Loaded with hash brown potatoes, cheese, sour cream, onion, and kielbasa, this smoked sausage casserole is a hearty, comforting meal with just 10 minutes of prep!
Table of Contents
A Few Notes Before You Get Started
- This recipe comes from a blog reader named Diana, who calls it “Country Comfort Casserole.” I can’t think of a better name for the cozy dish! Best of all, the dump-and-bake meal requires almost no prep work — just stir everything together and pop it in the oven.
- You can offer the versatile dish for a meat-and-potatoes dinner on busy weeknights, or for a hearty breakfast casserole without any eggs.
- Find your largest bowl for mixing the ingredients!
- Dice the onion into very small pieces so that it softens and becomes tender while the casserole bakes. For an even easier option, use about 1 ½ cups of frozen pre-diced onion that you thaw and pat dry. No chopping necessary, and it’s already nice and soft when it goes into the casserole!
- When possible, use a block of sharp cheddar cheese that you grate by hand, rather than a package of pre-shredded cheese. The hand-grated variety melts smoother into the casserole.
- Allow the sour cream to come to room temperature. Very cold sour cream has a tendency to curdle or separate when heated quickly.
Serving Suggestions
We typically enjoy this sausage and potato casserole for a quick weeknight dinner; however, it’s also an easy breakfast or brunch option (even without eggs). Pair it with a crisp green salad dressed in pepper jelly vinaigrette, with old-fashioned applesauce, or alongside braised red cabbage, spinach salad with bacon, brown sugar glazed carrots, or roasted broccoli.
Preparation and Storage Tips
- This sausage casserole is perfect for entertaining because you can prepare it in advance. Assemble the dish up to 24 hours ahead of time, keep it covered in the refrigerator, and then bake according to the recipe instructions. Allow the dish to sit on the counter and come to room temperature while the oven preheats.
- Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- I do not recommend freezing this dish, as sour cream and other dairy-based ingredients tend to separate or “break” when thawed.
More Smoked Sausage Recipes
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Smoked Sausage Casserole
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 40 minutes
Total: 50 minutes
A comforting casserole that includes hash browns, cheese, sour cream, onion, and smoked sausage!
Ingredients
- 1 (30 ounce) package frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed (about 12 ½ cups total)
- 1 (14 ounce) package fully-cooked smoked sausage (such as Hillshire Farm Polska Kielbasa)
- 1 ½ cups grated sharp cheddar cheese (about 6 ounces total)
- 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream, at room temperature
- 1 medium onion, very finely diced
- ¼ cup (half of a stick) butter, melted
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
- Optional garnish: sliced green onion or chopped fresh herbs such as parsley, chives, basil, or thyme
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a 13 x 9-inch baking dish and set aside. Cut sausage into slices, and then into quarters (so that you have small bite-sized pieces). In a large mixing bowl, stir together all of the ingredients until completely combined.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish.
- Bake, uncovered, for about 40 minutes (or until hot, bubbly, and lightly browned on top).
Notes
Cooking for a smaller family? Cut all of the ingredients in half and bake the casserole in an 8-inch square dish.
Nutrition
Serving: 1/8 of the recipeCalories: 371kcalCarbohydrates: 31.7gProtein: 17.1gFat: 20.7gSaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 67.6mgSodium: 963.5mgFiber: 4.2gSugar: 3.9g
Smoked Sausage Casserole Recipe Variations
- Add sautéed vegetables, such as bell peppers, tomatoes, or mushroom. You can also stir frozen peas or frozen corn into the cheesy potato casserole.
- Instead of cheddar cheese, try other good melting cheeses such as Colby, Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, Colby Jack, Gouda, or Velveeta.
- For a crispier top, sprinkle extra cheese on top and place the casserole under the broiler for the final 1-2 minutes.
- Swap out the cream of chicken soup and use a different flavor, such as cream of mushroom soup or cream of celery soup.
- Cooking for a Smaller Family? Cut all of the ingredients in half and bake the casserole in an 8-inch square dish.
- Instead of kielbasa, use cooked bacon, chicken, turkey or diced ham. You can also use a different kind of cooked sausage, such as breakfast sausage, Italian sausage, or even hotdogs!
This post was originally published in December, 2017. It was updated in August, 2024.
Thanks!
Awesome dish! I made it a little creamy by adding a little milk. Am thinking of adding broccoli florets to it so it will include a veggie. Maybe peas and carrots? What are your thoughts?
Thank you, Barbara! We love to include sautéed vegetables, such as bell peppers, tomatoes, or mushroom. Hope that helps!
My family loved this casserole & I will definitely be making it again!
I definitely rated this a five star, as different & delicious & SO EASY to make & clean up! Love the one bowel & one casserole dish clean up!!
Thanks
Thank you so much, Marion!
My family is very picky, but everybody loves this recipe. We have unanimously decided to add it to our weekly meal rotation. I doubled the meat, I also added about five cloves of minced garlic, and I did sauté red onion instead of just leaving it in the casserole. I mixed the soup and cheese and seasonings, etc. separately before mixing that in with the hashbrowns and meat, etc but this is very delicious!
We’re so happy to hear it’s such a big hit and that you’re able to adjust it to work for you. Thank you for sharing, Julie!
I enjoy your recipes
Thank you, Jean! I’m so happy to hear that. 🙂
I didn’t have sour cream so I just used 1 can of cream of celery and 1 can of cream of chicken. I also steamed frozen whole green beans , chopped them up and added them too! Delicious!
We’re so glad you were able to make it work! Thank you for trying it out and taking the time to leave feedback, Laurie.
This came out great – I did bake it 60 minutes instead of 50 as indicated and 3 minutes under the broiler made the top come out crisp! Added a bag of peas as well as suggested.
Thank you for the feedback. We’re so glad you enjoyed it!
Why so much butter
I fixed this tonight, following all the directions. My family loved it! Thank you so much.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Tere! Thank you for trying it out and taking the time to leave a review.