These Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes with Ham are the ultimate comfort food! Thinly sliced potatoes are paired with a creamy cheddar and gouda sauce and chunks of smoked ham!
There are some foods that are just the epitome of comfort food. I find a big casserole dish of potatoes and cheese to be just that, especially when adding pieces of juicy ham! This is always the first dish I make after harvesting my winter potatoes and fall garlic.
These Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes and Ham are one of my families favorite dishes. We often have this dish on holidays because you can do most of the work ahead of time. It is especially a favorite for Easter. I hope your family enjoys it as much as we do!
Ingredients for Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes and Ham
As always, this is a quick overview of the ingredients you will need. You will find the full recipe and instructions below, just keep scrolling.
- Potatoes: I use Yukon Gold, Idaho or Russet potatoes, the key is to very thinly slice them. I use a madoline slicer to make them perfectly uniform. You can use homegrown or store-bought.
- Butter
- Shallot or Onion
- Garlic
- Milk and Heavy cream: using both gives the best creamy texture.
- Cheddar and Gouda: I love the combination, it gives an amazing depth of flavor, but if you only want to use one you can.
- Ham: chopped smoked ham or “Sunday” ham works perfectly. This is a great way to use up leftovers.
How thinly do you slice potatoes for the perfect scalloped potatoes?
The key step for perfect scalloped potatoes is uniformly sliced potatoes. If your dish consists of some thin and some thick slices you will have a very hard time getting the right consistency, as the cooking time will be off.
Ideally keep the scalloped potato slices no thicker than 1/4 – inch. Using a mandoline slicer makes this much easier and quicker.
How to make Scalloped Potatoes and Ham
While the oven is preheating, make your cheesy sauce in a deep skillet or sauce pan. Melt the butter, then sauté shallot and garlic until fragrant. Stir in milk, heavy cream, shredded cheddar, gouda, salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a simmer (stirring occasionally) until it has thickened into a beautiful, smooth sauce.
In a greased baking dish, layer half the thinly sliced potatoes and top with half of the chopped ham and half of the cheese mixture. Layer the rest of the potatoes, ham, and cheese sauce in the dish and top with shredded cheese.
Bake until potatoes are cooked through and fork-tender. Allow the dish to rest at least 10 minutes so that the sauce can thicken.
How do you make Scalloped Potatoes with no roux?
Some scalloped potatoes require a roux of butter, milk and flour to create the cream sauce. I find that unnecessary. You can keep this dish gluten free by making a cream sauce with butter, scallion, garlic, milk, heavy cream and cheese. It is perfectly rich and thick; you will never miss the flour.
How long do you cook scalloped potatoes and ham?
I cook this dish for 20-25 minutes. If you slice your potatoes thicker, you may need to cook it longer. To tell if it’s ready, just check to see if the potatoes are fork tender. After cooking, you do want to allow 10 minutes for the casserole to rest–This helps the sauce thicken to the perfect texture.
If your scalloped potatoes begin to brown too much on top, lightly cover with a piece of foil.
Can you make scalloped potatoes ahead of time?
Absolutely! That is what makes this such a great holiday dish. Because potatoes can release moisture that would result in a soggy dish I do not recommend preparing this dish in advance and baking it the day of. Instead, you want to go ahead and prepare and bake this dish fully.
Because it reheats so beautifully it will not compromise the integrity of the dish. Simply bake according to instructions, allow it to cool completely and cover tightly with foil. Store in the fridge up to 3 days. When ready to serve bake the covered casserole at 325 degrees F for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake an additional 5-10 minutes until warmed through.
What to Serve with Scalloped Potatoes and Ham
I love that this dish can be served as a main course or a side dish! If serving this as a main course, I like to pair this with a crispy green veggie like these Perfect Roasted Brussels Sprouts or Air Fryer Broccoli. Green beans would add a great texture, either with crunchy almonds in these Garlic Butter Green Beans or packaged in delicious bundles like these Grilled Bacon Wrapped Green Beans.
If you’re serving these scalloped potatoes and ham as a side dish, you can pair it with a simple but delicious meat. This Grilled Pork Tenderloin is incredibly juicy, and this Blackened Chicken would add a great flavorful punch! Other favorites would be these Air Fryer Cheeseburgers, these Thick-Cut Pork Chops, and an Instant Pot Whole Chicken.
Other Potato Recipes
- Sweet Potato Cornbread Muffins
- Easy Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
- Spinach Artichoke Potato Skins
- The Best Potato Soup
- Air Fryer Baby Potatoes
Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes with Ham
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 pounds potatoes peeled and very thinly sliced
- 1 1/2 cups smoked ham chopped
For the Cheese Sauce
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 shallot or 1/2 cup onion chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded gouda cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Topping
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray an 11 x 7-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a deep skillet or sauce pan combine the butter over medium heat, add the shallot and garlic and sauté until fragarant. Stir in the milk, heavy cream, shredded cheddar, gouda, salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring occasionally. When the mixture has thickened remove from the heat and set aside.
- Layer half the thinly sliced potatoes in the casserole dish, top with chopped ham and half of the cheese mixture.
- Layer the rest of the potatoes, ham and cheese sauce in the casserole dish.
- Top with shredded cheddar cheese and bake 20-25 minutes until the potatoes are cooked through (check with a fork)
- Allow the dish to rest at least 10 minutes before serving.
[…] Cheddar Bites are always a huge hit on our house. Of course, you can always have more carbs! These Scalloped Potatoes with Ham will be gone in […]