Cheddar Hash Brown Casserole, Light Version

So my sister’s mom in law left her with  her version, a most delicious and decadent version indeed. 

Over the years I’ve morphed her recipe into a lighter yet still very delish Cheddar Hash Brown Casserole. 

My secret? Well for 1, low fat cottage cheese. 2., parm cheese for flavor punch… 

The rest is here, jot it down, I believe you’ll find this recipe to be a keeper. 

By using a good amount of cottage cheese (2 cups here) you’ll use less butter and sourcream. The low cottage cheese does the trick, it adds the creaminess to this casserole dish that keeps it at a decadent and delish tasting level. I use less cheese than the original recipe too. Using a bit a parm cheese helps keep the yummy cheesy tasting factor up. 

Ready… 

Use your own fav brand 

Got my casserole dish well sprayed. I like using an olive oil spray. 

Here it is ready to cover with foil and bake   

Ingredients…

• 26 oz frozen hash browns, defrosted
• 2 cup low fat cottage cheese
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese or  your fav mix (plus 1/4 cup for topping)
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 Tablespoon parmessan cheese
• 1 Tablespoon dried minced onion (you could certainly substitute here. A 1/2 tsp onion powder would work fine) 
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• Oil or olive oil, spray or liquid 

Process…

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Grease or spray a 8 x 8 casserole dish
3. Combine all ingredients except for 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
4. Place the hash brown mix in the dish
5. Bake covered for 45 minutes
6. Uncover, sprinkle the casserole with the reserved cheese
7. Bake uncovered an additional 40 minutes 

Enjoy!  

We were so eager to dig in I forgot to capture the final ‘casserole all done’ shot, I’m sorry. Just know you will not be disappointed here.

Happy cooking and eating! 😊   g.