Scalloped Potatoes and Ham are a classic old-fashioned comfort food with creamy sauce, melted cheese, and slices of tender ham and potatoes—perfect for leftover ham.
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Homemade from scratch, this is our favorite comfort food. The whole family will love this easy recipe.
😊Why you will love this recipe
- Scalloped potatoes and ham are the perfect comfort food, with tender potatoes with delicious ham in a cheesy sauce.
- The perfect way to use leftover ham from Easter or other holidays.
- Much easier to make from scratch than you would think using common ingredients with the easy step-by-step photo instructions.
- It can be made ahead and refrigerated.
- Make a half recipe if you want, but most people will have two servings, and the leftovers are wonderful.
The inspiration recipe is a Pioneer Woman recipe on Food Network but highly modified by my old memories. Some of the changes are simplifying the instructions, decreasing the fat, and, most importantly, changing the cooking time for the perfect texture.
🥔Ingredients
- Potatoes—usually Russet, but Yukon Gold potatoes are most commonly used. Russet potatoes have thick skin, so they must be peeled.
- Ham—bite-sized, trimmed, and sliced.
- Cheese—mild cheddar cheese, but Monterey Jack or Gruyere is also commonly used.
- White Sauce—butter, onion, milk, AP flour, salt, and black pepper
👨🍳How to Make Scalloped Potatoes and Ham
- Peel and slice potatoes ⅜ inch thick. Chop the onion and ham.
- In a saucepan, cook the onion in butter until clearing—about 4-5 minutes. Season and add flour to make a roux and brown the roux.
- Add milk, salt, and pepper to the roux and whisk until thickened.
- Make the casserole in a prepared pan with three layers containing potato slices, ham, shredded cheese, and sauce. Use double cheese to top the final layer.
- Cover with foil and bake for 90 minutes. Uncover and bake until golden brown—20 to 25 minutes.
- Rest for at least 10 minutes to set up before serving.
How long to cook scalloped potatoes and ham
It takes about 2 hours to get potatoes "fork tender" with no firmness to the potatoes.
Most reference recipes suggest total cooking times of 60-70 minutes. While it is "done," the potatoes still have some firmness. Feel free to cook for the original recommended 40 minutes covered and 25 minutes uncovered if you want firmer potatoes.
✔️Tips
- 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, 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.
- This recipe is for raw potatoes, not frozen potatoes which will have an inferior texture. It is worth the little work it peel and slice.
- Russet potatoes are usually used and should be peeled. Thinner-skinned potatoes like Yukon Gold may be used and don't need to be peeled. All potatoes will cook about the same.
- This recipe needs about 1 ½ to 2 pounds of sliced potatoes. A medium Russet potato is 6-8 oz.
- Slice the potatoes about ⅜ inch thick but no thinner than ¼ inch thick. Use a mandolin if you have one, and please follow the manufactures safety instructions to prevent an unscheduled trip to the emergency room.
- The white sauce is a classic roux recipe and is easy to make with the instructions. For more details on making a roux, see How to Make Gravy from Scratch—Quick & Easy.
- Do not skip letting the casserole rest for 10 minutes, which allows the sauce to set up and not be runny.
⬇️How to make this a "for two" friendly recipe
This recipe is easy to cut in half, from 8 to 4 servings, but the work doesn't decrease much.
- Use a 6X9 or 8X8 pan for a half recipe.
- Adjust the number of servings in the recipe card 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 you must follow the quantities in the ingredients and not the instructions.
- Cooking time will be slightly shorter, so check a bit early for fork tender.
❓FAQs
Assemble completely and seal airtight. Refrigerate for 2-3 days. Freezing uncooked may change the texture. So fully cook and cool before freezing for 1-2 months.
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 Potatoes, Au Gratin potatoes, or Scalloped Au Gratin potatoes.
For short-term storage of leftovers, seal well and refrigerate for 3-4 days. For longer-term storage, freeze for 1-2 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 of 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 of shredded cheese, and ⅓ of the sauce. Repeat two more times, but with the top layer, add the cheese last and double to a full cup.
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—do not skip this step.
Recipe
Old Fashioned Scalloped Potatoes and Ham
Ingredients
- 4 russet potatoes—medium - peeled and sliced thin.
- 1 onion - small chipped
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 4 tablespoons 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 of 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 of shredded cheese, and ⅓ of the sauce. Repeat two more times, but with the top layer, add the cheese last and double to a full cup.
- 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—do not skip this step.
Your Own Private Notes
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips:
- Easy to cut in half. See the instructions in the post.
- 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 mild cheddar or Monterey Jack.
- The cooking time is longer than some other recipes. Discussed in the post.
- 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 3-4 days and can be frozen for 1-2 months.
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.
Shelli
Holy crap! This recipe is delicious. I followed exactly and wouldn’t change a thing. Just like my mom used to make only better.
Helene
I have never made scalloped [au gratin] potatoes before and then came upon this recipe and used this as a starter. Things I changed: I cut the recipe in half for 4 servings (used 2 nice sized russet potatoes sliced using the food processor). Once the milk was incorporated with the onions and flour, I put in about 10 shakes of Worcestershire sauce and then I melted the cheese in the milk (instead of layering it). It was a little thick so I added a little less than a 1/4 cup chicken broth. I cooked the entire casserole for about 1-3/4 hours. We ate half the casserole the first night and then froze the second half. FREEZING/RECONSTITUTING: Once the leftovers were cooled, I put on a small plate covered with plastic wrap and put in freezer. When frozen, I vacuum sealed. We used the frozen leftovers tonight and THEY WERE GREAT. I took the frozen leftovers out in the morning, removed them from pouch and put on a plate covered with plastic wrap. To prepare, I sprayed 2 ramakins with PAM and filled with the thawed potatoes. I covered with foil and poked holes at top to let the steam escape. I baked at 350 for 30 minutes, removed foil and baked another 20 minutes. I sprinkled with cheese and put back in oven for another 5 minutes. I removed the ramakins and set on plates. Next time I will turn them out of the ramakins after they set out for a few minutes as they were still hot when we were eating 15 minutes later but they were excellent.
Joni Gonzales
I would love to make this recipe next week to take to my son and daughter-in-law when they have their second baby. Is there a way I can precook it partially so it still tastes freshly cooked but won't take them the full 2 hours of cooking time?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Joni,
Welcome to the blog.
The short answer is not that I know of that has been tested.
As I stated, most recipes and the model recipe for this recipe cooks for about 1 hour or a bit more. We prefer 2 hours for texture.
I would think cooking for an hour like the original recipe that that is linked in the post. Then cool and cover. Then to finish later (within 4 days). Cook again for an hour with uncovering for the last 10 minutes or so.
Mind you, this is a guess but my guesses are usually fairly good. I cooked this for many years using an hour or a bit more cooking time. It was always better when reheated for a "long time" which all lead to me experimenting and coming up with the current time suggests.
Hope that helps and please post back your results.
Dan
Karen
Dr. Dan,
I made this recipe yesterday. Delicious! I am gluten free and lactose free so I made the following changes to accommodate that. I used Earth Balance dairy free buttery sticks, Bobs Red Mill 1 to 1 baking flour, lactose free milk, and Cabots lactose free extra sharp cheddar cheese. I also added 1/4 teaspoon paprika (something we like). As mentioned above, turned out delicious!! Thanks so much for a recipe easily changed to accommodate food sensitivities.
Karen
Allyson
I plan on freezing this. Can I freeze it before baking? Or should I bake it first before freezing?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Allyson,
Welcome to the blog.
Either will be fine. Be sure to thaw before cooking or reheating.
Dan
Jena
Excellent recipe!! Family loved it and it reminded me of the scalloped potatoes we had when I was younger!!
ed c
can i put this together a few hours before it go;s into oven thanks
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Ed,
Welcome to the blog.
You can make up ahead and refrigerate for a few days covered or even freeze or 3-4 months before cooking.
Dan
Christine
Delicious! Just made tonight. Only change was I halved it (only two of us) and I only had Marble Jack cheese. Otherwise followed exactly. Thank you for this recipe. It’s being saved to my TRIED AND TRUE board!
Pam Rode
I loved this recipe. I did mix milk and heavy cream to make a bit richer. My son in law does not like ham so a quarter of the pan I left out the ham. This is what my mom did when she made fudge, I disliked nuts so she would split recipe and leave nuts out of mine. Yes my son in law is spoiled., but I love as my own.
Bonnie
How much is one serving for this recipe?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
About 1 1/2 cups. It varies a bit with size of potatoes and dice size of ham.
Peggy
I am making this recipe now can’t wait to see how good it is thank you for your recipe
Katherine Kelley
Making this now. Wanted to make your slow cooker version but it was too late in the day, so hoping to make that next time. Thank you for this site, have made quite a few of your recipes over the past few years. My new mandolin was given away as I came close to slicing off the top of a finger 1st time I used it, so will just slice the potatoes with a knife & extend cooking time if they're thicker.
Katherine Kelley
After tasting the sauce (it was great!) I thought I'd add a little ZING to it with several shakes of powdered ground mustard (maybe a teaspoon or so?). Wow!!! Next time will try a little dijon mustard. Recipe would have been fantastic without the mustard, but the add took it to 8 stars. Will make this again very soon!
Casey
This recipe was fantastic!
I added 1 bag (6oz) of crispy onions to it halfway through baking. Absolutely delicious! And easy!
Mindy
Can you make this in a crockpot? It’s sounds delicious
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Mindy,
Welcome to the blog.
While I have never done this particular recipe in a crock pot, you should be able to similar to https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/crock-pot-scalloped-potatoes/
Dan
Chelsee Lipiski
Question, I am looking to make a bunch of freeze ahead casseroles. Can I freeze this casserole before I bake it?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Chelsee,
Welcome to the blog.
This should freeze well for 3-4 months.
Dan
Dawn
I am making this right now & my sauce won’t thicken any suggestions?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Dawn,
Welcome to the blog. You caught me online.
I made this yesterday again. A medium boil and continuous mixing after everything is combined for 3-5 minutes does it as long as you have everything right. The sauce is not all that thick, it combines with the cheese in the casserole as it bakes.
Dan
Linda L
Your website is just what I was looking for, since I'm cooking for one and love to have leftovers. This recipe will be the first that I will make. Believe that I will add asparagus to the casserole. Thanks for taking the time to do this.
Kathy
Linda, great idea. Did you try this yet? If so did you put the asparagus in raw or blanched?
MF Kean
Well, they are layered, so maybe the thickness won't be such a factor, and they are cooking in sauce with he moisture in the potato so they should be OK. I'll stick my Thermapen in it after a while.
Thanks much for the prompt reply!
MF Kean
Dan, I cut this recipe in half, and my mandoline cut the potatoes more like 1/16 than 1/8". Will this affect cooking time?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Cooking time is more a function of the thickness. Assuming a smaller pan, I would say it is never bad to check early so do a "fork tender" check about 75% in but you will probably need most of the time. Also, potatoes are done at 200 degrees or a bit more.
Dan