Cheesy hash brown casserole is one of those easy potato dishes that is always on standby for potlucks, holiday dinners, and every day family suppers. It goes well with pork, chicken, or beef. I have used it as a side dish for sandwiches. Today I decided to try out a new variation on an old favorite and I also decided to make it in my Sunflair Portable Solar Oven 
Even though I have used it before, I wanted to be sure that it will be up to the job when it comes to heavy duty cooking. In other words, can I really rely on this little oven to capture enough heat to cook something? This morning the sun was shining brightly but it was a relatively cool day for Arizona in December. The high today was only 54°. As I set up the oven, and felt a little cool breeze, I admit that I was beginning to doubt that the SunFlair would be up for the job. The oven pre-heated for a short time, not as long as I like, and it was only at 175° when I put the pot in at 10:40 am. As it turned out, the oven never got above 200° all day. And just as a note, I left for a short time and while I was gone, the oven ended up in the shade for a short time, which naturally dropped the temperature. Although it took longer than I expected, about 5 hours, in the end – even with a little bit of operator error — my hash brown casserole did get done in time for supper.
Cheesy Hash Brown potatoes
Click to continue to printable recipe —->
Other recipes made in the SunFlair include Stacked Turkey Enchiladas, Hard Baked Eggs, and Quick Pizza Crackers
Disclaimer: I purchased the SunFlair. I have never been contacted by the SunFlair company to review or to discuss their product. The opinion expressed is my own, based on my experience with the oven.
Hi Merry, I have lived most of my life in Mesa, but three years ago my husband and I moved to Santa Clara, UT where we also have mostly sunny days. I bought our first solar oven (an All-American Sun Oven) after we moved here, and I am enjoying learning to use it. This past year I also bought a Sunflair. I am enjoying your recipes and thought I would share a couple of my favorites with you.
The Best Pot Roast
4 large potatoes
4 carrots (or 1-pound package of peeled baby carrots)
1 medium onion
2-4 pound pot roast
1 envelope ranch dressing mix
1 envelope Italian dressing mix
1 envelope brown gravy mix
1 to 1 1/2 cups water
Cut up potatoes, carrots, and onions and place in bottom of roasting pan. (I have an oval graniteware pan I bought at Walmart that fits perfectly inside the Sun Oven.) Place roast on top of vegetables. Sprinkle contents of all three mix envelopes over roast. Pour water over roast. Cover and cook in preheated solar oven in full sun for 5 1/2 to 6 hours.
Sweet and Sour Chicken
1 cup bottled Russian dressing
1 envelope onion soup mix
1 cup apricot preserves
4 to 6 boneless and skinless chicken breast halves
Combine Russian dressing, soup mix, and preserves. Place chicken pieces in graniteware pan, and pour soup mixture over chicken. Cover and cook in preheated solar oven in full sun for 5 to 6 hours. Serve over rice.
Kay
Kay, I love these recipes. The pot roast is very similar to the one I make, but I usually just add onion soup mix to mine. The sweet and sour chicken sounds delicious too. I am definitely going to try both of these recipes. Will you mind if I post pictures? Cooking with a solar oven is so easy. I am glad that you are enjoying your ovens and my recipes. Thanks for sharing your recipes with me. Keep in touch and let me know what’s cooking. ~ Merry