Comfort food alert! The potatoes are fall-apart tender, and so is the ham. The sauce is creamy and full of flavor with just a hint of cheese. Old Fashioned Ham and Scalloped Potatoes has a wonderful way of making your kitchen smell amazing causing everyone to smile and ask, “Mmm, what’s for dinner?”
I was one of those truly blessed kids who got to walk home from school to the sounds and smells of Mom cooking dinner. We probably all made her crazy always asking, “What’s for dinner, Mom?” If she was feeling a little snarky, we’d get told, “Fish heads and rice.” Icky! But the wonderful smells always gave her away. Old Fashioned Ham and Scalloped Potatoes isn’t just comfort food from my childhood. No, it’s a meal that’s stayed in my life all these years later, because it’s such a great recipe.
The trick to making Old Fashioned Ham and Scalloped Potatoes
Timing is everything when making dinner, so in order for everything to be finished at the same time, you first have to do one thing. Microwave those potatoes. Peel and slice the potatoes, put them on a microwave-safe plate, and zap them for about 6 minutes total. Half way through give them a little stir. Otherwise, (and without a microwave) you bake them until the potatoes are flaky tender. Depending on the potato, that can sometimes take a lot longer than you planned.
Make it all at once
While the potatoes are in the microwave, start the sauce in a small pot. Add the soup and about 2 cans of milk until it starts to gently bubble. With about 2 tablespoons of flour and a whisk, thicken the sauce. Lastly, add 2 squares of American cheese and let it melt. You can always add more cheese if you’re feeling cheesy that day. Meanwhile, cut up the ham into bite-sized pieces and slice your onion. Now all you have to do is layer everything together.
Layers R Us
Layer half the potatoes and add some pepper, then continue layering half the onions and half the ham. Repeat until everything is in the 2 qt. dish, then pour the sauce over the top. Using a large spoon, give the dish a few pokes so everything settles and fits together nicely. If the sauce does not cover the top layer, just add more milk. I always have to add more milk, but it’s better than having too much sauce.
Something I love about Old Fashioned Ham and Scalloped Potatoes is that it’s one of those foods that stays warm on your plate. Ever notice how quickly veggies cool off? I like my food hot, so this dish gets an A+. Serve it up with a side veggie in a small dish as shown and the veggies stay warm a little longer than if you put the veggies on the plate. Or just eat them fast so they don’t have time to cool off. LOL!
Old Fashioned Ham and Scalloped Potatoes
Materials
- 5-6 small potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
- black pepper to taste
- 10.5 oz. can cream of chicken soup
- 2 cans milk
- 2 Tbsp. flour
- 2 slices American cheese
- 3/4 lb. ham, cut into bit-size pieces
- 1/4 onion, thinly sliced and chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Microwave the potatoes for 3 minutes, stir, and microwave another 3 minutes.
- In small pot, mix soup and 2 cans milk until gently boiling. Add flour and stir quickly using a whisk, then add cheese until melted. Remove from heat.
- Layer half the potatoes in a 2 qt. baking dish and sprinkle with pepper. Add half the onion and ham. Repeat using remaining ingredients. Remember to pepper the 2nd layer of potatoes.
- Pour the sauce over the potatoes and poke with a spoon to settle everything into place. If the sauce is not covering the top of the ingredients, add more milk.
- Cover the dish and bake in oven for 1 hour. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
This dish is flexible, meaning you can add or change things. Adding chopped celery and switching to cream of celery soup is also great. More cheese is never a bad thing, or use fat-free milk and fat-free soup if watching calories. And hey, if you’re watching your calories, try this Skinny Dark Chocolate Cake, or forget the calories and dive into this Chocolate Raspberry Trifle. They’re both a delicious treat after that meal of Old Fashioned Ham and Scalloped Potatoes.
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What do you mean by 2 cans of milk? How many cups are in the can? What is canned milk?
Hi Mike. Thanks for the question. Once you add the cans of cream of chicken soup, re-fill the soup cans with milk. I hope this helps.
Yes thank you so much. Looks delicious will be making it soon