This recipe for scalloped ham and potatoes is made with layers of tender potatoes, cubed ham, and creamy, cheesy sauce to create the most delicious version of cheesy scalloped potatoes.
Pair Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes and Ham with Roasted Asparagus and a Strawberry Spinach Salad for a meal worthy of Easter Dinner, but easy enough for any night of the week!
Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes and Ham is a perfect way to change up classic scalloped potatoes into a dish that is worthy of being the star of dinner or a memorable side dish.
Tender potatoes and salty ham are married together perfectly with a homemade creamy, cheesy sauce, making the most delicious Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes that are hearty, substantial, and oh-so cheesy!
Whether you serve these Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes with Ham as a side dish or use it to transform your leftover holiday ham into a new and delicious family meal, these cheesy scalloped potatoes will quickly become a family-favorite recipe.
Notes on Ingredients
- Ham: This recipe for scalloped potatoes with ham is a great time to use up leftover baked ham or Instant Pot Ham. If you do not have leftover ham, use store-bought cubed ham, ham steak, or a thick cut of deli ham.
- Potatoes: Use either Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, as they both have just the right amount of starch to give these scalloped potatoes a creamy, rich finish.
- Cheese: Sharp cheddar is best for the cheese sauce, as it really gives the sauce a pronounced cheese flavor. An important tip is to grate the cheese yourself. Pre-shredded cheese is often coated in anti-caking agents and will not melt as uniformly into your sauce. It is worth the extra few minutes it takes to grate the cheese yourself.
- Cream/Milk: For rich creamy scalloped potatoes whole milk, half and half, or a combination of milk and cream is best. That said, I have used skim and 2% milk with success, but the dish was not as rich or creamy.
How to Make Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes and Ham
Step One: Prepare Potatoes and Ham
- Scrub the potatoes well and peel them if desired.
- For the potatoes to cook evenly, you want to slice them into ⅛-inch thick slices. I recommend using a mandoline to thinly slice the potatoes to make your job easier, but of course, a sharp knife will work as well.
- Dice the ham into small bite-size chunks.
Step Two: Make Cheese Sauce
Do not be intimidated by the thought of making a homemade cheese sauce--it is really much easier than it may sound.
- Melt the butter in a large stock pan over medium heat.
- Whisk in the flour to form a thick paste, AKA a roux. Let the roux cook for 1 minute, whisking constantly, to remove the raw flour taste from the sauce.
- Slowly add the milk, along with the seasonings whisking to incorporate.
- Simmer the sauce over medium heat, whisking continuously, until the mixture is bubbly and begins to thicken.
- Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the cheese, stirring until the cheese is melted.
Step Three: Assemble
- Layer half the potatoes into a buttered casserole dish. Sprinkle the potatoes evenly with half the ham. Pour half of the cheese sauce over the potatoes and ham and use your hands or a spoon to gently push down the potatoes and ham into the sauce. Repeat the layers.
- For extra cheesy flavor, top with additional shredded cheese.
Step Four: Bake
- Cover tightly with foil and bake for one hour. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 25-35 minutes or until the potatoes are fork-tender and the sauce is bubbly.
Serving Suggestions
Obviously, this recipe for Scalloped Ham and potatoes is a great recipe to make with leftover ham. But it also is a favorite side at a holiday meal when served with Baked Glazed Ham, Roasted Carrots, and a Holiday Salad.
Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes with Ham also shouldn't be reserved for simply the holidays or leftovers! Pair with a side of Green Beans Almondine or Roasted Broccoli for a family-favorite weeknight meal.
Recipe FAQs
Because the potatoes are so thinly sliced, I do not find it necessary to parboil the potatoes before baking the scalloped potatoes. The potatoes will become fork-tender, yet retain their shape and texture. Plus the potatoes will not become waterlogged and instead absorb the delicious flavor of the cheese sauce.
No! Simply omit the ham from the recipe and enjoy delicious Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes.
Yes! I have a recipe for Instant Pot Scalloped Potatoes that can be made with the addition of ham and cheese to replicate this recipe for Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes and Ham.
No! I opt to peel the potatoes for a smoother consistency, but it is a personal preference.
More Favorite Recipes Using Leftover Ham
- Stromboli with Ham
- Easy Monte Cristo Sandwich
- Easy Baked Chicken Cordon Bleu
- Ham and Cheese Hot Pockets
- Instant Pot Ham and Bean Soup
If you enjoyed this Ham and Scalloped Potato recipe, please leave a comment and a review below. I love hearing from you!
Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes and Ham
Ingredients
- 2 cups cubed ham
- 6 cups russet potatoes scrubbed and sliced into ⅛-inch rounds
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter plus additional for greasing pan
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cup whole milk or half and half
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375℉. Grease a 2 ½ quart baking dish with butter.
- Scrub and peel the potatoes if desired. Slice the potatoes using a mandoline or very sharp knife into ⅛-inch thick slices.
- Heat the butter over medium heat until melted, whisk in the flour, and cook for 1 minute, to remove the flour taste from the roux. Slowly whisk in milk, salt, garlic powder, and onion powder and cook until milk is just about boiling. Whisk in the cheese until melted. Remove from heat.
- Layer half the potatoes in the baking dish and top with 1 cup of the diced ham. Pour half of the cheese sauce over the ham and potatoes. Use your hands or spoon to push the potatoes and ham into the cheese sauce. Repeat the layers. before baking.
- Sprinkle with the remaining cheddar cheese and cover tightly with foil.
- Bake for 60 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 25 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Allow the potatoes to cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Equipment Needed
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in 2016 and updated in 2023.
Karen
This is a recipe I will make again and again. Reminded me of a youthful favorite. The only change I made was to add a bit of pepper. A true comfort food.
Kristen Chidsey
Oh I absolutely LOVE hearing this Karen! Thank you for sharing.
Melissa
I have tried SO many different scalloped potatoes and ham recipes and none seemed to come out right. So, I wasn't expecting to have success with this one. Your recipe was AMAZING. The family loved it! Def keeping this one in my recipe box. Thank you!!!!
Kristen Chidsey
Thank you so much Melissa for taking the time to let me know how much you enjoyed these Scalloped Potatoes. I am so happy they were a hit!
Dan
Made this tonight. It was very good, the wife liked it which is important. Stuck to the recipe mostly, did layer in some chopped onion and garlic because they are two of the best things in the world... also added a splash of milk before baking because we like things on the juicy side, but wouldn't consider any of those things to be major changes. Will make again for sure. This is kind of a hybrid of scalloped potatoes and ham, and augratin potatoes. Good comfort food
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Dan! I am so glad you and your wife enjoyed! I love the addition of onion and garlic (my kids prefer it without though!) I hope you will be enjoying this for years to come.
Kaitlyn Leigh
Made this for dinner tonight and my boyfriend and I absolutely loved it!
—thank you! 🙂
Kristen Chidsey
I am so happy to hear that!!
Brittany
Ohhhh my goodness! This is a delicious recipe! So happy I found it! I had some leftover ham from the weekend and this was the perfect way to use it up. I did the parboiling of the potatoes beforehand and it really does make them nice and tender - not rubbery or chewy like some scalloped potatoes and ham can be. So, thank you for that amazing tip! I also minced up 1/2 of a sweet onion, added an additional cup of shredded cheddar to the sauce and I also put in some freshly ground black pepper. I want to make this when I have family over so I can show off your recipe! Thank you SO much for this yummy goodness! Can't wait until I can have leftovers tomorrow 😁
Kristen Chidsey
YAY!!! Thank you so much Brittany for sharing your results and modifications. It makes my heart so happy every time people sit down and enjoy one of my recipes. Enjoy those leftovers.
Carol
This recipe made our post-Thanksgiving meal almost as fabulous as Thanksgiving itself. Thank you for posting it!
Kristen Chidsey
That is awesome Carol! Thank you so much for sharing.
Megan
Do you think I could make this in the crock pot?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Megan! This casserole can be made in the slow cooker, layer the potatoes and ham and then make the sauce on the stove top. Pour over the potatoes and ham, being sure to push down the layers so the sauce covers the potatoes. Cook on low for 6-7 hours or until potatoes are tender. This is a recipe you will really want to grease your slow cooker or use a crock pot liner, as this can be a bit messy to clean up in the crock pot. Enjoy!
Arlene Smith
The whole family loved this! I did add sliced jalapenos in the middle on half. I personally liked the half with the hot peppers, but some of my family doesn't like hot peppers. The heat did migrate to the other half a little bit.
Kristen Chidsey
Oh Arlene, I LOVE the idea of jalapenos I may try that for my family (half and half) like you did for the same reasons.
Sandi
Just made this casserole tonight, with a few substitutions.... add the finely sliced onions on each layer, and also poured half of the cheese sauce on each layer. For the sauce I didn't have milk so I used 1 cup good chicken stock and 1 cup heavy whipping cream, cut the salt back to 1/2 tsp (Maldon smoked sea salt) and shredded a cup of pepper jack cheese. It was amazing! I know it wasn't exactly your recipe, but that just proves that yours is so wonderful that it can be adapted to endless variations! Thank you so much for posting it! I think next time I may add some shredded cabbage.... and dill!
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Sandi. Thank you for sharing your adaptations. I truly try to create recipes anyone can adapt based on what you have and enjoy. And I think cabbage is genius.
Susan Kingsley
Saw this recipe online and decided to try it for dinner this evening. What a hit this casserole turned out to be for my husband and son. Made it with a small thinly sliced onion on the mandolin like Davey mentioned in your comments and what an absolutely delicious dish this was! Thank you for the great recipe. It will become one of our family's favourites.
Kristen Chidsey
YAY!!! I love hearing when people love my recipes--especially when the family enjoys! And I am with you and Davey, I love the addition of onions--but my kids not so much 😉 I hope you enjoy this recipe for years to come.