Creamy Scalloped Potatoes

Make delicious scalloped potatoes upgraded with bacon, chives, and Gruyere. Homemade is always better.

By
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.
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Updated November 09, 2023
Elise Bauer
Scalloped Potatoes
Elise Bauer

How to Make Scalloped Potatoes

There are many ways to make delicious homemade scalloped potatoes. For this version, I consulted several books—Kitchen Sense, two James Beards, and the Joy of Cooking. These are easy scalloped potatoes: basically you layer thinly sliced potatoes with any number of extras—cheese, onions, parsley—add milk or cream, and bake. The potatoes absorb the liquid as they cook, the cheese melts, the top gets browned, and voila - creamy scalloped potatoes.

A Tip for Perfectly Cooked Scalloped Potatoes

A quick tip for how to make scalloped potatoes: use a shallow casserole dish. The one I used here ended up stacking the potatoes a little too high and I had to add a half hour or so to the cooking time. What you don't want is for your scalloped potatoes to be be crispy browned on top and not-cooked-enough potatoes inside. If you need a faster cooking time, Joy of Cooking recommends parboiling the potatoes first for a few minutes.

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Creamy Scalloped Potatoes

Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 100 mins
Total Time 2 hrs
Servings 8 servings

You'll need 2 slices of cooked bacon for this recipe, so start the bacon cooking and then prep the other ingredients.

For a faster cooking time, you can first parboil the sliced potatoes for 8 minutes in boiling water, patting them dry, and then layer them in the casserole pan. Bake for roughly 20 minutes covered and 15 to 25 minutes uncovered, or until the potatoes are tender and the liquid is mostly absorbed. Total oven cooking time is 35 to 45 minutes.

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons butter

  • 2 pounds (about 4 medium sized) Russet potatoes, peeled, sliced 1/8-inch thick

  • 1 large yellow or white onion, thinly sliced

  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

  • 1 tablespoon fresh chives, chopped (optional)

  • 2 thick slices bacon, cooked and chopped

  • 2 1/2 cups grated Swiss or Gruyere cheese (about 8 ounces)

  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 ounces)

  • 2 1/2 cups to 3 cups half-and-half (half milk, half cream)

  • Salt and pepper

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F :

    Butter a large casserole dish with 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter.

    Simple Tip!

    If you use a casserole dish that is about 9x13 (bigger than the one shown) you'll have more surface area, more of the potatoes will brown, and the cooking time will be faster.

  2. Build the casserole:

    Layer the bottom of the casserole dish with a third of the potato slices. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Layer on half of the sliced onions and 1/2 cup of the Swiss cheese. Layer on half of the bacon, and half of the parsley and chives. Sprinkle with a little Parmesan.

    sliced potatoes in baking dish for scalloped potatoes
    Elise Bauer
    ingredients for homemade scalloped potatoes in dish
    Elise Bauer

    Repeat by layering on a third of the potato slices, sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Layer on the remaining sliced onions, 1/2 cup of the Swiss cheese, the remaining bacon, parsley and chives. Sprinkle with a little Parmesan.

    Top the casserole with the remaining potato slices, add the half and half, and dot the potatoes with the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter.

    homemade scalloped potatoes in dish ready to bake
    Elise Bauer
  3. Bake:

    Cover the casserole with aluminum foil and bake at 350°F in the oven for one hour. After an hour, remove from the oven, remove the foil, sprinkle on the remaining Swiss and Parmesan cheese.

    creamy scalloped potatoes ready to bake
    Elise Bauer
    easy homemade scalloped potatoes with cheese
    Elise Bauer
  4. Return to the oven for an additional 30 to 40 minutes:

    When done, the potatoes should be tender, but not mushy, and the liquid should be mostly absorbed.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
345 Calories
19g Fat
27g Carbs
17g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories 345
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 19g 24%
Saturated Fat 11g 55%
Cholesterol 59mg 20%
Sodium 592mg 26%
Total Carbohydrate 27g 10%
Dietary Fiber 3g 10%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 17g
Vitamin C 11mg 57%
Calcium 445mg 34%
Iron 1mg 8%
Potassium 715mg 15%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.