Scalloped potatoes and ham is classic old-fashioned comfort food with creamy sauce, melted cheese, and thin slices of tender ham and potatoes. This hearty dinner is the perfect use for leftover ham.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Homemade scalloped potatoes with ham are one of our favorite comfort foods. With these easy step-by-step photo instructions, you get perfect results the first time and every time.
As usual, I read way too many recipes, but most were very similar. The inspiration piece will be a Pioneer Woman recipe on Food Network. But I could use several others as inspiration also.
A few changes to simplify the instructions, add step-by-step pictures, decrease the fat some, and, most importantly, change the cooking time.
I know this is cooking for two, and I have included instructions for a half recipe. But this full-size recipe fits our lifestyle. Since it is the whole meal for us, we will eat a double serving, plus we love leftovers.
My Rating
I had initially rated this a solid four, but the evolution of the recipe with 25+ repeat cookings has made it to the five range. Low 5 but still a 5 for me—excellent comfort food.
Scalloped vs. Au Gratin Potatoes
Scalloped is anything baked in a casserole with a sauce that could be cheese or any other sauce. Au Gratin means “with cheese.” So this recipe could be called Scalloped or Au Gratin or Scalloped Au Gratin.
Take the cheese out and just use a white sauce and you have Scalloped but not Au Gratin. Now you know.
So, this could also be called Au Gratin potatoes and ham. I was brought up calling this scalloped, so I'm using that, but Au Gratin may be more correct.
🥔Ingredients
The Potatoes
All potatoes will cook about the same, so use what you want and have available, but usually, Russet potatoes are used. Russets have thick skin and are generally peeled.
This recipe needs about 1 ½ to 2 pounds of sliced potatoes. A medium Russet potato is 6-8 oz.
Other potatoes, like Yukon Gold potatoes, are commonly used, and since they have thinner skin, I like to leave the skin on but remove it if you want.
The Ham
Any ham that is "bit size" will work well. The amount of ham you use is flexible. For this full-size recipe, about ¾ pounds which will be approximately 3 cups of sliced ham, is suggested but a bit more or less is acceptable.
Dice ham will also work, but I find sliced ham more traditional.
The Cheese
Mild cheddar cheese is excellent in this recipe, but Monterey Jack or Gruyere are also commonly used. But use the cheese you like or love.
👨🍳How to Make Scalloped Potatoes and Ham
Scrub and peel the potatoes if using Russets. Slice the potatoes thin—I prefer about ⅜ inch thick but no thicker than ¼ inch thick.
I always use a mandolin and suggest you use one too if you have one—it is tough to cut this amount of potatoes consistently. If you use a mandolin, please follow the manufactures safety instructions to prevent an unscheduled trip to the emergency room.
Make a roux with butter and flour, then slowly add milk while whisking. Use the same butter for cooking the onion before making the roux, and you can leave the cooked onion while making the roux.
For more details on roux, see How to Make Gravy from Scratch.
Make three layers of first potato slices, then cheese and ham, then sauce. On the top layer, double the cheese, and place on top of the casserole.
⏰How Long to Cook Scalloped Potatoes and Ham
Most reference recipes suggest total cooking times of 60-70 minutes. While it is "done," there is still a little firmness in the potatoes that my wife and I don't like.
I have done this 20 plus times, and I now do about 2 hours of total cooking time. So I have changed the instructions, but feel free to cook for the original recommended 40 minutes covered and 25 minutes uncovered if you want firmer potatoes.
Your casserole is done when the potatoes are "fork tender" to your liking.
👨🍳How to Make a Scalloped Potatoes and Ham for Two
Make a smaller version of scalloped potatoes and ham for two or one. This is an easy recipe to cut in half, but the work doesn't decrease that much. With the decrease in size, the serving number decreased from eight to four. Leftovers are good refrigerated for four days or frozen for 3-4 months.
- Use a 6X9 or 8X8 pan for a half recipe.
- In the recipe card, adjust the number of servings to 4. That will do the math an change the ingredient amounts displayed. WARNING- this does not adjust the instructions, so you will need to follow the amounts in the ingredients and not the instructions.
- Cooking time will be a little shorter, so check a bit early for fork tender.
🔪How to Making Ahead
Assemble completely and seal airtight. Refrigerate for 2-3 days. Or freeze for 2-3 months.
If frozen, thaw completely in the refrigerator overnight before baking.
❄️How to Store Leftovers
For short-term storage of leftovers, seal well and refrigerate for 3-4 days. For longer-term storage, freeze for 3-4 months.
Reheating in the oven is preferred. If frozen, thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
📖Scalloped Potato Recipes
Old Fashion Scalloped Potatoes
Also, see What to Do With Leftover Ham for ham ideas.
This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.
🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
Preheat oven to 350° convection or 375° conventional.
Scrub, peel, and slice 4 medium russet potatoes— 1 ½ to 2 pounds. Slice thin—about ⅜ inch thick. A mandolin is recommended if you have one. If you use a mandolin, please follow the manufactures 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 butter and add the onion. Cook until clearing—about 3-4 minutes. Sprinkle in 4 tablespoons flour and mix well. Continue to cook and whisk for about 2 minutes until browning some.
Add 3 cups of milk slowly while continuing to whisk. Whisk and cook until thickening well. About 3-4 minutes. During this part, add 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 potatoes—top with ⅓ of the ham, ½ cup cheese of choice, and ⅓ of the sauce. Repeat two more times but use a full cup of cheese on the top layer over the ham.
Cover with aluminum foil.
Bake for 90 minutes, then uncover and cook another 20-25 minutes until nicely brown and bubbling.
Allow to sit for about 10 minutes before serving.
📖Recipe
Old Fashioned Scalloped Potatoes and Ham
Ingredients
- 4 russet potatoes - medium cleaned and sliced thin. Peeling optional
- 1 onion - small chipped
- 4 tablespoon butter
- 4 tablespoon flour - ¼ cup
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 3 cups milk
- 2 cups shredded cheese of choice - Monterey Jack or cheddar are good choices
- ¾ pound ham - dice or cut into small bite size bites. About 3 cups. A bit more or less is fine.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° convection or 375° conventional.
- Scrub, peel, and slice 4 medium russet potatoes— 1 ½ to 2 pounds. Slice thin—about ⅜ inch thick. A mandolin is recommended if you have one. If you use a mandolin, please follow the manufactures 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 butter and add the onion. Cook until clearing—about 3-4 minutes.
- Sprinkle in 4 tablespoons flour and mix well. Continue to cook and whisk for about 2 minutes until browning some.
- Add 3 cups of milk slowly while continuing to whisk. Whisk and cook until thickening well—about 3-4 minutes. During this part, add 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon black pepper.
- Prep a 9 by 13 baking dish by coating it with butter.
- Add about ⅓ of the potatoes. Top with ⅓ of the ham, ½ cup of cheese, and ⅓ of the sauce. Repeat two more times, but use a full cup of cheese on the top layer.
- Cover with aluminum foil.
- Bake for 90 minutes, then uncover and cook another 20-25 minutes until nicely brown and bubbling.
- Allow to sit for about 10 minutes before serving.
My Private Notes
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips:
- Easy to cut in half. See the instructions below.
- Use a mandolin to slice the potatoes to save your fingers and time. But be careful with the mandolin.
- Use potatoes of your choice, but I like Russets.
- Cheese of your choice. I use cheddar or Monterey Jack.
- The original recipes ( many of them) suggest total cooking times of 60-70 minutes. While it is done, there is still a little firmness in the potatoes which my wife and I don't like. I have cooked this 30+ times, and I now do a total of almost 2 hours total cooking time. So, I have changed the instructions but feel free to cook for the original recommended 40 minutes covered and 25 minutes uncovered if you want firmer potatoes.
- I scale this up or down depending on how much leftover ham I have.
- Good refrigerated for 3-4 days, and can be frozen for 3-4 months.
Instructions for half size:
- Use a 6X9 or 8X8 pan.
- In the recipe card, adjust the number of servings to 4. That will do the math and change the ingredient amounts displayed. WARNING- this does not adjust the instructions so you will need to use the amounts in the Ingredients, and not the Instructions.
- Cooking time does change a little, so check it a bit early.
To adjust the recipe size:
You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.
Nutrition Estimate
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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.
Cheryl Deger
Please, potatoes are all so many different sizes... Approximately how many pounds of russets did you use?!? Newbie cook here and weghts are much better then saying medium sized... Thank You...
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Cheryl,
Welcome to the blog.
It is ALWAYS fine to ask. Think of a "large" as the size you get at a restaurant. They will be in the 8 oz range or a bit bigger. Mediums will be in the 6 oz range. So the four mediums are about 1 1/2 pounds.
A final note. When a recipe is a bit non-specific (a large onion, a medium potato, a small carrot, etc) think of it as general guidance but you are free to vary some. A bit more or less potato will be fine here.
Again welcome and always feel free to ask.
Dan
Michelle C
For this at home stay quarantine, this recipe is in my oven! Just sounds Like a nice comfort food and a friend of mine made it and feel in love so We are giving it a try. One question, what do folks typically serve as a side with this recipe ?
Nancy Quinn
I usually make broccoli as a side, but this last time I chopped up some fresh spinach and added it to the casserole between layers. It was great. This is exactly the receipe I learned from my mother.
Sue
I have done fresh green beans sautéed with bacon and garlic.
Cathy Golz
I have been using this recipe for about a year and a half. My husband requested this today. I thought I had written it down but couldn’t find it. I googled your recipe and actually looked at your name. I showed this to my husband, Rich Golz, aka one of your colleagues, and he said you have been doing this For many years. Love this recipe and will be looking for more of them. Rich says Hello and hopes you are doing well.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Cathy,
Welcome to the blog. Glad you are enjoying the recipe. It is one of our favorites and I will probably make it later this week for our stay at home meals.
Say hi to Rich and all. This has been my hobby for about 10 years and is a great time in retirement which I totally enjoy. I don't miss work at all, especially right now.
Say safe and let me know if you have any questions or requests.
Dan
M Nord
I have this in the oven now and it is smelling really good. I have couple of questions. I loved that I had the ability to change the number of people serving and the recipe calculated the amounts. Do you have an approximation on the weight of the potatoes? 4 potatoes doesn’t seem like much for 8 people and barely covered the bottom of my 9 x 13” pan so I added a few more. And even though the measurement of the ham went up with the changes in the recipe it kept saying it was about 3/4 pound of ham so I don’t think I got enough ham for the recipe serving 8. Should that have changed too? Thanks for your help.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi M.
Welcome to the blog.
When you change the number of servings, it only calculates the ingredient area. The instructions are text and do not change. So you need to realize that when you adjust.
Dan
Susan from Idaho
I made this last night, and husband was impressed. He is a "meat & potatoes" kind of man, so this was right up his alley.
I added sliced carrots , which was yums, and frozen broccoli, which was good, but too soft in the end. I'll try russets & sweet potatoes next time. This recipe is a keeper! Thanks!!
PJ
I’ve made this for decades and I, too dislike potatoes so parboil my mandolined potatoes before assembling Into casserole dish—ensures A tender edible dish
Mona
Can you bake it ahead and reheat next day??
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Mona,
Welcome to the blog.
Absolutely, like many casseroles, this is even better reheated. I would reheat in the oven at about 350 covered with foil. The time will depend on size and thickness but you will want to get it to 150-160 for serving. It could easily take an hour or more.
Dan
Norma
Actually, “au gratin” means “with crumbs”. The original French au gratins had a buttery crumb topping, not cheese.
That being said, your recipe is nearly identical to what I have been making for decades. Sometimes I add cheese, but not always.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Norma,
Welcome to the site.
That is what happens when you take definitions from cooking reference sites.
But it is wonderful comfort food and I now want to go buy some ham just to make this.
Thanks for the note and language correction. And the rating.
Dan
Mary
Why do scallop potatoes curdled ?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Mary,
Welcome to the blog.
Cheese is curdled milk really so that is one souces but most cheese is fairly stable but old or poor quality cheese may separate.
Curdle milk happens when the milk proteins are coagulating and separating from the other components of milk. Generally from prolonged boiling or adding an acid like wine, tomatoes, vinegar or lemon juice. Older milk will curdle easier.
You can prevent curdling generally by using fresh milk and bringing up to temperature for a sauce slowly. Don’t add an acid. And starches like flour are a great help in preventing curdling.
So in this recipe, make the roux. Add the milk and heat slowly to a light boil and whisk continuously until thickened.
I hope that helps.
Dan
Sara Miner
I have found if you use cake flour you won’t have the curdle problem! I like my scalloped potatoes without the cheese and I love cheese!
Renny2fast@yahoo.com
This was really good. Used half and half, 4 state cheddar cheese. Bought packaged diced ham. Will keep this one for sure. Thanks for the recipe.
TAmmy
CAn this be froze?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Yes, you can freeze this either before or after cooking. Should be good for 3-4 months frozen.
Dan
Sandra
Questions-can this be prepared ahead and refrigerated? I’m concerned about it Being warm, refrigerated and then heated again. I’d appreciate your opinion.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Sandra,
Welcome to the blog.
Yep. Make it up, Cover with foil and refrigerate. I would only do 2-3 days though. Some would say 4 days but I think that is a bit long.
Dan
VICKIE SOTO
I just made this. I used your recipe as a guide. So so happy with the way it turned out. Cooked mine completely on top of the stove, because of time ...then transferred to a baking dish. Slid it in the small oven to melt cheese snd to make it look nice like yours. Thank you so much for your kind help and directions.
Jan
I made this last night for dinner. It was my first time making a Bechamel sauce from scratch. It was wonderful! I did add some fresh garlic and a pinch of nutmeg, but it honestly didn’t need anything more! Will definitely make this again and I’m sure I’ll use the sauce in other recipes.
DrDan
Hi Jan,
Welcome to the blog.
This is one of our favorite comfort foods. I occasional will just buy ham to do this when we don't have leftovers.
Thanks for the note.
Dan
Mandy Roberts
This recipe is very close to the one I've used for years. The main difference is I ore-cook my potatoes. They boil for a few minutes while I make the Bechamel. Then I layer per the recipe, pop it in the oven without foil, and voila! It's done in 30-40 minutes!
DrDan
Hi Mandy,
Welcome to the blog.
I like the cooking of the potatoes ahead. It would eliminate the need for my prolonged cooking. Thanks for the tip.
And thanks for the note also.
Dan
Nancy
That would just make more work and more cleanup items.that would just make more work and more cleanup.
Syndee Mears
I like to microwave potatoes for a bit prior to slicing so they soften just enough to take less time to bake in the oven. Very excited to try this recipe tonight!
Barb B
I made this tonight. It was the best I have ever had. Thank you!
DrDan
Hi Barb,
Welcome to the blog.
Glad it worked for you so well and thanks for the note.
Dan
Lisa Andrews
These were by far the best scalloped potatoes I ever had! Will definitely make again.
Thank you for the recipe
DrDan
Hi Lisa,
Welcome to the blog.
The main difference is the cooking time which makes the potatoes more tender and helps all the flavors come together better.
Thanks for the note.
Dan
Karen
Made the scallop potatoes for dinner tonight. I was craving my mom's. She always made hers in an electric skillet but I never took the time to see how she prepared. This was very close to hers!!! I enjoyed it very much. I did not add cheese though,wanted it to be just the scalloped potatoes and ham. I will be looking into more of your recipes,always trying to find new ones!!
DrDan
Hi Karen,
Welcome to the blog.
Glad it worked well for you. I always say a recipe is just guidelines and meant to be modified to your needs.
Thanks for the note.
Dan