Save Time at Dinner With This Cheesy Crock-Pot Side Dish
Leftovers are highly unlikely when you make cheesy potatoes. But with an hour-long cooking time, you probably serve this savory side dish only with Sunday dinner. Unless, of course, you use your Crock-Pot—in which case, you can serve this dish up any night of the week.
This recipe requires some cooking before adding the ingredients to the Crock-Pot. But you can do that ahead of time and store the cooked onions in the refrigerator. Then, in the morning, throw all the ingredients into your Crock-Pot before you head out the door.
Total Time: 5 to 6 hours | Prep Time: 15 minutes | Serves: 6
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 1 32-ounce bag frozen diced potatoes, thawed
- 1 10-3/4 ounce can condensed cream of chicken soup
- 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 cup Monterey jack cheese
- 2 cups sour cream
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Directions:
- In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt butter and cook onions until soft, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- In a large bowl, combine the cooked onions with potatoes, cream of chicken soup, cheddar cheese, Monterey jack cheese, sour cream, garlic, salt and pepper.
- In a 6-quart Crock-Pot, pour the potato and cheese mixture, then cover and cook on low-heat for 6 hours. Serve hot.
Cheesy potatoes go with almost anything, including hamburgers, baked chicken, sliced ham or meatloaf.
Tip
Some recipes add a crunchy topping to the cheesy potatoes, but t's hard to get crunchy from a Crock-Pot. Combine 12 crushed buttery crackers with 1/2 cup of butter and toast in a skillet over medium heat until browned, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the crunchy topping before serving.
Frozen potatoes are used in this dish to save you a step. If you have the time and prefer to use fresh potatoes, peel and dice 3 pounds of russet potatoes. Add the potatoes to a large pot and fill with cold water. Place on the stove and bring to a boil and cook for 8 minutes or until soft.
To help your kids eat their veggies, add broccoli or cauliflower florets during the last 30 minutes of cooking. Carrots work, too, but since they are a firmer vegetable, add them to the Crock-Pot with the potatoes and cheese.
References
Writer Bio
Jill Corleone is a registered dietitian and health coach who has been writing and lecturing on diet and health for more than 15 years. Her work has been featured on the Huffington Post, Diabetes Self-Management and in the book "Noninvasive Mechanical Ventilation," edited by John R. Bach, M.D. Corleone holds a Bachelor of Science in nutrition.