01 -
Warm up a big skillet on medium-high until a few drops of water on the pan sizzle and evaporate.
02 -
Toss the sliced sausage into the hot pan and let it cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring, until the edges are nice and golden.
03 -
Mix in the onion and bell peppers with the sausage, and stir every so often until the veggies soften a bit.
04 -
Carefully pour the skillet's contents (including all those tasty browned bits) into the crockpot.
05 -
Layer the frozen hash browns over the sausage and veggie mix in your crockpot, spreading them out evenly.
06 -
Drizzle the heavy cream over the top, letting it seep down into the mix below.
07 -
Spoon out all the cheese soup from the can, spreading it across to cover the surface.
08 -
Spoon out dollops of sour cream here and there, then sprinkle the ranch mix generously all over.
09 -
Scatter the shredded cheddar cheese evenly across the top to cover everything underneath.
10 -
Give it a good stir so all the flavors merge and everything’s nicely coated in the sauce.
11 -
Put on the lid and set the crockpot to cook depending on how fast you want it ready.
12 -
Let it simmer for 2 hours on high or 4 hours on low, depending on your schedule.
13 -
Poke the hash browns with a fork; they should feel soft and tender when ready.
14 -
Give the mix one last stir to make sure everything’s evenly coated in the creamy sauce.
15 -
Let it sit for 5-10 minutes before serving so the creamy sauce thickens up a bit.