavorful!
Can you use cream of bacon soup instead of cream of chicken
Any cream of soup should work fine
YUM!!! This is now in my recipe rotation. I made this with a few additions-I added a 5 oz can Hormel drained and flaked ham, 3 T minced red bell pepper, and 4 oz well drained green chilies in with the hashbrowns. I also bumped the sour cream to 1 cup to compensate for the extra ingredients to prevent dryness. It was awesome. I will be making this often and taking it to pot luck. My husband suggested instead of the ham next time we add 1 c cooked and drained ground sausage. Thanks for the best recipes. I have never been disappointed with anything you have shared with us and I have made many of your recipes.
Was thinking if adding ham chunks to this. Any thoughts or experience with that?
Sounds delicious!
Is this really spicey? I am gonna cook for around 25 people and was just wondering
No – it isn’t spicy at all. You can use Monterey Jack cheese if you prefer.
Do you thaw the hashbrowns?
I didn’t, but you can.
Do you thaw the hash browns before making the recipe?
you can, but it isn’t necessary
Could this be made in a crock pot?
sure
We typically eat healthy, but on holidays we splurge! My family wants this added to holiday list! I had to make myself stop 🛑 eating, soooo good!
This sounds delicious! I was wondering if I could use fresh potatoes as opposed to the frozen hash browns. Would that change anything in the cooking directions?
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
I would suggest that if you use your own potatoes and shred them, that you squeeze all of the water out of the potatoes before adding to recipe…. 🙂
I used diced fresh potatoes in this casserole and added an additional 20 minutes. It turned out great. I put tin foil over it for the last 20 minutes of baking.
This potato dish was the perfect side to serve with BBQ Beef Brisket, feeding 9 adults. Everyone raved about it, and there was almost nothing leftover! Thank you for sharing an easy to prepare, delicious recipe! It will most certainly be added to our potato dish rotation!
I was in a hurry when I made this. Accidentally dumped a little paprika into the actual casserole, couldn't taste it. Followed the directions other than adding bacon, missed that completely. Still was unbelievably amazing. Can't wait to try your other recipes.
My family loves your pepperjack rice bake, I can't wait to try these pepperjack hashbrowns this weekend!