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Recipe Makeover: Hash Brown Casserole

By Sidney Fry, MS, RD
Updated August 26, 2014
We drop the butter, trim the cheese, and create a luscious mushroom cream.
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Lighter Hash Brown Casserole

Photo: Randy Mayor

The utter simplicity of hash brown casserole makes it a comfort-food star: Homey shredded potatoes get cozy with butter, cream soup, sour cream, and plenty of cheese. It's a workingman's day-starter. But unless you're the wood-chopping type, you likely won't be able to burn off nearly 500 calories of cheesy potatoes by lunch. The challenge: Keep the mighty comfort-filled portion and whack the calorie count.

Classic 
480 calories per serving
19 grams saturated fat
872 milligrams sodium

Makeover
273 calories per serving
4 grams saturated fat
379 milligrams sodium

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Tip #1: Mushroom Cream Sauce

Photo: Randy Mayor

We simmer and puree fresh mushrooms and garlic with light sour cream to create a silky sauce, replacing canned mushroom soup, heavy sour cream, and butter to save 176 calories and 11.5g sat fat per serving.

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Tip #2: Crispier, Tastier Potatoes

Photo: Randy Mayor

Instead of tossing frozen potatoes directly into the dish, we brown them to caramelize the natural sugars and create a crispy crust. Reduced-fat kettle chips top with savory crunch.

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Tip #3: Up the Umami

Photo: Randy Mayor

Meaty, pan-seared center-cut bacon and earthy mushrooms deliver full savory satisfaction to every bite, allowing us to cut salt in half and save 120mg sodium per serving.

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