Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Open the can of cream of mushroom soup.
In a large skillet, brown the ground beef with the minced onion and garlic powder. Once browned, drain and then in a large bowl - mix in the shredded hash browns, cream of mushroom soup, milk, 5 of the bacon slices (crumbled), chopped chives, salt and pepper, plus 1 cup shredded cheese. Note: you do not need to thaw the hash browns before baking.
Pour into a 9x13-inch baking dish and top with the remaining shredded cheese.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until completely warmed through and cheese on top is melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Prepare the salad or fresh veggies.
Garnish each serving with a dollop of sour cream, more crumbled bacon bits, and chopped chives.
Serve Loaded Hashbrown Bake with salad or veggies. Enjoy!