PIN-CHIA MURPHY
Director of Marketing Communications/Community Engagement
Food is one of my love languages. I enjoy cooking and consuming. During the holidays, our meals have been a blend of American and Taiwanese to the classic Christmas dishes. Regardless of what’s on the menu, there’s one thing that is a tradition on Christmas morning… breakfast hashbrown casserole.
This tradition started a few years after Marc and I got married. Out of all the breakfast foods I’ve made, I’m not sure why we picked this casserole to be a part of our Christmas tradition. It is super easy to put together. I would make the casserole the night before, then early the next morning pop it in the oven to bake–keeping it low stress on Christmas morning. While it’s baking, we would open some presents with ‘A Christmas Story’ playing in the background. The waiting for the casserole to cool off before you eat is probably the hardest part. But worth it…with a few pickled jalapenos added.
Breakfast Hashbrown Casserole
2 lbs Jimmy Dean Sausage (I’ve tried other brands and this one is our favorite)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 (10 3/4 ounce) can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1 (8 ounce) container French onion dip
1cup onion, chopped
1⁄4 cup green pepper
1⁄4 cup red bell pepper
salt and pepper, to taste
1(30 ounce) hash brown potatoes, shredded, thawed
In a skillet, cook the sausage until browned. Remove the sausage from the pan and add the peppers and onions. Cook until slightly soft.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the cheese, chicken soup, sour cream, French onion dip, chopped onion, bell peppers, salt and pepper. Fold in thawed hash brown potatoes. Mix well.
Spread ½ of the hash brown mixture in a 9 X 13-inch greased baking dish. Spread ½ of the browned sausage over hash browns. Repeat layering second ½ of hash brown mixture. Top with remaining sausage and sprinkle additional cheese.
Bake at 350°F for about one hour or until casserole is golden brown.
