Make-ahead & Freeze For Later Cheesy Potato & Ham Bake

 

Ingredients:

½ C chopped onion
1 pint sour cream (1 pint = 2 Cups)
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
2 C shredded Cheddar cheese
1 (2 pound) package frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed

2 Cups of chopped ham (think Easter ham leftovers!)
salt + pepper to taste
optional: 3/4 sleeve Ritz crackers and 2 tbs melted butter
for a crunchy topping (don't freeze these)

Assembly:

Let hash browns thaw in fridge just enough that they can be poured (not frozen chunks) in with the other ingredients. In a large mixing bowl combine onion, sour cream, soup, cheese, salt and pepper, hash browns and ham pieces. Mix well. Label freezer bag with cooking instructions. Freeze bag.

Ready to eat:
When ready to prepare, thaw potato mixture in fridge over night. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Pour potato mixture into 9x 13 casserole dish. Bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes. (May be longer depending on how frozen the meal is before cooking.

To make this even yummier you can add a topping during the last 15 minutes. Top with 2 C. crushed potato chips or Ritz crackers combined with ½ C melted butter. Sprinkle potato chips on top, then drizzle with butter.