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These Easy, Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes are smothered in a creamy cheese sauce and baked to perfection. With a quick shortcut, this classic side dish takes less than an hour from start to finish. They are sure to be a hit at your holiday feast.
Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes are our favorite way to make potatoes. My cheesy potato recipe is a perfect side dish to pair with any meal, especially Easy Baked Glazed Ham and the best Turkey Recipe.
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Easy Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes Recipes
My grandma was known for her comfort food cooking. From authentic German Spaetzle and Hungarian Goulash to American classics like these Easy Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes, each recipe she cooked was her pride and joy.
In our family she was known for certain dishes, like her German Potato Salad and her Zucchini Bread, among others. She never had to follow a recipe – she knew each one like the back of her hand. Which of course leaves us trying to recreate the flavors she made. Thankfully we cooked with her enough that we are usually successful.
While they are technically au gratin potatoes, you’ll love this Scalloped Potatoes recipe no matter what you call it!
Ingredients
- Russet potatoes – The best kind of potatoes for a cheesy potato casserole are russets. They hold their shape the best.
- Butter, flour, and milk – For making a roux and then a bechamel sauce.
- Cheddar cheese – Since this is a cheesy potato recipe, the cheese is important! Make sure you are using fresh shredded off the block sharp cheddar cheese.
- Salt, pepper and paprika
How To Make Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes
I love this recipe because it’s super easy and tastes better than any cheesy potato casserole I’ve ever had. That could be due to the massive amounts of fresh Cheddar cheese in the rich, creamy sauce, but who knows?
- BOIL THE POTATOES. Most potato casserole recipes I’ve seen (au gratin or scalloped) use raw potatoes and bake the casserole for over an hour, up to an hour and a half or more! The potatoes take quite a while to cook so that lengthy time was necessary. We boil the potatoes whole and unpeeled for about 20-25 minutes, to cook them most of the way through. Then peel them when they are cool enough to handle and slice them with a paring knife.
- MAKE THE CHEESY SAUCE. Start with a roux (melted butter and flour, cooked until golden), add milk and simmer until thick. Stir in shredded cheddar cheese until it melts.
- LAYER AND BAKE. Layer the sliced potatoes and cheese sauce in a large casserole dish and top with more grated cheddar and some ground Hungarian paprika for color. I like to add fresh minced parsley as a finishing touch, but either of these garnishes can be left off. Bake as directed until the cheese is melted and bubbly and the cheesy potato casserole is hot throughout.
Recipe FAQs
The par-boiling of the potatoes ensures that the potatoes will be creamy and soft and cooked all the way through in under 30 minutes of baking time. Unevenly cooked potatoes is the most common complaint about casseroles that start with raw sliced potatoes.
Russet potatoes or Yukon Golds will work best for this recipe. Both will hold their shape well during cooking and will be easy to slice. I recommend peeling, especially if you’re using russets because the skin is tough, but if you’re using Yukons, leaving the peel on would be fine.
What is the Difference Between Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes and Au Gratin Potatoes?
Technically, scalloped potatoes are made with a creamy sauce, while au gratin potatoes are covered with cheese. However, since we kind of combine these two methods, I feel confident calling them Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes. Plus, that’s what Grandma always called them, and we don’t mess with Grandma!
This Easy Scalloped Potatoes recipe was a hit at my dinner party, and they’re sure to be a hit at yours. They are delicious with ham, turkey, or even as a fancy side for your favorite steak. They also pair well with a beautiful London Broil.
Make Ahead and Storage Instructions
If you’d like to prep this recipe a day ahead of time you can certainly do that. Layer the casserole as directed, cover tightly with plastic wrap or foil, and refrigerate overnight. Bake as directed.
These potatoes will last several days in an airtight container in the fridge. You can reheat a large portion in the oven at the same temperature until hot, or in the microwave for individual portions.
Keep in mind that any time you are baking a casserole straight out of the fridge, it may be necessary to add baking time. To avoid this, let the casserole sit out at room temperature for 20 minutes before baking.
How to Freeze
Freezing the cooked casserole: Cool the potatoes completely and place in an airtight container. You could also freeze them in the pan, then pop them out and wrap them in foil. This applies to a full pan or leftovers. To reheat, thaw in a pan in the fridge overnight. Place into the baking dish and cover with foil to keep them from drying out. Bake as the recipe directs.
Freeze without baking: Prep the entire recipe right up to the baking, but instead cover tightly with plastic wrap and foil and place the whole potato casserole into the freezer for up to 3 months. To bake, thaw in the fridge for 24 hours, then bake as directed.
More Potato Recipes
- Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
- Garlic & Herb Butter Baby Potatoes
- Twice Baked Potatoes
- Perfect Baked Potatoes
- Roasted Red Potatoes
More Side Dishes
- Slow Cooker Creamy Corn
- Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes
- Parmesan Rosemary Rolls
- Sour Cream Salad
- Creamy Scalloped Corn Casserole
Easy Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes
Ingredients
- 2 pounds russet potatoes
- ¼ cup butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups nonfat milk or half & half
- Salt & pepper
- 2 1/2 cups freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese, divided
- Paprika for garnish
- Fresh chopped chives or parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degree F and grease a 13″x9″ baking pan with cooking spray.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Scrub potatoes and place them, whole, into the boiling water for 20-25 minutes. They don't need to be fully cooked, but should be easily pierced with a sharp knife. Remove from the water and let sit until cool enough to handle.
- Meanwhile, make the cheese sauce. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook, whisking constantly, until flour is golden brown; about 2 minutes. Stir in milk and cook, stirring often, until thickened; about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in shredded cheese. Season with salt and pepper.
- Gently peel potatoes and slice into ⅛ inch rounds.
- Place ⅓ of the potatoes overlapping in a single layer in the baking dish, seasoning with salt and pepper. Spoon about ⅓ of the cheese sauce on top of the potatoes. Repeat for two more layers. Pour all of the remaining cheese sauce over the top layer of potatoes. Spread to ensure all of the potatoes are covered.
- Sprinkle with ½ cup shredded cheddar (if desired) and paprika (about ⅛ teaspoon, just for color).
- Bake in the 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes, or until sauce is bubbly.
- Garnish with fresh chopped chives or parsley, if desired. Serve immediately.
I am cooking lunch for 300 scouts and want to do cheese potatoes. I am a good cook, often cook for large groups but certainly not a chef. I was thinking because the potatoes are partially cooked I could fix them up the day before and bake them the next day with out any discoloring of the potatoes. They will be in large foil catering type pans.
How did they turn out being made the night before? Did they discolor?
No they won’t discolor.
I am trying Your GramMa’s Easy Chessy Scalloped Potatoe stonight.
You will have to wait to get a rating after I get one from My Sister & Bruhlaw, She had some surgery and he wanted some scalloped potatoes and baked chicken wings. Yours looked so scrumptious, I just might have to try 1 spoonful, that wont miss it… lol. You wouldn’t just happen to have a baked chic wing recipe somewhere or do You?
I sure do! https://www.yellowblissroad.com/crispy-baked-chicken-wings/
Good luck, I hope they like it!
I added grated garlic to the butter for the roux. Tastes great! Have you ever frozen them for baking later?
I have, and they come out just ok. But they are much better fresh.
Great recipe, but for the record, “Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes” = “Potatoes Au Gratin” 😉
?Yes, this is true…but this is always what my grandma called them, and we don’t mess with grandma!
This was also my first time making au gratin potatoes. I loved the creaminess of the cheese sauce. I added real bacon bits. My husband went for third helpings. Very easy and now a part of my cooking arsenal!
Yum, bacon sounds amazing!!
First time making Au Gratin potatoes, this is such an easy great recipe. I used a mandolin, that helped too. Will be making this again for sure!
Thank you Melissa!
Making this for a neighbor recovering from surgery. Looks great and the pre cooking of the potatoes is a great idea.
Thank you Marilyn!
Thank you for writing this. It is really helpful for my cooking career. I am actually in search for a dish that would best represent my love for cheese. This recipe would be one, I guess. But first, I have to make sure I know how to cook it.
Thank you Donna!
My mom always used to make cheese potatoes with ham. She didn’t use a recipe, but I need one. The first recipe I found included Velveeta—bleah! That wasn’t it. Luckily, this one came up next. I remember asking my mom years ago how to make cheese potatoes; she said “First you make a roux…” Never mind. If a recipe contained an unfamiliar French word, I bailed. Turns out the roux—the entire recipe—is pretty easy and doesn’t take long. These ARE Mom’s cheese potatoes! Thank you!!!
Thanks for sharing your experience Eileen!
I can’t wait to make these tomorrow! Fingers crossed that they’re as good as they sound!
They were easy to make. I did though peel and slice them up and only had to cook them about 3.5 minutes in boiling water and then rinse them off in cold water to stop the cooking process. Any nutritional value?
I am making these for a large group. Have you ever assembled them the night before and cooked them the next day?
Refrigerating will cause the cheese sauce to thicken more, so I wouldn’t recommend it. You could let it sit on the counter for an hour or so before baking, if that helps.
These potatoes were delicious. Everyone raved about this dish. I did add a little extra cheese to the cheese sauce.
Thank you Linda!
Thank you Kristan. I’ve been looking for a recipe like I remember from helping my Mom in the kitchen. My mom put two bay leaves in the sauce.
Thank you Michael!
Great recipe – I just made these for Christmas dinner and everyone loved them!
Very yummy.
I made these and they are delish. Grandmas really know how to cook and thank God they taught us thing or two. This recipe even satisfied my persnickety fiance, so kudos to your grandma. Will definitely make this recipe often.
I completely agree! Merry Christmas Jody!
These are Potatoes Au Gratin. Scalloped potatoes do not have cheese in them. It’s frustrating finding so many people who don’t know the difference. If I was looking for a recipe for potatoes au gratin, I’d try this but my stepson can’t have cheese.
I do know the difference, and that’s why they are titled “CHEESY Scalloped Potatoes.” It’s what my grandma, who gave us her recipe, called them, so that’s what we call them. If you’re not looking for cheesy, you probably wouldn’t want to click on this recipe.
I wondered if you could layer in a crock pot for an hour?
I haven’t tried this, but I don’t think it would work quite the same.
Hi! Can I make these up the day before – (but not bake them)and refrigerate then bake when I’m ready to?