This Instant Pot Scalloped Potatoes & Ham Recipe is amazingly simple, budget-friendly, and is an excellent side dish for any holiday or potluck. And one of the most helpful aspects is that there are a lot of different ways to cook it! For this recipe, your cooking options are instant pot, slow cooker, and oven-baked. And, naturally, it is freezer-safe too.
I sometimes marvel at how many recipes you can make with potatoes, they are so multifaceted. Have a look at these recipes for some slow cooker and instant pot potato magic! Crockpot Hamburger Potato Casserole, Slow Cooker Sausage & Potatoes, and without a doubt, check out Crock Pot Chicken & Potatoes too!
instant pot potatoes au gratin
This pressure cooker scalloped potatoes recipe makes a delicious make-ahead meal. And there are SO many ways to approach freezer meals.
You do not have to spring in all at once into creating a month's worth of make ahead meals. Just a few freezer-friendly recipes now and then can lead to amazing cost savings…
Before we go any farther, let's get the legal stuff out of the way…this post may contain affiliate links. This means I get a small commission if you purchase through these links. This will NOT increase your cost in any way. But does give you awesome recommendations that have been tested by myself or someone I dearly trust.
Scalloped Potatoes and Ham Freezer Meal Options
These are just a couple of ideas to start on a freezer meal journey:
- Toss together a couple of batches of this instant pot scalloped potatoes and ham recipe. Make one for now and a second for next month. Choose a couple more recipes from our freezer meals section. Do this 2 or 3 times for 2 to 3 weeks. Write it down in this
freebie meal plannerand log the date. Nearly all uncooked freezer meals are good frozen for several months. In no time at all, you’ll have a nice stockpile of freezer meals and side dishes. - Choose 3 to 5 recipes. Make sure and set each recipes’ serving options for your needs. Make a grocery list, go shopping, and mix them up per the freezer meal cooking instructions on each recipe. You do 5 recipes like this but x 2; you will have 10 meals and/or sides. And now! You've got meals made for at least ten days.
- Link up with our newsletter and to have a
copy of my own freezer meals prepping sessions. You will receive 6 recipes, a printable menu, and easy to follow directions. It's of no cost to you and then you will receive an email when new ones are available.
crockpot scalloped potatoes
Au Gratin Potatoes and Ham Ingredients
Difference Between Au Gratin and Scalloped Potatoes
There is a lot of confusion (me included) between scalloped potatoes recipes and au gratin potato recipes. SO, I did some research. And in researching, I found out there is one major difference. Cheese!
Adding cheese is the only difference between making scalloped potatoes and au gratin potatoes. Scalloped potatoes have a cream or milk base. Au gratin potatoes have a milk/cream AND cheese base.
So next time you’re browsing and see a recipe for cheesy scalloped potatoes and ham. That IS au gratin potatoes and ham recipe too. Not that is matters really. It just always confused me and I wanted to clear it up. Hopefully, it can help you as well 😊
Varying Your Ingredients
There are so many great things about this recipe. And there are so many ways to modify it too! I'm not talking about just the differing cooking methods, I mean the ingredients. All you have to do is modifying 1 or 2 ingredients to have a new, delicious variation.
So, why would you want to change up the recipe once you like it? SALES my friend. Sales and bulk buying. Planning your meals, shopping sales, and bulk purchases are super smart moves you can do to help your budget. And knowing what the heck to do with bulk buys, that's how to get a stock of freezer meals, saving money AND far being able to relax a little more in the evenings.
Ham & Cheesy Potatoes Ingredient Variations:
- Yukon Potatoes – We’re using Yukon potatoes because they are easy to find, yellow potato. And yellow potatoes hold together better than white/Russet potatoes. They are great to keep the layers from falling apart and your instant pot scalloped potatoes and ham turning into mashed potato lumps with ham. Try using any “waxy” potato you’d like, check out this potato brochure for more ideas.
- Ham or Bacon – I have SO many ideas here. I am thinking that any meat will work. Any leftover meat! Or even a mixture of meats will work. This means no waste of leftovers. I have a bag going in the freezer with about a half cup of cooked ground beef from my make-ahead ground beef recipe and maybe 1 cup of excess smoked kielbasa type sausage from making sausage kolaches. I just need a little more leftovers to try making a mixed meat scalloped potatoes! I’m betting it’s going to be delicious, simple, and amazingly budget-friendly.
- Cheese – This one, well…vary away. Or just leave it out. Any sort of cheese would work here. Even a soft cheese like ricotta or cottage cheese. They are both great for making casseroles.
- Mushrooms – Not everyone appreciates mushrooms. One of my best friends makes sure they aren’t on the menu before he comes to dinner. But they aren’t mandatory for this recipe. You can use any canned or frozen vegetable you want.
- Dill Weed – You can always vary your herbs and spices. And changing those up makes a world of difference. Try using Tony Chachere’s Cajun seasoning and ground sausage as your meat. Or maybe our homemade Mexican seasoning with make-ahead shredded chicken.
Scalloped Potatoes & Ham Cooking Variations
Now, I’ve made au gratin and scalloped potatoes for YEARS for Thanksgiving. But I always made them in the oven or made this crockpot scalloped potatoes recipe. And I figured it was time to try an instant pot potato recipe...
So for this recipe, I experimented with making scalloped potatoes and ham in an instant pot. It took a couple of tries, but it was worth it. It turned out very well 😊
- Instant Pot – This pressure cooker method is two-part. Potatoes go in the instant pot first, then you bake the ingredients. IF you don’t want to do two steps, then don’t bake it. Just follow the directions in the printable below but dump everything in the instant pot after draining the potatoes and use your saute function to complete the dish.
- Slow Cooker – Making crockpot scalloped potatoes and ham is super simple. Potatoes go on the bottom of a well-buttered crockpot insert, then the meat and veggie your using. Repeat and pour the dairy mixture over the top. Cook it and done. This is for a regular, oval slow cooker if you are using a casserole crockpot, layer your ingredients using the oven-baked method and check your potatoes for doneness after 5 hours.
- Oven-Baked – This method is super simple and traditional. It’s delicious and there’s nothing special you need to do. Potatoes go on the bottom and everything else goes on the top. Make sure you have a covered baking dish or aluminum foil on hand so your dish doesn’t burn on top. Pstt...the oval one in the link above is my FAVORITE. I've been using it for a couple of decades 🙂
- And, of course, our instant pot scalloped potatoes and ham recipe is freezer friendly. See below for that.
crock pot scalloped potatoes and ham
More Simple Potato Recipe Ideas
Like I said earlier, I sometimes marvel at the variety of recipes you can make with potatoes. They are some of the most budget-friendly recipes out there. They make everyone happy and fill up those hungry bellies. Here are a few more tasty potato ideas for you to check out. Enjoy!
- Easy Scalloped Potatoes
- Hamburger Potato Casserole
- 5-Ingredient Chicken Breast Dinner
- Honey Garlic Chicken & Potatoes
- Slow Cooker Sausage & Potatoes
Recipe
Cheesy Instant Pot Scalloped Potatoes &Ham [Slow Cooker, Oven-Baked, Freezer Directions too]
Equipment
- Baking Dish
- Wooden Spoons
Ingredients
- 8 medium Yukon potatoes washed and sliced (peeling is optional)
- 2 cups diced ham or bacon
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 eggs
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 6 tablespoons butter melted
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese optional
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dill weed
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
All Recipe Variations
- Whisk 4 tablespoons of the hot melted butter with the flour. Add the cream and eggs and beat until well combined. Add dill, salt, and pepper as desired. Set aside.
Slow Cooker
- Use the last 2 tablespoons of the butter to grease the crockpot insert.
- Layer half the potatoes in the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Toss 1/2 the ham and mushrooms over the first layer of potatoes; top with half the cheese.
- Do a second layer of potato sliced, then the ham, mushrooms, and lastly the cheese.
- Drizzle the egg mixture over the top.
- Cover and cook on low for 5 to 7 hours.
- When the potatoes are tender and the egg/cream mixture is set, your dish is done!
Instant Pot
- Pour 1 cup of water or chicken broth into instant pot insert. Add sliced potatoes and close.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees sometime in here so it's ready.
- Use your steam function and set it to 10 minutes. Allow to naturally release at least 10 minutes.
- Remove insert and drain the remaining liquid. Add ham, mushrooms, and half the cheese. Stir.
- Pour in the egg mixture and stir well. Pour into a buttered, oven-safe baking dish, sprinkle with remaining cheese, and cook @ 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
Oven-Baked
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Use 2 tablespoons of butter to grease a 9x13 oven-safe baking dish.
- Layer the potatoes on the bottom, then toss in the ham and mushrooms.
- Sprinkle on most of the cheese, pour on the egg mixture, and top with remaining cheese.
- Bake covered for 40 minutes. Remove lid/foil and bake an additional 15 to 20 minutes.
Freezer Meal
- Label a 1-gallon freezer bag with recipe name and creation or "use by" date (6 to 8 weeks for this recipe). Make a note on the label and on your freezer meal planner that you will need 6 to 8 medium Russet potatoes when making this dish.
- Toss the ham/bacon and mushrooms into the freezer bag.
- Mix the egg mixture per the above directions under "all recipe variations". Pour into a sandwich bag, seal while removing as much air as possible, and toss into 1-gallon bag.
- Pour shredded cheese into the second sandwich bag and toss it into a gallon bag.
- Defrost in refrigerator before cooking. Knead the egg mixture baggie very well before pouring over the dish.
Notes
