Cheesy Scalloped potatoes are the perfect comfort food…  creamy, rich and cheesy; but they always take so long to cook! Not anymore! This recipe uses a method that will show you how to make this cheesy goodness in about half of the time of traditional scalloped potatoes recipe

My mom taught me an easy little trick that speeds up the cooking of the potatoes and has them ready on time every time!  If you just pop them in boiling water for just a few  minutes before you put this together, you will cut down your cooking time by as much as an hour, saving time for delicious main dishes like meatloaf or pork chops!

Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes in a casserole dish with a spoon

What Are Scalloped Potatoes

Scalloped potatoes are a classic side dish made with thinly sliced potatoes layered and baked until hot and bubbly. A classic scalloped potato recipe doesn’t include cheese and is made with a roux (white sauce).

While similar to au gratin potatoes, there are some key differences:

  • Potatoes au gratin have a cheese sauce (instead of a white sauce), and are most often made with layers of onions and potatoes.
  • Classic scalloped potatoes don’t contain cheese sauce or cheese
  • Cheesy scalloped potatoes use a white sauce and are layered with cheese

Ingredients for Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes in a pot and in bowls

How Do You Make Scalloped Potatoes

Scalloped potatoes are easy to make and delicious but they can take a very long time to cook, not anymore!! In this quick recipe, I have a couple of tips to reduce the baking time from about 90 minutes to 45 minutes! 

Tips to reduce cooking time:

  • Potatoes: Boiling the sliced potatoes for a couple of minutes makes this recipe quick as the potatoes don’t have to cook as long and they’re already warm going into the oven.
  • Sauce: These cheesy scalloped have a quick and easy shortcut white sauce to save time (and effort). I use condensed cream of mushroom soup and layer with cheese and onions! If you’d prefer you can make your own Homemade Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup or use cream of chicken or cream of celery!

Sauce in a white pan and potatoes and onions layered with more sauce and shredded cheese for Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes

To Make Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes:

  1. PREP:
    • Slice the potatoes (I use a mandoline slicer to make it quick) and drop the potatoes into boiling water for 5 minutes (this is a huge time saver).
    • Mix the white sauce ingredients together.
  2. LAYER:
    • Layer the sauce, potatoes and cheese in a 9×9 baking dish
    • Top with more cheese
  3. BAKE:
    • Bake the cheesy scalloped potatoes until golden and bubbly.

White casserole dish with Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes and a spoon

Can You Freeze Scalloped Potatoes

Potatoes can sometimes change texture when frozen, so scalloped potatoes taste best when made fresh. If you plan to freeze them, make sure you have already baked them first. Raw potatoes can still oxidize in the freezer, causing them to turn grey.

Cheesy scalloped potatoes should last up to a month in the freezer. The trick to ensuring they taste great is in the reheating, like most potato side dishes, we prefer to reheat in the oven with a little bit of fresh cheese added on top!

More Perfect Potato Sides

image of Everyday Comfort cookbook by Holly Nilsson of Spend With Pennies plus text
Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes in a dish with pepper and parsley on the side
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Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes

This scalloped potatoes recipe is quick and easy to put together yet tastes incredibly delicious!
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 6 servings

Equipment

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Ingredients  

  • 2 pounds yellow potatoes
  • 10.5 ounces condensed cream of mushroom soup chicken or celery soup, 1 can
  • 1 cup milk
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • black pepper to taste
  • 1 small onion thinly sliced
  • 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 375°F.
  • Wash potatoes and slice ¼″ thick (no need to peel). Drop into boiling water for 5 minutes. During the last minute, add sliced onions to the water. Drain.
  • Meanwhile, combine soup, milk, pepper and garlic powder in a bowl. Microwave until hot.
  • Put a little bit of the soup mixture in the bottom of a greased 2 QT casserole dish, a 9×9 pan, or an oven-safe pan. Layer ½ of the potatoes, ½ of the soup mixture, and ½ of the cheese. Repeat layers ending with cheese.
  • Bake at 375°F for 45-55 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
4.95 from 328 votes

Nutrition Information

Calories: 264 | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 268mg | Potassium: 747mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 455IU | Vitamin C: 18.6mg | Calcium: 370mg | Iron: 5.2mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Side Dish
Cuisine American

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Cheesy scalloped potatoes in a white casserole dish with a title

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Cheesy scalloped potatoes in a white casserole dish with a scoop being taken out with a title
Raw cheesy scalloped potatoes in a casserole dish and cooked cheesy scalloped potatoes in a casserole dish with a scoop being taken out and a title

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About the author

Holly Nilsson is the creator of Spend With Pennies, where she creates easy, comforting recipes made for real life. With a passion for nostalgic flavors and simplified techniques, Holly helps busy home cooks create delicious meals that always work. She is also the author of “Everyday Comfort,” which promises to inspire even more hearty, home-cooked meals.
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Comments

  1. Wow, what a delicious recipe for scalloped potatoes. I added 2 thin chicken tenders through the potatoes as being served with chicken. Thank you!5 stars

  2. Tastes pretty average. Maybe I messed up because I used Mushroom Porcini Soup instead of cream of mushroom? It was the creamiest canned soup I could find at Whole Foods.

    Cheese covered potatoes from the top of the dish taste good but everything not adequately topped with cheese tastes like under flavored potatoes.

    Not sure there’s enough salt or fat in this dish. Won’t be making this again….

  3. very easy and super-efficient I love this recipe and I hope that you give some more examples of easy homemade recipes may the lord bless your heart and encourage you to guide you to do more easy recipes and meals.5 stars

  4. I love this recipe. Boiling the potatoes first makes them so tender. I made this twice and the second time I diced the onions and sautéed them before adding them to the potatoes layer. The sliced onions were too stringy and overpowered the nice cheesy flavor of the potatoes.5 stars

  5. I made this for dinner tonight and it was an hit. I added diced smoked ham and some frozen peas for a one dish meal. The family loved it! I will definitely be making it again.5 stars

  6. I was really hopping this recipe would help to cut down on cook time when I have so many other items that need the oven for tonights birthday dinner.

    Unfortunately the sauce split at some point in the over and thus came out completely separated and watery :(3 stars

  7. My partner couldn’t say enough about this recipe, thank you, it’s definitely in my recipe box!!!5 stars

  8. Made this for the first time tonight and it was fantastic! Followed the recipe exactly as written; done in half the time, but taste just like Mom’s. I will definitely be making these again – SOON. The only thing I’ll change next time is that I’m going to toss the potatoes and onions in the soup mixture before putting them in the pan for a more even coat.5 stars

  9. I’d like to try making this tomorrow, can I use russet potatoes instead of yellow? Do you know if that would still work and if anything like cook time might need to be adjusted?

    1. Russets can be used but they should be peeled first. The texture of russets is a bit starchier and they don’t hold their shape as well but they will still taste good!

    1. Hi Samantha, we would love to see your photo! If you have instagram be sure to tag us @spendpennies so we can check it out!

    1. Hi Denise, you can find the recipe by using the “jump to recipe” button at the top of the page or scrolling down towards the bottom. Hope that helps!

  10. My husband and I used red potatoes, left the peeling on which makes even easier preparation. Followed the rest of the directions. Turned out great! One recipe change, next time after the potato layer, I will salt and pepper the potatoes, then add the cheese layer. Our next church potluck is getting a new yummy addition.5 stars

  11. This was absolutely delicious I only had cream of chicken but we all loved it thanks for sharing !!4 stars

  12. I made it today for Easter dinner. everyone love it. I used cream of chicken soup. will be in my recipe book.5 stars

  13. My first time making cheesy scalloped potatoes and they turned out delicious. Very easy recipe to follow. i I will definitely make this dish again.5 stars

  14. Hello Customer Service Department,
    I would like to make the following Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes Recipe, on the recipe it calls for a yellow potato. Is this also called Yukon Gold? Please let me know what the correct name of this potato is called so when I go to the Hy-Vee in Kansas I will know the name of the potato to look for. Thank you, Mary