This cheesy scalloped potatoes and ham recipe is a classic Southern comfort dish that comes together with just 10 minutes of prep and a few pantry staples.
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For even more potato recipes, be sure to try great grandmother’s potato pancakes, these crispy seasoned potatoes, au gratin potatoes, hashbrown casserole, my grandmother’s easy potato salad recipe, and Aunt Bee’s easy potato casserole, too!
Made this tonight with leftover ham from Christmas dinner and it worked great. Kids loved it and husband was thrilled with it. Thanks for helping us get rid of some leftovers!
– Laura
I was born and raised in Virginia, which means that a classic Southern oven baked ham is a staple on our Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas tables. Whether we’re enjoying a casual brunch with relatives or a more formal dinner later in the day, I can guarantee that the smoky meat will be involved. And you know what that means? My mom’s leftover cheesy scalloped potatoes and ham to follow!
Scalloped Potatoes with Ham is an Easy Way to Use Up Leftovers
Whenever I think of leftover ham, I immediately imagine my mom’s old fashioned scalloped potatoes and ham. Without fail, this was the dish that she prepared for us after Christmas and Easter to enjoy the leftovers from the holiday meal.
You’ll love this easy recipe, which takes advantage of a shortcut that I learned from Southern Living magazine many years ago. Instead of making a roux with butter, flour, and heavy cream, the potatoes cook directly in the creamy sauce. The starches from the potatoes thicken the sauce, and the whole thing goes into the oven to finish. It’s simple, and works beautifully every time!
You’ll also love that the scalloped potatoes and ham come together with minimal, budget-friendly ingredients. With salty ham, plenty of cheese, and a rich, garlicky cream sauce, every bite of this delicious casserole packs a powerful punch. Offer it as an entree or as a side dish for classic comfort food that’s always welcome at the table!
Ingredient Notes and Tips for Success
- Use heavy cream for the best texture. It’s also less likely to curdle or separate when heated. Whole milk or half-and-half will work, but they may have a grainier, less decadent texture in the sauce.
- Yukon Gold potatoes or russet potatoes both work well in this recipe. Russet potatoes have the most starch, and therefore yield the creamiest sauce. By contrast, Yukon Gold (shown here) hold their shape the best and have a nice buttery texture, but the sauce will be slightly thinner.
- Slice the potatoes to about ⅛-inch thick, keeping them all uniform so that they cook in the same amount of time. A hand-held mandolin slicer makes this task very quick and easy, but a sharp knife will also work!
- Sharp cheddar cheese provides that rich, flavorful topping. We love the classic combination of a sharp cheddar paired with smoky ham, but you can substitute with just about any good melting cheese that you like. Try a combination of cheddar and Gruyere or Swiss, or sprinkle Parmesan or feta cheese on top.
- Use leftover baked ham (like this bourbon glazed ham) from a previous meal, or purchase a package of diced ham from the grocery store. I do not recommend using thinly sliced deli ham.
How to Make Scalloped Potatoes and Ham
I first discovered this technique for cooking the potatoes with the butter, cream, and garlic from a Southern Living recipe. The potato slices are tender and infused with all of the great flavor before they even go into the baking dish; the starches released by the potatoes help to thicken the sauce; and the cream reduces and thickens as it simmers. There’s no need to make a roux with flour or to carefully layer the potatoes in the dish. You’ll find detailed directions in the recipe card below, but here’s the overview:
- Cook the peeled, sliced potatoes in the butter, cream, garlic, and salt until tender.
- Stir in the ham. Give the sauce a taste, and adjust the seasonings accordingly. If your scalloped potatoes taste bland, you likely didn’t add enough salt to the cream sauce. The potatoes need quite a bit of salt to add depth of flavor and to enhance the taste of the other ingredients. The sauce is traditionally very simple; however, if you’re looking for a more of a flavorful punch, you can add cayenne or crushed red pepper flakes, or herbs such as chives, thyme, or parsley. Grated nutmeg is also a classic addition to cream sauce.
- Transfer to a baking dish, and sprinkle cheese over top.
- Bake the potatoes in a 400°F oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the cheese on top is golden brown. There should be a little bit of extra sauce in the pan (so that the potatoes aren’t dry) when they’re done baking, but the dish should not be watery. If you find that your sauce is too thin, it’s likely because you didn’t simmer the potatoes and sauce long enough on the stovetop, or you didn’t use potatoes with enough starch in them (we recommend gold potatoes or russet potatoes for that reason).
- Let stand for 5-10 minutes before serving, then garnish with fresh parsley, chives, fresh thyme, or other herbs, if desired.
Serving Suggestions
While scalloped potatoes are often served as a side dish alongside hearty options like Southern meatloaf or a roast chicken, the addition of protein from the ham makes them a perfect main dish casserole. Pair the cheesy scalloped potatoes and ham with sides like Aunt Bee’s 3-ingredient biscuit recipe or flaky biscuits, Southern collard greens, creamed peas, spinach casserole, green bean casserole with frozen green beans, corn sticks, old-fashioned applesauce, and the original 3 bean salad recipe.
Preparation and Storage Tips
- This scalloped potato recipe is a great dish to prepare ahead of time. You can assemble the casserole a day or two in advance (but don’t bake), and then cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and store in the fridge overnight. When ready to bake, allow the dish to sit on the counter at room temperature for about 30-60 minutes, and then bake according to recipe instructions.
- Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- To reheat the potatoes, allow the dish to come to room temperature. Bake in a 325°F oven just until warmed through (about 20-30 minutes). You can cover the dish loosely with foil to prevent excessive browning, if necessary.
- Do not freeze the scalloped potatoes, since the texture of the potatoes will be mushy when they thaw and the cream sauce may “break” or separate.
I loved this so much, I’m making it again as we speak. I’m actually adding broccoli tonight for some veggies.
– Ann
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Watch How to Make It
Scalloped Potatoes and Ham
Ingredients
- ¼ cup (4 tablespoons) salted butter
- 2 cups (1 pint) heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic (about 2 large cloves)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 lbs. Yukon Gold or russet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced to about ⅛-inch thick
- 1 cup (4 ounces) grated sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 ½ cups (about 8 ounces) cooked, diced ham
- Optional garnish: fresh chopped chives, green onions, or parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Grease an 11 x 7-inch baking dish; set aside. In a Dutch oven or other large heavy-bottomed pot, melt butter over medium-high heat. Whisk in cream, garlic, and salt. Add peeled, sliced potatoes.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer (uncovered) for about 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and the sauce thickens. Gently stir the potatoes periodically as they cook. Add the ham to the potato mixture.
- Transfer the potato mixture to the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with grated cheese.
- Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown on top. Let stand for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
More Popular Leftover Ham Recipes
Ham and Noodle Casserole
55 minutes mins
Dump-and-Bake Ham Tetrazzini
1 hour hr
Dump-and-Bake Ham and Rice Casserole
1 hour hr 5 minutes mins
For even more inspiration, check out this convenient collection of 15 recipes for leftover ham!
Originally published in April, 2017, this post was updated in April, 2025.
Very good!
Thanks, Marie!
Made this for dinner tonight and OMG so worth it! I think I used a little more garlic and ham than the recipe called for but it was so good. Used cheddar cheese and some black pepper with a pinch of cayenne. I would definitely make this again, thank you!
Thank you, Patti!
This was huge hit in my family and I loved the twist of simmering the potatoes in the milk! Super easy and quick for a last minute meal plan. I added a cup of frozen peas before I placed it in the oven and some Italian bread crumbs on top for a bit of crunch. We will definitely be making this again!!
Yum! We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Cindy!
Wow! Made this tonight…. added onion, 2X amount of ham and a bag of frozen peas .. one dish meal. A hit, will make again… maybe broccoli next time! Thanks!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Scott!
ALL I CAN SAY IS FABULOUS…..THESE SCALLOPED POTATOES AND HAM ARE AMAZING. I CAN’T WAIT TO MAKE THEM AGAIN AND AGAIN. THANK YOU FOR THIS WONDERFUL RECIPE,
SHARI
BUFFALO, MN.
Thank you so much, Shari! We’re so glad you enjoyed it!
One day when I was going to make this recipe I found that I had Idaho’s and Yukon Gold in equal amounts, each 1/2 of what I needed. The combination of the two types of potatoes, peeled and sliced on the mandolin, equally sized, was just perfect! The fluffy somewhat dry ones and the waxy other complimented the other ingredients and each other. Rave reviews every time. Thank you so much for reminding me how my mother made this 50 years ago. A recipe she found in the Ladies Home Journal. Before/ahead their time. Looking forward to exploring more of your recipes.
Great tips, Linda. Thank you!!
These are the best scalloed potatoes (casserole style) that I have ever had! YUM!
Thank you so much, Crystal!
This recipe was the best tasting and easiest scalloped potatoes i ever had! Thank you so much!
We’re so happy to hear this! Thank you for trying it out and taking the time to leave a review, Carol.
I made this tonight and it was absolutely delicious! I added onions but otherwise followed the recipe. I would definitely make this again and my family thought it was great! I absolutely love that there’s no flour in it and yet it has a nice creamy taste! I have tried other recipes but I will say this one is a winner! And it comes together so quickly!!
Thank you so much, Carrie! We’re glad you enjoyed it and appreciate you taking the time to leave feedback.
Delicious! Delish ! kudos to the chef! Easy and fast to make during Christmas holiday time since we are all so busy with tree trimmings and decorating, etc! Thank you. 5 stars!
Thank you so much, Anita! We’re so glad you enjoyed it and appreciate you taking the time to leave a review.
I haven’t made them as of yet, but would like to for tonites dinner.
My only question is, instead of slicing the potatoes, could I dice them, since the ham will be diced. That way, I think it would be easier to eat.
Thank you in advance
Hi, Cammie! Yes, I think that should work fine. You just might need to adjust the cooking time to make sure that the potatoes are tender before adding them to the dish. Hope you enjoy!
The dish came out great! It was so easy to scoop out, and eat! I cooked the taters in the Dutch oven til they were just about done. I closed off the gas, and let them sit for a bit. They were soft, and absorbed the liquid that was left. I had them in the oven for 15 mins, and took them out to rest. Hubby enjoyed it also. He said ” it’s a keeper!”
Just wondering, there is no flour to thicken the sauce when being made. Next time, I will add some, because I think it needed a bit to thicken. I used whole milk, and that’s why I think it needed it. Next time, I will tweak it! My regular scalloped tater recipe that I have been making forever has the roux. May use that one next time.
Thanks again for great recipes…
That’s great! I’m glad that it worked, even with that twist. Thanks for following up, Cammie!
Today is my 4th time making this. I work this afternoon so I prepared it early. Nothing like coming home and dinner is almost ready. I tweaked it a little. More diced ham, more garlic, a tad more salt and I added diced onions. All I have to do later is sprinkle the cheddar and pop in the oven. It’s a very delicious, well developed, easy recipe. I’m the envy of some friends who think I must have toiled for hours Thanks!
Thank you for such a kind review, Shelley! We’re so glad you’re continuing to enjoy the recipe and are able to make it work for you.
When I was growing up my mom made scalloped potatoes with these ingredients, minus the cheese that is slathered on EVERYTHING these days, but she mixed the potatoes, ham and onions together and put a thin layer on the bottom of a 9 x 9 pan (and she kept layering them), then sprinkled between the layers, the dry ingredients (flour, salt, pepper and a dash of nutmeg mixed in a separate bowl) we were scandinavian and we used nutmeg in just about everything! Sometimes Mom would switch the nutmeg with allspice berries ground in her mortar and pestle but we always knew the difference immediately, although that was a good flavoring, too. After the potatoes (mixture) and the dry ingredient mixtures were layered and sprinkled until gone, she would pour warmed milk mixed with cream (or even 1/2 and 1/2 if we had no raw cream on hand) down the edge of the pan almost to the top of the last layer of dry ingredients (always make the dry stuff the last layer) and be sure to divide it up so you have plenty or mix a large batch of dry ingredients before you start. Actually, the onions mixed with the potatoes and ham cubes/chunks are where the flavor comes from. The milk makes it really nice and creamy which you will notice when you dish it up. This was one of my family’s favorites when I had my own kids and copied a whole bunch of my Mom’s recipes from her “treasure box” before she died. I don’t even know who ended up with her original recipe box (wish I knew now) but I think it was one of my brother’s wives who wasn’t much at cooking and needed all the help she could get!
Mom made 5 or 6 pans of this because my twin brothers could eat 2 pans by themselves and they usually dragged about 4 of their friends home with them too boot! Nevertheless, she always used the smaller 9×9 pans because the potatoes would cook and soften faster.
Thank you for sharing! What a lovely memory from your childhood. We hope you enjoyed our recipe as well even if it wasn’t quite like your mom’s.
Why would you give a lower rating then proceed to talk about a completely different recipe? Rather self obsessed.