Scalloped potatoes and ham is a baked-from-scratch comfort food. This old-fashioned recipe layers thin-sliced potatoes, leftover ham, a creamy white sauce, and plenty of cheddar, and bakes it all into a golden, fork-tender casserole — easy to make full-size or scale down for two with leftovers.
⏲️ Quick Answer: How Long to Bake Scalloped Potatoes and Ham
- Bake at 350°F for about 60 minutes (45 minutes covered + 15 uncovered).
- For a softer, fork-tender texture, bake about 115 minutes (90 minutes covered + 15 uncovered).
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- ❤️ Why You'll Love This Recipe
- 🥔 Ingredients
- 👨🍳 How to Make Scalloped Potatoes and Ham (Step-by-Step Overview)
- ⏲️ How Long to Bake Scalloped Potatoes and Ham
- 🤔 Tips for Ham, Potatoes, and Cheese
- 📅 Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions
- ⬇️ How to Make Scalloped Potatoes and Ham for Two (with Leftovers)
- 🍽️ Serving Suggestions
- ❄️ How to Store Leftovers
- ❓ FAQs
- 😊 Other Recipes You Will Love
- 📖The Recipe Card
Featured Comment from Deanna I:
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"5 stars. This recipe brought back great memories! It is actually better than my mom's."
❤️ Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Cheesy comfort food: Layers of potatoes, ham, and sauce baked into a golden, bubbly casserole.
- Easy to make: A simple roux and pantry ingredients—no canned soup needed.
- Perfect for leftover ham: A great way to use holiday ham from Easter or Christmas.
- Flexible size: Make a full pan for family or cut it in half for two with leftovers.
- Fork-tender potatoes every time: Choose your texture—creamy soft or with a little firmness.
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🥔 Ingredients
- Potatoes — Russets are traditional; peel and slice ¼–⅜ inch thick. Yukon Gold or red potatoes also work and don’t need peeling.
- Ham — Best with leftover holiday ham cut into bite-size chunks. Skip thin deli slices.
- Cheese — Mild cheddar is classic. Sharp cheddar, Monterey Jack, or Gruyère are good options too.
- White sauce — A simple roux of butter, onion, flour, milk, salt, and pepper.
👨🍳 How to Make Scalloped Potatoes and Ham (Step-by-Step Overview)
1. Prep the potatoes – Scrub, peel, and slice russet potatoes about ⅜ inch thick. Soak in cool water while preparing the sauce.
2. Cook the onion – Chop an onion and cook in butter until clearing, about 3–4 minutes.
3. Make the roux – Sprinkle flour into the butter/onion mixture, whisk well, and cook about 2 minutes until lightly browned.
4. Add the milk – Slowly whisk in milk, add salt and pepper, and cook until thickened, about 3–4 minutes.
5. Prep for assembly – Rinse and dry the potatoes, cut ham into bite-size pieces, and butter a casserole dish.
6. Layer – Do 3 layers of potatoes, cheese, ham, and sauce. Top with the remaining cheese.
7. First bake – Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake at 350°F convection (375°F conventional).
8. Finish – Bake 45–90 minutes covered, then 20–25 minutes uncovered until golden and bubbling. Covered time will vary depending on your desired texture. Rest 10 minutes before serving.
✅ Pro Tip: I highly recommend the longer baking time for the best texture.
This is an overview of making scalloped potatoes and ham with step-by-step photos. For full details, keep reading or see the scalable Recipe Card below for complete instructions and to print.
⏲️ How Long to Bake Scalloped Potatoes and Ham
Many recipes suggest 40–45 minutes covered, then 20–25 minutes uncovered at 350°F. At that point, the casserole is cooked through and ready to serve, though the potatoes will usually still have some firmness in the center.
For fork-tender results, plan on about 90 minutes covered plus 20–25 minutes uncovered until golden brown and bubbling. Always let it rest 10 minutes before serving so the sauce sets.
Cook to your preferred texture—creamy soft or with a little firmness.
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🤔 Tips for Ham, Potatoes, and Cheese
- Ham: A great way to use leftover ham, but any bite-size ham pieces will work. If your ham has a sweet glaze, rinse it off under running water before adding it. Use about ¾ pound (around 3 cups) for a full recipe — more or less to taste.
- Potatoes: Russets are traditional (peel and slice ¼–⅜ inch thick), but Yukon Gold or red potatoes work well and don’t need peeling. Use a mandolin if you have one — with the guard — to get even slices and avoid injury. A medium Russet weighs about 6–8 ounces. Always use raw potatoes, not frozen.
- Cheese: Mild cheddar is classic, but sharp cheddar, Monterey Jack, or Gruyère also work well. Shredding from a block gives the smoothest sauce.
📅 Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions
Make Ahead:
Assemble the casserole fully, cover it tightly, and refrigerate for 2–3 days before baking. When you’re ready to bake, let it sit out while the oven preheats, then bake as directed. If the casserole is still very cold when it goes into the oven, the covered time may run longer.
Freezing:
Don’t freeze this casserole uncooked — the potatoes turn grainy.
For freezer meals, bake it first, cool completely, and freeze in meal-size portions for 1–2 months. Reheat in the oven for the best texture.
⬇️ How to Make Scalloped Potatoes and Ham for Two (with Leftovers)
This recipe is easy to cut in half, from 8 to 4 servings. The work doesn’t decrease much, but you’ll end up with a “for two” meal plus leftovers that freeze well.
- Use a 6×9 or 8×8 pan for the half recipe.
- In the recipe card, adjust servings from 8 to 4 — that will do the math and change the ingredient amounts displayed.
- The amounts listed in the instructions do not adjust, so follow the ingredient list, not the step text.
- Cooking time will be slightly shorter, so start checking early for fork-tender potatoes.
🍽️ Serving Suggestions
Serve scalloped potatoes and ham as a main dish or as a hearty side. Because it’s a rich, starchy casserole, pair it with something fresh or simple: a green salad, steamed vegetables, peas, corn, or green beans all work well.
❄️ How to Store Leftovers
Store leftovers sealed in the refrigerator for 3–4 days. For longer storage, freeze for 1–2 months.
Reheat in the oven when possible. If frozen, thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
❓ FAQs
Scalloped potatoes are baked in a casserole with a creamy sauce. Au gratin means “with cheese.” Since this recipe has both, you could call it scalloped potatoes, au gratin potatoes, or even scalloped au gratin potatoes.
Yes. The creamy sauce—made from a simple butter-onion-flour roux with milk—is what gives scalloped potatoes their classic texture. Let the casserole rest for 10 minutes after baking so the sauce can thicken and set.
If you need help with the roux, see Making Gravy from Scratch.
With the standard covered baking time of 45 minutes, the potatoes will still be slightly firm. If you want a creamier, fully fork-tender texture (like I do), bake for about 90 minutes covered, then 20–25 minutes uncovered to brown.
Other reasons for firm potatoes include thicker slices or putting the casserole into the oven very cold — both will require a longer covered bake time to soften.
😊 Other Recipes You Will Love
- Old Fashion Scalloped Potatoes — a 50-year-old classic.
- Crock Pot Scalloped Potatoes — easy slow cooker version (add ham if you like).
- Tuna Noodle Casserole — creamy classic with a Parmesan topping.
- Crock Pot Chicken Pasta — cheesy baked-ziti flavor without the oven.
- Chicken Broccoli Casserole — an easy, cheesy family favorite.
📖The Recipe Card
Old Fashioned Scalloped Potatoes and Ham (Easy & Cheesy)
Video Slideshow
Ingredients
- 4 russet potatoes—medium - (peeled and sliced thin)
- 1 small onion – chopped
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 3 cups milk
- 2 cups shredded cheese (mild or sharp cheddar, Monterey Jack, others)
- ¾ pound ham — diced or cut into small bite-size pieces - (about 3 cups; a bit more or less is fine)
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° convection or 375° conventional.
- Scrub, peel, and slice 4 medium russet potatoes (1½ to 2 pounds), about ⅜ inch thick. A mandolin is recommended if you have one. If you use a mandolin, please follow the manufacturer's safety instructions.
- Chop 1 small onion. Chop or slice your ham into bite-size pieces.
- Over medium-high heat, in a medium saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons of butter and add the onion. Cook until clearing—about 3–4 minutes.
- Sprinkle in 4 tablespoons of flour and mix well. Continue to cook and whisk for about 2 minutes until light browning.
- Add 3 cups of milk slowly while continuing to whisk. Whisk and cook until thickening well—about 3–4 minutes. Mix in 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper.
- Prep a 9 by 13 inch casserole dish with a coat of butter.
- Add about ⅓ of the sliced potatoes, top with ⅓ of the ham, ½ cup of shredded cheese, and ⅓ of the sauce. Repeat twice, but with the top layer, add the cheese last and double to a full cup.
- Cover with aluminum foil.
- Bake 45–90 minutes covered, then 20–25 minutes uncovered until golden and bubbling. Covered time will vary depending on your desired texture. Allow to sit for about 10 minutes before serving—do not skip this step.
Recipe Notes
⏲️ How Long to Bake Scalloped Potatoes and Ham
Many recipes suggest 40–45 minutes covered, then 20–25 minutes uncovered at 350°F. At that point, the casserole is cooked through and ready to serve, though the potatoes will usually still have some firmness in the center. For fork-tender results, plan on about 90 minutes covered, plus 20–25 minutes uncovered, until golden brown and bubbling. Cook to your preferred texture—creamy soft or with a little firmness.Pro Tips:
- Make a smaller scalloped potatoes for two with leftovers. See the post for details.
- Use a mandolin to save time — but always with the guard (you don’t want an injury). Follow all manufacturer instructions.
- Use potatoes of your choice, but I like Russets.
- Cheese of your choice. I use mild cheddar or Monterey Jack.
- I scale this up or down depending on how much leftover ham I have.
- Make ahead and refrigerate for 2 days before baking. Freezing before baking is not suggested.
- Leftovers are good refrigerated for 4 days and can be frozen for 2 months.
Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You can adjust the number of servings above; however, only the amount in the ingredient list is adjusted, not the instructions.
Nutrition Estimate (may vary)
Editor's Note: This recipe was originally published on April 12, 2014. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
SP says
I was looking for a recipe to serve just my husband and I. This is way too much, same volume as any standard family recipe. Looking forward to a recipe actually meant for two people.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi SP.
Thanks for visiting. You seem to have missed the "How to make scalloped potatoes and ham for two with leftovers" section in the post. I have removed your rating.
Dan