A can of cream of mushroom soup is the secret to this creamy Scalloped Potatoes and Ham recipe. It’s the perfect side dish for Easter, Christmas, and more!
Scalloped potatoes are an Easter tradition in my family, where we serve them alongside 3-Ingredient Brown Sugar Glazed Ham for Easter dinner.
This 1980s recipe for Scalloped Potatoes and Ham combines the two into a creamy, comforting casserole.
This dish has a secret ingredient: a can of cream of mushroom soup. The mushroom soup transforms this dish, eliminating the need to make a sauce from scratch.
I hesitate to call this recipe “easy”, since peeling and slicing the potatoes takes time. But the sauce for the potatoes truly IS easy—you’ll just stir it together, pour over the potatoes, and bake.
Scalloped Potatoes and Ham is a fantastic side dish for lamb, a beef roast (like Herb Roasted Prime Rib), or even ham itself. You can never have too much ham!
Tips for making scalloped potatoes
- The most labor intensive part of this dish is peeling and slicing the potatoes. Use a mandoline if you have one, otherwise, a sharp knife works great.
- Leave enough time to bake the dish—it takes about 2 hours to cook through!
- Use full-fat sour cream for this recipe. Lower fat sour cream often separates when it is heated.
Ingredients
- I like using russet potatoes for this recipe. Yukon Gold potatoes work well, too.
- I found these ham slices, which are about ½ inch thick, in the deli section near the lunchmeat.
- A can of cream of mushroom soup and full-fat sour cream create the creamy sauce for the potatoes. Do not substitute low fat sour cream, which can separate as the casserole bakes.
- The yellow onion adds a savory flavor.
- Salt and pepper season the dish perfectly.
- A cup of shredded cheddar tops the casserole. Use your favorite variety of cheese!
How to make scalloped potatoes and ham with cream of mushroom soup
Start by whisking together a can of cream of mushroom soup, 2 cups of sour cream, salt, and pepper.
I use an organic version of cream of mushroom soup, but Campbell’s works, too. Do not reconstitute the soup—just dump it into the bowl.
Next, peel the potatoes, and slice them into ⅛-inch slices. You can use a mandoline for this or a sharp knife. It just takes a little patience to get through 3 lbs of potatoes, but I promise you that the effort is worth it!
Next, dice the onion and chop the ham into ¼-inch pieces.
Spread ⅓ of the potatoes in a greased casserole dish, followed by ⅓ of the onions, and ⅓ of the mushroom soup mixture. Repeat twice more.
Cover the casserole dish, and bake for 75 minutes. Uncover, top with cheese, and bake for another 45 minutes.
The total baking time is 2 hours, which seems like a lot! But it really does take that much time for the potatoes to become tender.
You’ll know it’s done when you can slide a knife relatively easily through the casserole.
Can I make scalloped potatoes and ham ahead of time?
Yes! You can assemble the casserole up to 8 hours in advance of baking it. Place it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to bake it (be sure to leave 2 hours to cook it!).
You can also par-bake scalloped potatoes. To do so, bake the casserole covered for 75 minutes, then remove it from the oven, and let it cool. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. When you’re ready to serve it, remove it from the refrigerator, top with cheese and bake for another 45 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
To check if the scalloped potatoes are done, run a knife through the potatoes in the casserole dish. The knife should be able to glide through the potatoes with little resistance.
Yes! Extend the cooking time by an additional 20–30 minutes. Your holiday ham and your scalloped potatoes can indeed co-exist in the oven!
Definitely. Use 1½ cups of diced ham or whatever you have leftover.
The potatoes are not cooked through. Cover the dish and place it back in a 350°F for another 20 minutes, then check again.
Reheating instructions
Scalloped potatoes can be reheated in a 350°F oven for 15–20 minutes (individual portions) or 35–40 minutes (still in the casserole dish). Cover with foil before reheating in the oven.
Scalloped potatoes can also be microwaved for 2–3 minutes, or until warmed through.
Freezing instructions
Scalloped potatoes can be frozen for up to 3 months after baking. Separate into individual portions and seal tightly with foil, place a freezer bag, or place in a freezer safe dish.
To reheat the potatoes, place the individual portions in a casserole dish and bake for 25–30 minutes at 350°F.
More old fashioned side dishes
Here are a few more that pair nicely with scalloped potatoes!
- Easy Creamed Corn Casserole
- Old Fashioned Zucchini Casserole
- Easy Green Bean Casserole
- Homemade Potato Rolls
- Marinated Vegetable Salad
- 7 Layer Salad
- Scalloped Pineapple
And if you’re a potato lover like me, don’t miss this Pork Chop and Potato Casserole—the potatoes cook alongside the pork chops, so it’s an all-in-one dinner!
📖 Recipe
Scalloped Potatoes and Ham (with Mushroom Soup)
Ingredients
- 1 lb ham (I used two 8-oz slices)
- 8 medium potatoes (about 3 lbs)
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- 1 carton (16 oz) sour cream
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 13×9 inch baking dish.
- Cut ham into ¼ inch pieces. Peel and slice potatoes into ⅛ inch slices (or as thin as you can).
- In a medium bowl, combine the mushroom soup, sour cream, salt, and pepper with a whisk.
- Place ⅓ of the potatoes in the dish, followed by ⅓ of the onions, ⅓ of the ham, and ⅓ of the mushroom soup mixture. Make two more layers of all four ingredients until the ingredients are used up.
- Cover the casserole with foil, and bake for 75 minutes.
- Uncover, top with cheese, and bake for another 45 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked through (your knife should glide easily through the potatoes, instead of being met with resistance).
- Let sit for 15 minutes before serving.
Hi Kate, I’ve messaged you before regarding this recipe. It was very good, but as I said I didn’t like the curdled look. I do want to make it again.. How much fat is in full-fat sour cream. I can’t find one that says “full-fat”. Thank you.
Hi Sharon! Honestly I haven’t seen it labeled “full fat”, so you should be good with anything not labeled low-fat or fat-free.
Super easy and sooo delicious! My granddaughter loved this and asked me to make it a week later because it was so good.
I’m so glad to hear that! Thanks for leaving a review, Linda!
Hi again, No, the sour cream was not lo-fat or no-fat, just regular sour cream. It tasted good, though. Maybe the brand, however, I sent my garbage out so don’t remember the brand. Thanks for the quick response.
Very tasty casserole. The last 45″ turned out to be more like 20 minutes since potatoes were done. I have one more comment – when done the sauce looked curdled. Is it a dairy think? Thanks for the quick response. I will be looking at more of your recipes. Oh, I used a pyrex dish.
Thanks for leaving a review, Sharon! I’m glad you enjoyed it. Curdling can come from using lower-fat dairy products vs. the full-fat versions. Perhaps that was the culprit?
I have a 9×13 pyrex dish and I see you have a ?ceramic dish. Does that make a difference in baking time? I’m making for guests today.
That should not make a difference—same baking time!
at the beginning of the article it said to slice the potatoes 1/4″ slices. On the recipe, it said to slice 1/8 ” . The 1/8″ is correct?
⅛ inch is correct. Thank you for your eagle eye—I fixed the text. Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Didn’t read “use full fat sour cream” til after it was put in the oven …hoping it still turns out good !
How did it turn out?
So good!!! I substituted plain Greek yogurt for sour cream because that’s what I had and added Italian bread crumbs on top. The family went for seconds. Thanks for the delicious recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing your take and for your kind words.
made it tonight! delicious!! thank you
I’m so glad that you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for your review. <3
Is 16 oz of sour cream correct?
Yes!
does not say where to add cheese? just to the top?
It’s there in #6! “Uncover, top with cheese, and bake for another 45 minutes…”
Great and easy recipie. Thank you,
I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed it. Thanks for taking time to leave a review!
The scalloped potatoes and ham recipe doesn’t tell you when to add the ham.
Fixed it—I’m sorry about that! The ham is added in thirds after the potatoes and onions.