Easy Cheesy Ham & Hash Brown Casserole

One of my favorite parts of having ham for the holidays (we usually have it for Christmas and Easter) is the leftovers.  My favorite two recipes are Scalloped Potatoes & Ham and this one, Ham & Hash Brown Casserole.  Neither is healthy and both are comfort food. I’m ok with them not being super healthy as we don’t eat them all that often.  I originally got this recipe from a friend at church.  It started as a breakfast casserole.  I didn’t mind eating as a meal but it wasn’t enough for my husband.  Once we added ham to the recipe he is much happier with it. My almost two year old gobbles it up so that makes it a double win for us!  This also makes a great dish for a potluck.


Ingredients:
16 oz Sour Cream
1 can cream soup (I use my cream soup substitute, 2 servings)
2 lbs frozen hash browns
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 medium green pepper, diced
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 cup ham, diced (you can buy diced ham or leftovers work great too!)
Bread crumbs/wheat germ/fried onions (optional)

Steps:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 pan (I use stoneware and don’t grease the pan.  If you’re using anything other than stoneware, grease the pan!)
2.  In a pan, heat some oil and saute the onion and pepper until the onions are translucent and the pepper is just soft.  If you’re short on time, you can skip this step, as I often do.  Sometimes the pepper still has a little crunch to it, so if you don’t like that, then don’t skip it!
3. In a bowl, combine the sour cream, cream soup, cheese, onion, pepper and ham.  Mix well. 
4.  Spread the frozen hash browns in the bottom of the pan.  Pour the ham mixture on top and spread out.  Top with bread crumbs/wheat germ/friend onions…whatever you have on hand. I’ve used extra cheese before, all are tasty.
5.  Bake for 1 hour, uncovered.  When you remove from the oven, let it stand for 5-10 minutes to cool off.  Dish up and enjoy!