Easy Cheesy Sausage Potato Casserole

Nothing says Southern comfort food like cheese and potatoes. Cheesy sausage and potato casserole is a favorite on cold winter nights at our house. The original recipes calls for several pounds of peeled, diced potatoes, followed by 45 minutes in the oven.

But I'm a working mom. By the time I spend 8-9 hours seeing patients, the last thing I feel like doing when I get home is spending an hour peeling potatoes. I tweaked the recipe and developed a quick version of this comfort classic. My family can't get enough of it, and I can have it in the oven in 20 minutes.

Ingredients:

• Smoked sausage, 1 lb. (I use a local company's smoked sausage ring, either beef or green onion)
• Frozen diced hash browns, 2 lb.
• 1 can cheddar cheese soup
• 2 c. milk
• 1 c. cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/8 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Thaw hash browns in microwave safe bowl (3-4 minutes, stirring every 90 seconds) - pour into 9x13 baking dish when finished
• Slice and brown sausage; drain
• Mix milk, soup, paprika, salt, and pepper until well blended
• Pour milk/soup mixture over hash browns; stir well.
• Top potatoes with sausage and cheddar cheese.
• Bake for 45 minutes