Mormon Funeral Potatoes

This was one of my very first actual funeral related recipes I created and now I’ve been cooking long enough to be able to offer solid updates, and boy, do I have a great upgrade for this recipe. But, before we dive into the changes, let’s talk about what this delicious casserole actually is.

From MormonChurch.com, “Funeral potatoes [are] a potato and cheese casserole that is commonly served by Latter-day Saint Relief Societies as part of the meal they prepare for grieving families to eat after their loved one’s funeral. The dish is prominent in the predominantly Mormon-populated areas of Utah and Idaho, and may have originated in that region of the United States. Funeral potatoes may be known by other names, such as potato casserole, and is served at other potluck dinners, such as family and church gatherings. Even in those settings, the dish is quickly identified as Funeral potatoes.

Throughout the history of The Church of Jesus Christ, members of the Relief Society (an auxiliary to the priesthood) have provided compassionate service, including meals, to women and their families. Furnishing a meal for extended family that have traveled long distances to attend a funeral is one way Relief Society women seek to ease burdens and lend support.

The recipe for Funeral potatoes may vary from cook to cook and region to region, but generally it consists of shredded or cubed potatoes, cheese, onions, a cream soup, and sour cream. It is often topped with crushed cornflakes or breadcrumbs.”

Ok. Now let’s talk about the recipe, the original one I made was fine, it did the job and created what constituted “vegan” funeral potatoes. And then, I found this recipe. I was really struggling with the right kind of cream of chicken soup and this recipe nails it. The secret? Cashews.

I have no clue how this idea escaped me. I make cashew cream all the time! Now, I know this recipe may look intimidating and if you have never made cashew cream or used tapioca flour I want you to know it’s pretty easy! I made a couple adjustments to the original author’s recipe and have added some best practice notes. Happy eating! Oh and if you want to learn more about Funeral Potatoes, here is another article from NPR that I thought was pretty cool!

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Mormon Funeral Potatoes

Yield: 8-10

Author: Amber Carvaly

Cook time: 45 MinTotal time: 45 Min

It's cheesy, creamy, and crunchy. There's nothing better than a batch of this casserole and the best part is, no one has to die for you to make them!

Ingredients

Filling

• 1 (16 oz) bag of frozen shredded hash browns
• 1 batch of cream of chicken soup, recipe below
• 1/2 cup of vegan sour cream
• You can add a little more depending on how creamy you want the casserole to be, but start here
• 1 cup vegan shredded cheese
• 1 medium yellow onion diced
• 1/4 cup butter
• salt and pepper to taste

Topping

• 3 cups cornflakes
• 2 tablespoon melted vegan butter
• 1/4 cup vegan shredded cheese

Cream Of Chicken Soup

• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked 8 hours (If you are in a hurry you can soak them in hot water to help speed things up)
• 2 cups water
• 2 cubes of No Chicken Better Than Bouillon
• 2 tablespoons tapioca starch
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons vegan butter

Instructions

To Prepare Cream of Chicken Soup

1. In a blender add cashews, water, Bouillon cubes, tapioca, and nutritional yeast and set aside.
2. Using a large saucepan, saute the diced onion in about 2 tablespoons butter or neutral flavored oil until slightly tender, about 4 minutes.
3. Side note: I cook my onions for at least 10 minutes, I’m very visual and smell based and the longer I cook my onions the easier on my tummy so I’ve left the original author’s notes for 4 minutes to give you a good baseline.
4. Turn the heat to low, and add 2 tablespoons of all purpose flour. Continually stir for about 2 minutes to lightly cook the flour. This will also coat and crisp up your onions. I added a little more butter to this part of the recipe to really fry the onions up.
5. Pour in the blended cashew mixture, and continue to stir until thickened, about 4 to 5 minutes. If you have never cooked with tapioca you will notice the cream thicken and turn glossy. It will also start to pull away from the sides of the pan and that will clue you in that the tapioca has really incorporated and thickened properly. As as side note, I found using a small silicone whisk really helped!
6. Turn the heat off, add 1/4 cup of vegan butter, stir to combine, and set aside

To Prepare the Filling

1. In a large bowl, add the frozen hash browns, sour cream, cheese, and thickened Cream of Chicken Soup Base. Stir well to combine, adding salt and pepper to taste.
2. Side Note: Other recipes called for garlic powder and nutmeg. So if you feel like experimenting you can add a little bit of garlic to taste and a scant amount of nutmeg, meaning no more that 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg.
3. Pour the sauced potatoes into a 9×13 baking dish, making sure to get everything out of the bowl.

To prepare the Topping

1. Melt 2 tablespoons butter, and toss with corn flakes, 1/4 cup of shredded vegan cheese, and a pinch of salt. Cook until it looks well coated and a little crisp (yes I know they are already crispy) but be careful not to burn them like I did the first time I made them.