These Scalloped Potatoes and Ham are a classic Southern dish with only 10 minutes of prep!
These Scalloped Potatoes and Ham are a classic Southern dish with only 10 minutes of prep! The simple casserole is a great way to enjoy leftover ham (or store-bought diced ham) in a family-friendly easy dinner recipe.
I was born and raised in Virginia, which means that a classic Southern ham is a staple on our Easter table. Whether we’re enjoying a casual brunch with relatives or a more formal dinner later in the day, I can guarantee that ham will be involved. And you know what that means? Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes and Ham to follow!
What are Scalloped Potatoes?
Whenever I think of leftover ham, I immediately imagine my mom’s scalloped potatoes. Without fail, this was the dish that she prepared for us after Christmas and Easter to enjoy the remaining bits of the holiday meal.
This dish comes from the French “gratin,” which is a culinary technique in which an ingredient is topped with a browned crust, often using breadcrumbs, grated cheese, egg or butter. In North America, Potatoes gratiné is often referred to as scalloped potatoes, potatoes au gratin, or au gratin potatoes.
In short, the sliced potatoes are baked in a creamy, garlic-infused sauce and finished with cheese on top. We’re adding smoky, flavorful cooked ham to the classic dish for a more satisfying main dish casserole!
How to make Scalloped Potatoes and Ham:
I first discovered this technique for cooking the potatoes with the butter, milk and garlic on the stovetop from a Southern Living recipe. The potatoes are tender and infused with all of the great flavor before they even go into the baking dish — and it couldn’t be easier! Let’s get started…
Ingredients:
- Butter
- Whole milk or cream
- Garlic and salt
- Potatoes
- Cheddar cheese
- Cooked, diced ham
What are the best potatoes to use for Scalloped Potatoes?
I recommend using either Yukon Gold potatoes (shown here) or russet potatoes for this recipe. Russet potatoes have the most starch, and therefore yield the creamiest sauce. By contrast, Yukon Gold hold their shape the best, but the sauce will be slightly more milky.
First, cook the peeled, sliced potatoes in the butter, milk, garlic and salt until tender.
Stir in the ham, transfer to a baking dish, and sprinkle cheese over top.
Bake the potatoes in a 400 degree F oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the cheese on top is golden brown.
What to serve with Scalloped Potatoes and Ham:
While scalloped potatoes are often served as a side dish, the addition of ham makes them a perfect main dish casserole. Here are a few great sides that go well with the cheesy potatoes and ham:
- Southern Collard Greens
- Carrot Salad
- A simple green salad dressed in Buttermilk Dressing
- Roasted Broccoli
- Slow Cooker Southern Green Beans
- Roasted Asparagus
- Creamed Spinach
- Southern Fried Apples
- Three Bean Salad
Preparation and Storage Tips:
This is a great dish to prepare in advance. You can assemble the scalloped potatoes with ham a day or two in advance (but don’t bake), allow the potatoes to cool to room temperature, and then cover and refrigerate overnight. When ready to bake, allow the dish to sit on the counter at room temperature for about 30 minutes and then bake according to recipe instructions.
Leftover scalloped potatoes will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
To reheat scalloped potatoes, allow the dish to come to room temperature. Bake in a 325 degree F oven just until warmed through (about 20-30 minutes). You can cover the dish loosely with foil to prevent excessive browning, if necessary.
I do not recommend freezing the scalloped potatoes, since the texture of the potatoes will be mushy when thawed and the cream sauce may “break.”
Cook’s Tips and Recipe Variations:
- I like to use my hand-held mandolin slicer to quickly and easily cut the potatoes. A sharp knife will also work!
- You can use leftover baked 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.
- Pick your favorite cheese for this recipe. I use cheddar, but you can switch it up with Swiss, gruyere, gouda or mozzarella.
- Yukon Gold potatoes or russet potatoes work best for these scalloped potatoes.
- Make sure to use either whole milk or cream — not a lower fat milk. Lower fat milks have a tendency to curdle.
- This recipe is great because the potatoes will be tender after simmering in the pot — you don’t have to worry about hard potatoes in the oven!
- All of the ingredients in these scalloped potatoes are naturally gluten-free — just double-check the brands of ham, cheese, and butter that you’re using to make sure that there’s no sneaky gluten in there.
- These two pounds of scalloped potatoes with ham will serve about 4 people as a main dish. To feed a larger family, double all of the ingredients (for example, use 4 pounds of potatoes and a pound of ham, etc.) and bake the potatoes in a 9 x 13-inch dish.
More easy recipes that use leftover ham:
- Ham, Cheddar and Broccoli Quiche
- Ham, Brie and Apple Panini Sandwich
- Make Ahead Ham and Cheese Sliders
- Crock Pot Broccoli Cheese Soup with Ham
Scalloped Potatoes and Ham
These Scalloped Potatoes and Ham are a classic Southern dish with only 10 minutes of prep!
Ingredients
- ¼ cup (4 tablespoons) butter
- 2 cups whole milk or cream
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 lbs. Yukon Gold or russet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 cup (4 ounces) grated cheddar cheese
- 1 ½ cups (about 8 ounces) cooked, diced ham
- Garnish: fresh chopped chives, green onions, or parsley
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 400F (200C). Spray an 11 x 7-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
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In a large pot, melt butter over medium-high heat. Whisk in milk, garlic, and salt. Add sliced potatoes.
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Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook (uncovered) for about 15 minutes (or until potatoes are tender). Gently stir the potatoes periodically as they cook.
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Add the ham to the potato mixture.
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Spoon into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with grated cheese.
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Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Let stand for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes
Recipe adapted from Southern Living.
- I like to use my hand-held mandolin slicer to quickly and easily cut the potatoes. A sharp knife will also work!
- You can use leftover baked 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.
- Pick your favorite cheese for this recipe. I use cheddar, but you can switch it up with Swiss, gruyere, gouda or mozzarella.
- Yukon Gold potatoes or russet potatoes work best for these scalloped potatoes.
- Make sure to use either whole milk or cream -- not a lower fat milk. Lower fat milks have a tendency to curdle.
- All of the ingredients in these scalloped potatoes are naturally gluten-free -- just double-check the brands of ham, cheese, and butter that you're using to make sure that there's no sneaky gluten in there.
- These two pounds of scalloped potatoes with ham will serve about 4-6 people as a main dish. To feed a larger family, double all of the ingredients (for example, use 4 pounds of potatoes and a pound of ham, etc.) and bake the potatoes in a 9 x 13-inch dish.
This recipe was originally published in April, 2017. The photos were updated in February, 2020.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products or services from this website.
Now this is my kind of leftover casserole! I know that we’ll be taking home some leftover ham on Sunday, so this looks like such a great idea. Two classics piled into one is the best! What a perfect dish for the season!
Thanks so much, Gayle. You can’t beat the classics!
I had to add some onion, this is a keeper. Thanks
It is such a lovely recipe!
Thanks, Eva!
Love this recipe! It’s the perfect way to use leftover ham at Easter or even Christmas.
In my house we are big fans of scalloped potatoes. We can’t get enough of them and love eating them every chance we get. Leftover ham has traditionally been used in sandwiches or mixed in with scrambled eggs. I never thought of how perfect it would be to combined them!
I do have a few questions for you though, what would you suggest for those who have dairy aversions? Also have you ever added veggies to the mix?
I love the idea of using it in scrambled eggs, too! That’s not something that I usually think about, but it’s definitely delicious! Thanks so much for stopping by, Ariel!
To be honest, I don’t think that this recipe would lend itself well to a dairy-free version. There’s just too much cream and cheese to omit it. 🙂
Hi! I actually did a dairy free version with dairy free cheeses and cream/butter and it worked perfectly. Keep in mind that their is every possible option with vegan/dairy free diets as well. And a vegan ham! Your options with vegan dairy free foods are limitless.
Awesome! Thanks for letting us know, Katy! 🙂
Doing ham as well.Was our tradition in Wisconsin also.Tradition for scalloped potatoes and ham the day after also.????Live in Arizona now,So Am cooking the ham in the crockpot;and roasting potatoes and carrots in the grill.Going to be too hot to have the oven on here,lol.Thanks for a new spin on using those leftovers!Have a wonderful weekend!☺️
Hi, Teri! I’m glad to know that this was a tradition in Wisconsin as well! 🙂 And yes — I can imagine that if you live in AZ, your menu will have to change slightly to accommodate the heat! Have a great weekend!
these are my favorite casseroles. Just throw it all together and bake. NO WASTING> And it makes a great dinner for the week. Love how you think!
Thanks, Lindsay! I totally agree — I hate to waste food, so a casserole is always a good answer!
Yummmmm! What a delicious way to use up leftover ham! I love scalloped potatoes!
Thanks, Kristy! They’re such a classic! Hope you had a great Easter!
Why is the cheese divided?
Hi, David! Thanks for catching that mistake! The cheese is not divided. 🙂 I originally tried the recipe by adding half of the cheese in with the potatoes, but I found that I preferred it when I just put the cheese on top. I just forgot to update the ingredient list accordingly. It’s fixed now!
Is it 1/4 + 4 tablespoons of butter? Seems odd it is separated. Making this tonight? Thanks
Hey, Vicki! Sorry for that confusion! I recently updated my recipe box, which messed up some of the text on these older recipes. There should be parenthesis around the (4 tablespoon), just to show that 1/4 cup equals 4 T. It’s not PLUS, just the 1/4 cup. Hope that makes sense. I’ll go fix it right now to help clarify. 🙂
Perfect, thank you!
what a yummy way to eat up the leftover easter ham! will have to remember this for next year! thanks!
Thanks, Marti!
My family of five love casseroles like this! I have one question…is it ok to use russet potatoes? That’s all I have at the moment. Thank you! The pictures look great!
Hi, Roxie! I honestly don’t know! I think the russet potatoes would work fine, but I haven’t tested it myself. If you give it a shot, definitely let me know. 🙂
Was going to make this for tomorrows dinner, have you ever made it ahead of time and refrigerated before baking? I’m sure I will need to add like more bake time.
Hi, Lisa! I haven’t made this dish the day before, but I think it will work fine! You’ll definitely want to add a bit of time to the cooking time if you put it in the oven cold. You can also just let the dish sit out on the counter for 30-60 minutes before baking tomorrow if you have time. 🙂
OMG this was so good, one thing I did instead of baking it right away was put it in frig over night and had it the next day for dinner. We ate it as the main meal and could not stop eating it. almost 30 and it was done
That’s great, Lisa! Thanks so much for letting me know! I’m glad that it worked when you made it a day ahead. That’s a huge help for meal prep and busy weeknights! 🙂
OMG this was so good, one thing I did instead of baking it right away was put it in frig over night and had it the next day for dinner. We ate it as the main meal and could not stop eating it.
I just made this for my family. It was easy to make and came out wonderfully!
Awesome! I’m so glad that you enjoyed it, Sheri! 🙂 Thanks for letting me know!
I was reading the other comments. I used russet potatoes and it came out just fine. My 9 year old son liked it and ate it all…it’s that good!???????? Next time I make it, I plan to add some frozen peas when I add the ham.
Good to know. Thank you!
Had anyone made with a non dairy milk product?
Hi, Jen! I’m sorry, I haven’t tried it with anything other than regular dairy milk.
Hi i used red potatoes and less garlic it came out delicious! Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Hi! That’s great. Thanks so much for letting me know! 🙂
Thank you so much for this recipe. I made it last night and the Grandkids loved it as well as myself. I didn’t change anything about it. I can guarantee that this will be a traditional meal after Easter and Christmas . Happy Holidays to you and your family.
Awesome, Nancy! I’m so glad that you all enjoyed it! 🙂
I loved this so much, I’m making it again as we speak. I’m actually adding broccoli tonight for some veggies.
Wonderful! I’m so glad that it was a hit, Ann!
I made this tonight and it did not thicken…any suggestions on how to make it thicken next time?!? Other than it being really liquidy it was delicious. My husband loved it!
Hi, Alicia! I’m not sure. Did you leave it uncovered as it cooked in the pot and in the oven? And the potatoes were fully cooked? My only suggestion would be to let the potatoes cook a bit longer before transferring to the baking dish. I’m glad that the flavor was at least okay! 🙂
Was very excited to find your recipe, thanks so much for sharing. I have made something similar many times before but…….I have always sliced and layered the potatoes raw into a casserole and then baked for a very long time in the sauce in order to get them tender – your method is genius and a huge time saver! Thanks for sharing, my family is going to enjoy scalloped potatoes and ham much more often. P.S. I use my food processor to thick slice the potatoes, speeding up the process even further 🙂
That’s great, Dianne! I hope that your family enjoys this shortcut method! 🙂
Oh my goodness, this was delicious!! I am trying to come up with new things to cook & this has definitely made it into my go-to unique sides. I cook every night from scratch, I don’t like making anything out of a box. & I don’t like throwing food away, so this afternoon I googled recipes to use leftover ham & was lucky enough to stumble across this recipe. I will be making it for years to come, thank you!!
Yay! That’s great, Elizabeth! Thanks for letting me know! 🙂
Thanks for this! What a clever way to use up cooked leftover ham. It was delicious, I added some fried mushrooms to it!
Thanks, Lesley! The mushrooms sound like a great addition!
Thanks for recipe,it was very tasty but did not thicken. I saw in another comment about cooking with no lids and I made sure potatoes were very well done. Next time I’ll put in a little flour or use heavy cream,maybe whole milk was too thin? Joann
I also had trouble with it not thickening. I doubled the recipe and thought maybe that was why. Not sure. Taste was very good. Everyone loved it. Was thinking of trying cream next time or possibly as mentioned above a little flour. We had leftovers and it was slightly thicker the next day
I had lots of ham leftover from two Thanksgiving dinners my wife and I hosted, so I saw your leftover ham recipe and was so happy I tried it. Seeing how I like leftovers ,I doubled your recipe and also used fat-free evaporated milk with a little extra regular milk and it turned out very tasty. Thank you for your suggestion as I won’t stress over extra ham any more. Sincerely , Tom HrenoTim
Wonderful! Definitely no need to stress over left-over ham! I’m so glad that you found this recipe, Tom!
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!
Awesome! Thanks, Laura! So glad that the kids and husband approved! 🙂
I’m trying this recipe for the first time tonight. It smells great as it is baking right now.
I want to know if the recipe will work with ground beef in place of the ham (I did not read all of the previous comments so I don’t know if this has been asked already).
Andrew
Hi, Andrew! Yes, you should be able to use ground beef in lieu of the ham. You’ll need to brown the ground beef in a skillet first, drain off the fat, and use about 1 1/2 cups of the cooked ground beef in the potato recipe. Enjoy!
This is certainly a 5 star recipe! Thanks so much for posting it.
I followed directions completely and used 35% cream. I made this as a meal and added some peas. However, it didn’t thicken but was good as is. If I was making this with 35% cream again, I don’t think I would make this as a main meal again though. (I tried to rate this 5 star, however for some reason it won’t allow me to.)
Thank you so much, Jennifer! 🙂
I followed this recipe exactly and it failed miserably 🙁 The first problem was that there was no way all of that was going to fit in anything smaller than a 9×13 casserole dish. After taking out of the oven the potatoes were still hard. I’ve added more liquid and covered the dish with aluminum foil and have them back in the oven in hopes of salvaging them. Not sure what happened.
I followed the recipe exactly as written. The potatoes did not absorb the milk while boiling or while baking. This was a liquid mess. Not sure what went wrong. I used 2 lbs Yukon potatoes and whole milk. Disappointed.
Maybe you didnt slice the potatoes thin enough ?? Everytome I have cooked this its turned out great a
I also doubled the recipe but added a cup of cheese to the mixture to thicken it up. Also added pepper. Made it for my newphew since I can’t eat dairy. Looked and smelled wonderful. Such a quick recipe.
Thanks, Rolf!
It turned out very well and its good this was fast and easy
Thanks, Davita!
Excellent. My guests said they wanted me to make this every time I entertain. I used half and half and added onion, herbs, mustard and more cheese.
That’s wonderful to hear! Thanks, Dee!
I used half n half instead of regular milk
Added cooked broccoli & cauliflower I had left over from the night before. Then I added a cup of cheese to the mix and sprinkled on top & cooked on 450 for about 10min
It was delicious
Wonderful! Thanks so much, Charlene!
Looks really delicious. Can I freeze half either before or after baking, for future baking/reheating?
Hi, Susan! You can definitely freeze it, however, I don’t think that potatoes freeze particularly well. They tend to get a bit mushy when thawed, so just be aware that it probably won’t be as good the second time around! 🙂
5 stars.
Delicious!! Had leftovers for lunch and even better.
Didn’t change a thing. Sliced yukon potatoes thin and boiled in milk til tender so no issue with them not being done.
Very good and a keeper.
thx for sharing!
Thanks, Mo!
I needed to use leftover ham and this recipe was perfect. My kids loved it and I thought it was delicious too. We always love recipes with potatoes but this really surpassed our expectations. I added some onion and herbs just because we like the extra flavor but I didn’t go overboard with these extra ingredients, just a little bit and your recipe was delicious. Instead of using chives as a garnish I added fresh chives into the cooking. This is a keeper. I’ll be making it again soon. Maybe next time I’ll double the recipe because we all loved it so much (everyone wanted more!)
That’s awesome, Edwina! Thank you for taking the time to leave me a note. So glad that you all enjoyed it! 🙂