This quick and easy scalloped potatoes recipe is the healthiest way to recreate one of America’s delicious takes on potatoes. It’s low in saturated fat compared to most scalloped potatoes recipes, and yet, it’s fragrant with butter, garlic, and cheese.
Although scalloped potatoes are often served as a side dish for meat, we think it’s also great for breakfast. It’s easy, it reheats well, and it’s wholesome.
Let’s get to know more about this delicacy, shall we?
Scalloped Potatoes and Au Gratin Potatoes
If you’re familiar with the Pixar animation film “Ratatouille”, you may have seen the delicate dish of the same name. It belongs to the “gratin” dishes, a bake of vegetables sliced thinly and arranged neatly, one slice over another.
Similarly, “au gratin potatoes” are prepared by slicing potatoes thinly with a mandoline and arranging them into a baking dish. Then, it is baked with a rich sauce made of cream and cheese, which has a stunning flavor profile.
Compared to its French alternative, scalloped potatoes have thick slices of potatoes and are cooked in a more aromatic sauce. The sauce is made by sautéing garlic and onions in butter, which, as you can guess, is super fragrant.
Is Our Scalloped Potatoes Recipe Healthy?
Potatoes often get a bad rap for being carby and unhealthy. This misconception stems from the fact that french fries are unhealthy.
French fries, or deep-fried foods in general, tend to pack more unhealthy calories, which can cause you to put on more weight. Foods fried using hydrolyzed oil are even more unhealthy, as they contain trans fat.
Meanwhile, potatoes are a good source of carbs to include in your diet.
Besides potatoes, the traditional recipe calls for plenty of butter. Butter contains fat, and the majority of this fat is saturated fat, which the USDA advises to limit.
Knowing that, we adjusted our scalloped potatoes recipe so the saturated fat content stays within allowance. Specifically, each serving only has 7 grams, less than 30% of the daily recommended amount.
Calories
Each serving of our quick and easy scalloped potatoes recipe gives around 372 calories. Most of the calories come from potatoes, which, again, is a clean source of carbohydrates. For half the calories per serving, try our 20-minute Instant Pot Scalloped Potatoes Recipe.
Tips for Making
1. Pre-Boiling Scalloped Potatoes or not?
If you’re afraid the slices won’t cook through because they’re too thick, fear not. The added liquid in the baking step will help cook the potatoes evenly, assuring tender potato slices.
Pre-boiling the potatoes can easily make them overcooked, plus it adds one more item to your dishwasher.
2. Check for Cooked Potatoes
Things might happen and it’s okay if your potatoes are undercooked— you just need to cook them a little longer.
The thing is, how do you know it’s undercooked without trying it out? Remember it’s crazy hot just coming out of the oven.
The trick is to use a toothpick and plunge it into a potato slice. If it goes through with too much resistance, your potatoes need 10-15 minutes extra in the oven.
Otherwise, your potatoes are ready to be served.
Can You Freeze?
The morning routine can be overwhelming, so you may consider preparing potatoes the night before. It is indeed more convenient, but sliced potatoes turn dark very quickly, which does not make for an appealing dish.
Instead, you can bake the dish like usual and preserve it in the freezer. It allows you to keep the potatoes for up to a week.
Here is your to-do list after the potatoes are baked:
- Leave the potatoes to cool completely before cutting into portions.
- Place each portion on plates, cover with plastic wrap, and store them in the freezer.
- To reheat the potatoes, transfer them to oven-safe plates/containers and bake them for about 30 minutes at 350°F.
The bottom line is, by making this recipe ahead of time, you’re saving 55 minutes in the morning!
What to Serve With
Quick and easy scalloped potatoes by itself is delicious, but it doesn’t make a healthy, wholesome meal.
Here are some options that you can pair the potatoes with:
1. Chicken
Oven-baked chicken is a simple option to pair with scalloped potatoes. It’s quick to cook, can be seasoned to your liking, and takes little time to prepare.
You can use any part of the chicken. We find chicken legs/thighs more appealing than its other parts.
If you have a favorite spice rub recipe, feel free to use that and season the chicken the night before. If you don’t, have a look at our oven-baked chicken recipe just for the idea.
2. Pork Chops
Baked pork chops are another great option if you have spare time. Do it right and you’ll have juicy pork chops packed with all sorts of flavors to enjoy with the potatoes.
And by “do it right”, we meant proper method, careful timing, and most important of all, suitable seasonings. We also happen to have this article to cover all of that.
3. Smoothie
For busy mornings, you may not have time to lay a hand on anything else but reheating leftovers. With a smoothie, this is no longer a problem.
After you make the scalloped potatoes to reheat in the morning, wash and measure out ingredients for this easy smoothie. We bet it’ll take only seconds to get them inside the blender and blend them all together.We’re serving our scalloped potatoes with banana strawberry smoothie. The smoothie’s sweetness really rounds off the tender, rich, flavorful potatoes.
For more casserole recipe ideas, have a look at our easy casserole roundup.
Craving Potatoes? We’ve Got You Covered!
Satisfy your potato cravings with not just this Scalloped Potatoes, but a myriad of other quick and easy potato dishes that we’ve made and loved. Take a peek and see what’s in store:
- Roasted Potatoes Salad Recipe
- Twice Baked Potatoes Recipe
- Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes Recipe
- Air Fryer Baked Potato Recipe
Quick and Easy Scalloped Potatoes Recipe
This quick and easy scalloped potatoes recipe takes just minutes to prep and only an hour to cook. If your morning tasks are overwhelming, you can make a large batch over the weekend, freeze them as individual servings, and reheat them when you need.
- cook TIME 1 hr 15 mins
- prep TIME 10 mins
- total TIME 1 hr 25 mins
- COURSE Breakfast, Side Dish
- CUISINE Global
- SERVINGS servings
- CALORIES 372 kcal
INGREDIENTS
- 2.2 lb russet potato (sliced)
- 4 oz onion (finely chopped)
- 3 oz mozzarella cheese (shredded)
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
- 1/2 tbsp butter
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 tbsp garlic (minced)
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp thyme (dried)
- 1 cup unsalted chicken broth
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Melt 1/2 tbsp butter over medium heat in a pot, then sautée 4 oz onions and 2 tbsp garlic for about 3 minutes, or until translucent.
Stir in 4 tbsp flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tbsp pepper, 1 cup chicken stock, 1 cup milk, and 2 tbsp cream, and cook for 3 minutes, or until it starts to bubble.
Arrange the 2.2 lb potato slices in the casserole dish in even layers and pour the sauce over them. Using a spatula, fill all visible gaps with onion bits to get a nice, flat surface.
Cover with tin foil and bake for 1 hour.
Uncover and sprinkle 3 oz shredded cheese on top. Broil for about 3-4 minutes, or until it is golden brown on the surface.
Sprinkle 1/2 tsp thyme and serve.
NUTRITION
Tuyet Pham
Head Chef, Culinary ConsultantLuna Regina
Writer, AuthorLizzie Streit, MS, RDN, LD
Nutrition Reviewer- Valentina
YUM! This looks so rich and creamy and beyond comforting — perfect for this cool weather. I love it!
- Luna Regina
I was stunned too! What a great creamy combination that lingers for days :P.