The Ultimate Hash Brown Casserole

By sklesley

Ingredients

• 4 cups diced smoked sausage
• 1 cup diced red bell pepper
• 1 cup diced yellow onion
• 2 tbsp. chopped canned green chiles
• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 4 Tbsp. flour
• 2 cups whole milk
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 4 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, divided
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1 (30 oz.) pkg. frozen hash browns, thawed (about 10 cups)

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 3-qt. baking dish with non stick cooking spray. Set aside.

In a large nonstick skillet, cook sausage over medium-high heat until browned, approximately 5 minutes. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon, and set aside. Reserve rendered fat in pan.

Add bell pepper, onion, and chiles to pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, approximately 5 minutes. Remove from pan. Set aside.

Melt butter in pan. Add flour, cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Slowly add milk and broth, stirring constantly. Bring mixture to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, approximately 10 minutes. Add 3 cups cheese, stirring until melted. Stir in sour cream, salt, and pepper. Remove from heat.

In a large bowl, stir together cheese mixture, pepper mixture, sausage, and hash browns until well combined. Spoon into prepared dish. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese.

Bake until browned and bubbly, 45-50 minutes. Store, covered, in refrigerator up to 3 days.