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.
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 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!
Very Good.
I diced my potatoes instead of slicing, used 1&1/2 cup half n half and 1& 1/2 cup of whole milk and topped it with crushed corn bread stuffing before baking.
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 was looking for an easy recipe for leftover Thanksgiving ham. This is the one I made. It’s so easy to make and is delicious. I also used half and half and it came out perfect. Thank you for your website.
That’s wonderful, Dee! Thanks for taking the time to let me know. Hope you had a great Thanksgiving!
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! 🙂
Hi, Brenda! Yes, I transfer most of the liquid to the dish along with the potatoes and ham. You might leave some of it in the pot, but in general I do use all of it. 🙂
I loved how simple and easy this recipe is, and great for a beginner cook as well. I always use the recipe as written the first time and the next time around is to make adjustment and additions. However, I think this is perfect just the way it is. Thank you for sharing your fabulous recipe with me! This will be one I’ll always return to
Thank you so much, Tina!
I added 1/3 C flour to the butter before I put in the milk to make it thicker. I also layered the potatoes and ham and added cheese and repeated again and used 2 cups of cheese. I also added a little onion. We loved it I will always use this recipe. It is so yummy.
Your version sounds perfect, Mary Kay! Thanks for sharing your tips, and I’m so glad that you enjoy the dish!
Used leftover New Year’s ham for this and followed the recipe as is, minus the salt. I hadn’t had scalloped potatoes for twenty years, but this sounded good. They came out perfect! Thanks, Blair!
Awesome! So glad to hear that, Nick. Happy New Year! 🙂
just made this for my son, niece and nephew looks delish
Awesome! Hope you all enjoyed it, Heidi! 🙂
These scalloped potatoes are amazing! I won’t ever need another recipe again.
Yay! I’m so glad to hear that, Kara! 🙂
Best I’ve ever had. I used red potatoes and left the skins on and used a whole head of garlic and more ham obviously……I made it last week and I’m already making it again
That’s awesome, Andy! Thank you so much!
I made this last night and cut the recipe by a 1/3. It was so simple to make and tasted like I had worked all day in the kitchen. Everyone really liked it and it will now go into my rotation of meals for the month. The only thing I did different because I didn’t want an extra frying pan to wash was to cook it an extra hour in the oven and I added about a tablespoon of flour to the cream sauce to help it thicken a bit. It was really good. Definitely a keeper and thank you for sharing.
Sounds perfect, Leanne. Thank you!
Could this recipe be done in a crock pot?
Hi, Michelle! I suppose you could use the slow cooker to warm the dish through, but you will not get the browning on top without the oven. The lid of the slow cooker will also add liquid to the dish, since it traps the condensation in the pot (rather than baking the dish uncovered).
we had this for supper tonight with leftover ham and let me tell you, it was delicious and it “waited” on us while my husband mowed the grass, thanks for sharing
I’m so glad to hear that, Lynda. Thank you! Grass-mowing season is definitely in full effect around here, too! 🙂
This recipe is fabulous! Tasty, creamy, warm and filling. A wonderful meal with a side salad. I just sent the recipe to my kids and family.
I added 6 Spring Onions cut in 1” pieces and a pinch of cayenne pepper. My wife and I decided we’ll remove the ham and serve it with beef roast for Christmas. Simmering the potatoes in the cream and doing away with the traditional flour roux is brilliant! 🙂
I’m so glad to hear that! Thank you, Dave!
I make these every year. This is a tried and true recipe for my family. It’s perfect as is, you don’t need to change anything.
Awesome, Kami. Thank you!