Crockpot Cheesesteak Potato Casserole brings the flavors of a cheesesteak to a slow cooker dinner: crumbled ground beef browned with red and green bell peppers and onion, tender hash brown potatoes in a creamy cheddar sauce, and a layer of melted cheddar on top. It is hearty, filling weeknight food, and it serves 4.
How to make it: Brown the beef with the peppers and onion, season it, and stir it into the slow cooker with cheddar, cream of mushroom soup, milk, sour cream and frozen hash browns. Cook on HIGH for 2 hours or LOW for 3 to 4 hours, then add the rest of the cheese for 30 minutes more.
Why You’ll Love It
- No peeling or dicing potatoes: frozen O’Brien hash browns go right in.
- Cheesesteak flavor: beef, sweet peppers, onion and melted cheese in every scoop.
- A full meal: meat, potatoes and vegetables together, hearty enough to serve on its own.
- Easy to change: swap the cheese, the cream soup or the meat and it still works.
Ingredient Notes
Hash browns: Frozen diced O’Brien potatoes, sold with or without onions and peppers mixed in; either bag works. You need 14 ounces, which is half of a 28-ounce bag. Using fresh potatoes is covered below.
Ground beef: One pound, thawed in the refrigerator. A leaner ground beef leaves you less grease to drain.
Bell peppers and onion: A cup each of diced red and green bell pepper and half a cup of diced yellow onion. Use just one color of pepper if you prefer. Pre-diced onions and peppers from the produce aisle or the freezer case save the chopping.
Cream of mushroom soup: One 10.5-ounce can of condensed soup, used straight from the can. Any cream soup can take its place: cream of chicken, cream of onion, cream of potato, cream of celery or cream of roasted garlic, or a homemade cream of mushroom.
Milk and sour cream: Half a cup of milk and a quarter cup of sour cream. The sour cream adds creaminess rather than a taste of its own; plain Greek yogurt can replace it, or you can leave it out.
Ingredients
- 14 ounces frozen O’Brien hash brown potatoes (1/2 a bag), with or without onions and peppers
- 1 pound ground beef, thawed in the refrigerator
- 1 cup red bell pepper, diced
- 1 cup green bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
- 1 can (10.5 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, optional
How to Make Crockpot Cheesesteak Potato Casserole
1. Set out the potatoes. Take the 14 ounces of hash brown potatoes out of the freezer and set them aside.
2. Brown the beef and vegetables. In a skillet over medium heat, cook and crumble the ground beef with the red and green bell peppers and the onion until the beef is cooked through (160°F) and the onion is translucent. Drain any excess grease and return the mixture to the skillet.
3. Season. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, dried parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and black pepper.
4. Fill the slow cooker. Transfer the meat mixture to a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Add 1 cup of the cheddar, the cream of mushroom soup, the milk and the sour cream and stir until combined.
5. Add the potatoes. Add the hash brown potatoes and stir until everything is mixed throughout.
6. Slow cook. Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 hours or on LOW for 3 to 4 hours, until the potatoes are fork tender and the center reaches 165°F. Slow cookers cook at different rates, so go by doneness, not by the clock.
7. Melt the cheese on top. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of cheddar over the top, put the lid back on and cook 30 minutes more.
8. Serve. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley, if using, and serve.
Frozen Hash Browns or Fresh Potatoes?
Frozen O’Brien hash browns are the easy route. If your store doesn’t carry O’Brien potatoes, plain cubed hash browns work, and shredded hash browns can replace the diced ones.
Fresh potatoes work too. Use 2 to 3 potatoes in place of the bag and handle them one of two ways.
Par-cook them. Dice the potatoes, then boil them until just fork-tender, about 5 minutes, or microwave them until partly soft. Stir them in at step 5, exactly where the hash browns would go.
Cut them small and add them raw. Peel russets and cut them into 1/2-inch cubes so they all cook through at about the same time; Yukon Golds work too and don’t need peeling. Bigger chunks take longer. USDA FSIS says vegetables cook slower than meat and poultry in a slow cooker, so put the raw cubes in the cooker first and the beef mixture on top.
Cook raw cubes on LOW. After 3 hours, poke a cube with a fork; if it isn’t tender yet, give it another 30 to 60 minutes before the cheese goes on top.
Tips for Success
Why is the casserole greasy?
Drain the skillet well after browning the beef, before anything goes into the cooker. A leaner ground beef also leaves less grease to begin with.
Why does it taste too salty?
Worcestershire sauce and cream of mushroom soup both bring salt of their own. If you are sensitive to salt, pick low-sodium versions of both and skip the 1/8 teaspoon of added salt.
Can I keep it warm for a potluck?
Yes. Leave it in the slow cooker with the lid on and the cooker switched on. USDA FSIS says food stays safe as long as the cooker is operating, and hot food should stay at 140°F or warmer while it waits to be served.
Variations
- Change the cheese: provolone gives the classic cheesesteak flavor, and mozzarella melts well too. Pepper jack adds a little kick, Swiss is milder, and a jar of processed cheese sauce leans even more toward a cheesesteak. For a provolone version, swap the cream of mushroom soup for a 10.5-ounce can of cheddar cheese soup as well.
- More vegetables: add sliced mushrooms, zucchini or some spinach to the skillet along with the bell peppers.
- Other meats: use ground turkey or ground chicken, and cook it to 165°F in step 2. Or use 2 to 3 cups of chopped leftover roast beef in place of the ground beef: cook the peppers and onion in the skillet until the onion is translucent, then stir in the roast beef and heat it until it reaches 165°F before it goes into the slow cooker, because leftovers should not be reheated in a slow cooker.
Storage & Reheating
USDA FSIS says to refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow, covered containers and eat them within 3 to 4 days, or freeze them for 3 to 4 months. The potatoes and creamy sauce can change texture after freezing, and USDA FSIS lists cream sauce among the foods that don’t freeze well. To freeze a batch on purpose, leave out the sour cream and stir it in when you reheat. Thaw frozen portions in the refrigerator, then reheat on the stove, in the microwave or in the oven until it reaches 165°F. Don’t reheat leftovers in the slow cooker.
What to Serve With It
This casserole is hearty enough to stand on its own, but a green salad, steamed or roasted broccoli, green beans, breadsticks or crusty bread round out the plate, and pickles or pepperoncini add a tangy bite. For more cheesesteak flavor, try this Philly cheese steak casserole set with eggs and provolone, a skillet of Philly cheesesteak pasta or Philly cheese steak sloppy joes. If beef and potatoes are your thing, there’s a layered hobo casserole and an easy 5-ingredient hamburger and potato casserole, and for another creamy slow cooker dinner, crockpot ham and potato casserole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use steak instead of ground beef?
Yes, and it gives the casserole more of a cheesesteak texture. Look for thinly shaved steak in the meat case, thaw it in the refrigerator if it’s frozen, and cook it in place of the ground beef in step 2 until it’s cooked through, then carry on with step 3.
Can I make it ahead?
You can do the chopping ahead. Dice the peppers and onion the night before and keep them covered in the refrigerator, then cook them with the beef in step 2 the next day. If you brown the beef mixture ahead too, refrigerate it and reheat it in the skillet until it reaches 165°F before it goes into the slow cooker. USDA FSIS says a slow cooker can take several hours to reach a safe temperature, so cooked food should go in hot, not cold from the refrigerator.
Can I make it spicier?
Add a pinch of red pepper flakes or some sliced jalapeños to the skillet in step 2. A few dashes of hot sauce stirred in with the soup work too.
Can I double this recipe?
Yes. Double every ingredient to serve 8 people, or to have leftovers for later. A double batch may need a bigger slow cooker and more time, so go by doneness, not the clock: cook until the potatoes are fork tender and the center reaches 165°F before the cheese goes on top.
Final Notes
You only use half the bag of hash browns, so seal the rest and keep it in the freezer for your next batch, or fry them up as a side for another night. If you have a question or make this, tell me how it turned out in the comments.
Crockpot Cheesesteak Potato Casserole
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Ingredients
- 14 ounces O'Brien hash brown potatoes frozen, 1/2 a bag; with or without onions and peppers
- 1 pound ground beef thawed in the refrigerator
- 1 cup red bell pepper diced
- 1 cup green bell pepper diced
- 1/2 cup yellow onion diced
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups cheddar cheese shredded, divided
- 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup 10.5 ounces
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped, optional
Instructions
- Take the 14 ounces of hash brown potatoes out of the freezer and set them aside.
- In a skillet over medium heat, cook and crumble the ground beef with the red and green bell peppers and the onion until the beef is cooked through (160°F) and the onion is translucent. Drain any excess grease and return the mixture to the skillet.
- Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, dried parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and black pepper.
- Transfer the meat mixture to a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Add 1 cup of the cheddar, the cream of mushroom soup, the milk and the sour cream and stir until combined.
- Add the hash brown potatoes and stir until everything is mixed throughout.
- Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 hours or on LOW for 3 to 4 hours, until the potatoes are fork tender and the center reaches 165°F. Slow cookers cook at different rates, so go by doneness, not by the clock.
- Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of cheddar over the top, put the lid back on and cook 30 minutes more.
- Sprinkle with the chopped parsley, if using, and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
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