Shredded Pork Casserole is a loaded hash brown bake: frozen shredded hash browns mixed with corn, onion, bell pepper, jalapeño, melted butter and Colby Jack, baked until hot, then topped with barbecue-sauced pulled pork and more cheese and baked again. Finish each serving with green onion and a spoonful of sour cream. It’s an easy weeknight way to use up cooked pork and serves 8.
How to make it: Mix the hash browns, vegetables, butter, seasoning and 1 cup of cheese and bake at 400°F for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, toss the shredded pork in barbecue sauce. Spread the pork over the hash browns, top with the rest of the cheese and bake 20 minutes more, until the center reaches 165°F.
Why You’ll Love It
- Uses leftover pork: any cooked shredded or pulled pork works.
- Loaded hash browns: corn, peppers, jalapeño and cheese in every bite.
- 10 minutes of prep: the bag of frozen hash browns does most of the work.
- Weeknight easy: one dish, two short bakes.
Ingredient Notes
Frozen shredded hash browns: one 30-ounce bag, straight from the freezer.
Vegetables: 1 cup whole kernel corn, half an onion and 1 bell pepper, diced, plus 1 to 2 grated jalapeños.
Butter and seasoning: 2 tablespoons melted butter, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper for the hash brown mix.
Colby Jack cheese: 2 cups grated, half in the base and half on top. Grating it from a block melts smoothest; Monterey Jack, pepper jack or mozzarella also work.
Cooked pulled pork: 1 pound, shredded. Leftover or freshly cooked pork both work.
Barbecue sauce: 1 cup. A thick sauce keeps the filling from going watery.
For serving: diced green onion and a dollop of sour cream.
Ingredients
For the hash brown base
- 30 ounces frozen shredded hash browns (1 bag)
- 1 cup whole kernel corn
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 1 bell pepper, diced
- 1 to 2 jalapenos, grated
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups Colby Jack cheese, grated (1 cup goes in the hash brown mix, the rest on top)
For the pork
- 1 pound cooked pulled pork, shredded (leftover or freshly cooked)
- 1 cup barbecue sauce
For serving
- Green onion, diced
- Sour cream, a dollop per serving
How to Make Shredded Pork Casserole
1. Heat the oven. Heat the oven to 400°F and coat a 9×13-inch casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Mix the base. In a large bowl combine the frozen hash browns, corn, onion, bell pepper, jalapenos, melted butter, salt, black pepper and 1 cup of the cheese.
3. Bake the base. Pour the mixture into the prepared dish and bake for 20 minutes.
4. Sauce the pork. While the base bakes, toss the pulled pork in the barbecue sauce.
5. Add the pork and cheese. Take the dish out of the oven, spread the sauced pork over the hash brown mixture and top with the remaining cheese.
6. Bake again. Bake at 400°F for 20 more minutes, until the center reaches 165°F on a food thermometer.
7. Cool and serve. Let the casserole cool for 5 minutes, then serve with diced green onion and a dollop of sour cream.
How to Keep It From Going Watery
- Bake the base first. The hash brown mixture gets 20 minutes on its own before the pork goes on.
- Sauce the pork in a bowl. Toss it with the barbecue sauce separately, then spread it on in an even layer.
- Choose a thick sauce. A thick, sweet barbecue sauce holds better than a thin one.
- Taste before salting. How much salt you need depends on how the pork and sauce are already seasoned.
- Check the center. Bubbling edges are a good sign, but the casserole is done at 165°F in the middle.
- Rest 5 minutes. It’s easier to cut and serve after a short rest.
Where the Shredded Pork Comes From
This casserole starts with pork that’s already cooked. Leftover pulled pork is the easiest, but store-bought pulled pork works too. You’ll see it called both shredded pork and pulled pork; either is fine here.
If you’re cooking pork from scratch, cook pork roasts, chops or tenderloin to at least 145°F and rest them 3 minutes before shredding with two forks. If you use a slow cooker, thaw the pork first and keep the lid on while it cooks. Save a little of the cooking liquid; it’s handy for loosening the pork.
Other Shredded Pork Casseroles
Hash browns aren’t the only base. If you have leftover shredded pork, here are other ways to bake it:
- Cornbread topping: simmer barbecue sauce with sautéed onion and green pepper, stir in corn and the pork, top with cheddar and a box of corn muffin batter, and bake at 350°F until the crust is golden.
- Penne bake: fold the pork and cooked penne into a skillet cheese sauce made with the pork’s braising liquid, top with buttered breadcrumbs and bake until bubbly.
- Enchilada style: layer the pork with pinto beans, flour tortillas, a chili powder and cumin enchilada sauce and cheddar in a 13×9 pan.
- Tamale style: spread a cornbread layer in the pan, top it with enchilada or red chile sauce, the seasoned pork, corn and cheese, and bake.
Whichever base you choose, bake it until the center reaches 165°F.
Variations
- Other meat: use leftover shredded chicken or beef in place of the pork.
- More heat: add chopped jalapeños, a few dashes of hot sauce, a pinch of cayenne, or a drained can of diced tomatoes with green chiles to the pork.
- Different cheese: cheddar, Monterey Jack, pepper jack or mozzarella; smoked gouda adds a smoky note.
Storage & Reheating
Refrigerator: Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow covered containers. They keep 3 to 4 days. Add the green onion and sour cream when you serve.
Freezer: Freeze leftovers for 3 to 4 months. Thaw in the refrigerator, or reheat from frozen in the oven or microwave, which takes longer.
Reheating: Reheat covered in the oven, microwave or on the stove until it reaches 165°F. In the microwave, cover, rotate the dish and check the temperature in several places. Don’t reheat leftovers in a slow cooker.
What to Serve With It
Top each serving with green onion and sour cream. For more pork and potato dinners, try smothered pork chop scalloped potato casserole or garlic butter pork chops with cheesy potato bake. Want barbecue pork to start with? Make slow cooker root beer BBQ pork ribs.
Other casseroles: a plain copycat Cracker Barrel hashbrown casserole, a cornbread-layer tamale casserole, or Ritz cracker chicken casserole if you’re using chicken.
Frequently Asked Questions
What else can I do with shredded pork?
Bake it into this hash brown casserole, or under a cornbread topping, into a penne bake, an enchilada-style bake or a tamale casserole.
What is a simple recipe for pork casserole?
This one: frozen hash browns, vegetables and cheese baked 20 minutes, then barbecue-sauced pork and more cheese on top for 20 more.
Can I use chicken instead of pork?
Yes. Leftover shredded chicken or beef works the same way.
Do I need to thaw the hash browns?
No. They go into the mix straight from the freezer.
Can I use cornbread, pasta or tortillas instead of hash browns?
Yes. Shredded pork also bakes well under a corn muffin topping, in a penne bake with cheese sauce, or layered with tortillas and enchilada sauce. Bake any of them until the center reaches 165°F.
How long do leftovers keep?
3 to 4 days in the refrigerator, or 3 to 4 months in the freezer.
How do I know it’s done?
The center reaches 165°F on a food thermometer.
Final Notes
Bake the hash browns first, pile on the sauced pork and finish with cheese. If you try it with chicken or a cornbread topping, tell me in the comments how it turned out.
Shredded Pork Casserole
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Ingredients
- 30 ounces frozen shredded hash browns 1 bag
- 1 cup whole kernel corn
- 1/2 onion diced
- 1 bell pepper diced
- 1 to 2 jalapenos grated
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups Colby Jack cheese grated; 1 cup goes in the hash brown mix, the rest on top
- 1 pound cooked pulled pork shredded; leftover or freshly cooked
- 1 cup barbecue sauce
- green onion diced, for serving
- sour cream a dollop per serving, for serving
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 400°F and coat a 9x13-inch casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl combine the frozen hash browns, corn, onion, bell pepper, jalapenos, melted butter, salt, black pepper and 1 cup of the cheese.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared dish and bake for 20 minutes.
- While the base bakes, toss the pulled pork in the barbecue sauce.
- Take the dish out of the oven, spread the sauced pork over the hash brown mixture and top with the remaining cheese.
- Bake at 400°F for 20 more minutes, until the center reaches 165°F on a food thermometer.
- Let the casserole cool for 5 minutes, then serve with diced green onion and a dollop of sour cream.
Notes
Nutrition
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