Cheesy Funeral Potatoes

📍 Midwest & Mountain West — Church Kitchens Everywhere

The casserole with the most morbid name and the most comforting soul. Creamy, cheesy, impossibly rich shredded potatoes baked under a buttery cornflake crust — served at every funeral, potluck, and church supper from Iowa to Utah, because nothing says "we care" like a 9x13 pan of carb-loaded love.

At a Glance

Ingredients

The Potato Filling

• 1 bag (30 ounces) frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed
• 1 can (10.5 ounces) cream of chicken soup (undiluted)
• 2 cups sour cream
• 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
• ⅓ cup finely diced yellow onion
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt

The Topping

• 2 cups cornflakes, lightly crushed
• ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
• ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat and prep. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with butter or cooking spray.

2. Mix the filling. In a large bowl, combine the thawed hash browns, cream of chicken soup, sour cream, shredded cheddar, melted butter, diced onion, green onions, garlic powder, pepper, and salt. Stir gently until everything is evenly combined. The mixture will look gloriously rich — that's correct.

3. Fill the dish. Spread the potato mixture into the prepared baking dish, pressing gently into an even layer.

4. Make the topping. In a small bowl, toss the crushed cornflakes with the melted butter and Parmesan until the flakes are evenly coated. Scatter the mixture over the top of the potatoes.

5. Bake. Place in the oven and bake for 40–45 minutes, until the edges are bubbling, the filling is heated through, and the cornflake topping is golden and crispy.

6. Rest. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. This allows the filling to set slightly and makes serving easier.

Tips & Variations

• The Name: Yes, they're really called funeral potatoes. Also known as "party potatoes," "potluck potatoes," "company potatoes," or "hash brown casserole" — but funeral potatoes is the name that stuck, because that's when you most need them.
• Fresh Potatoes: You can peel and shred 5 pounds of russet potatoes by hand, but frozen hash browns are the traditional (and practical) choice. No shame.
• Ritz Cracker Topping: Substitute crushed Ritz crackers for the cornflakes for a butterier, saltier crust. Both are authentic.
• Ham Addition: Fold in 1 cup of diced ham for a heartier one-dish meal.
• Make Ahead: Assemble without the topping and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Add the cornflake topping just before baking, and add 10–15 minutes to the bake time.
• Lighten It Up (a little): Swap the sour cream for Greek yogurt and use reduced-fat cheese. It won't be quite the same, but it'll still be good.
• Slow Cooker: Spray the insert, add the potato mixture, top with cornflakes, cover, and cook on low for 4 hours. The topping won't be as crispy, but it's perfect for transport to the church.

🌾 Did You Know?

Funeral potatoes got their name from the longstanding Midwestern and Mormon tradition of bringing a covered dish to a grieving family's home after a funeral. The dish needed to be hearty, crowd-feeding, inexpensive, easy to make, and transportable — funeral potatoes check every box. The recipe became so synonymous with Mormon culture that when Salt Lake City hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics, a commemorative pin featuring a casserole dish of funeral potatoes became one of the most sought-after collector's items. The dish has since transcended its somber origins and appears at every conceivable gathering — baby showers, tailgates, holiday dinners, and Wednesday night church suppers. In the Midwest, if you show up to a potluck without a casserole, you might as well not show up at all.

📸 Photography note: A 9x13 glass baking dish with golden cornflake-topped funeral potatoes, one corner scooped out to show the creamy, cheesy interior. A serving spoon rests in the scooped section. Set on a potluck-style folding table with a simple cloth. Other covered dishes blurred in the background. Warm, communal, unpretentious.

⭐ Midwest Nice Rating

5/5 🫕🫕🫕🫕🫕 (Will make three pans — one for the funeral, one for the family afterward, and one extra in case someone forgot to bring a dish.)

🥂 Pairs Well With

Pairs well with: Baked ham, church fellowship halls, and the comforting presence of neighbors who show up when it matters.

👵 Grandma's Secret: Funeral Potatoes

"Grandma Barb always let her hash browns thaw completely and then squeezed out the extra moisture with paper towels. 'Nobody likes watery potatoes,' she'd say with a knowing look. 'That's the difference between soggy and spectacular.'"