These loaded scalloped potatoes are the perfect side dish for holidays and everyday meals. They’re layered with lots of cheese and bacon, and cooked in a cheesy sauce.
Loaded Scalloped Potatoes Recipe
Scalloped potatoes are a classic side dish, and they never fail to please. Thinly-sliced, creamy potatoes baked in the oven are just undeniably delicious.
These loaded scalloped potatoes are extra tasty because they’re cooked in a cheesy sauce, and layered between more cheese and bacon.
Serve these potatoes with chicken, pork, or turkey for the perfect feast.
How to make Scalloped Potatoes with Bacon
You can jump to the recipe card for full ingredients & instructions!
- Slice the potatoes and then boil them just until softened.
- Make the sauce for the scalloped potatoes by mixing butter, garlic, flour, chicken broth, milk, and cheese in a saucepan until thickened.
- Layer the sliced potatoes, cheese sauce, shredded cheese, and bacon in a baking dish (make 3 layers).
- Cover with foil and bake 25-30 minutes. Then uncover and cook another 5 minutes.
- Garnish with chives, serve, and enjoy!
How do you thicken scalloped potatoes?
We don’t want runny potatoes, so we’re adding flour into the sauce to thicken it up. This sauce is the secret to the best scalloped potatoes!
How do you keep the milk from curdling?
If you put cold milk in the oven with the potatoes, you might find it curdling from the high direct heat. By heating the milk beforehand as it’s mixed into a sauce (with butter, broth, flour, and cheese), we can avoid this problem.
How do you cut potatoes for scalloped potatoes?
Cut potatoes into 1/4-inch slices. It’s important to cut them all the same thickness, so that they will cook fully and evenly in the oven. You can use a mandoline or a chef’s knife to slice.
Tips!
- Place the potatoes in the water and then bring it to a boil (instead of boiling the water first).
- Cover the potatoes with aluminum foil for the majority of the baking time. Only remove it for the last 5 minutes.
- Use your broiler to brown the cheese at the end. This is optional, but that quick burst of heat adds flavor and looks beautiful.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 4 days.
Everyone will love these cheesy loaded scalloped potatoes. One of the best side dishes for any meal, any time.
More Holiday Side Dish Recipes we Love
- Bacon Wrapped Green Bean Bundles
- Colcannon Potatoes
- Sauteed Carrots with Scallions and Thyme
- Cheesy Cauliflower au Gratin
If you make this recipe be sure to upload a photo in the comment section below or leave a rating. Enjoy! You can also jump to recipe.
Loaded Scalloped Potatoes Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 pounds Yukon gold sliced into 1/4-inch slices
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups cold milk
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- Pinch ground nutmeg
- 2 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese divided
- 8-10 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
- Fresh chives chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 2 quart baking dish with olive oil spray and set aside.
- Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are just tender, about 8 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.
- Melt butter in a large saucepan set over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds, then stir in flour until well combined.
- Slowly whisk in chicken broth, cook for 1 minute, then stir in milk. Whisk until smooth, seasoning with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Continue cooking for 1-2 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in 1 cup of cheddar cheese until melted.
- Spread ¼ cup of the sauce over the prepared baking dish. Arrange ⅓ of the sliced potatoes evenly over the sauce. Top with ⅓ of the sauce to cover the potatoes, then sprinkle with ⅓ cup of the cheddar cheese and ⅓ of the bacon. Continue layering two more times in that order with the remaining potatoes, sauce, cheese, and bacon and repeat. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top.
- Cover with foil and bake for 25-30 minutes. Uncover and continue baking for another 5 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender. Turn the broiler to high and brown the cheese, if desired.
- Garnish with chives and serve warm.
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Nutrition Information
Where to begin? If you cut the potatoes like in the images and cook as directed, you end up with mush. 1/4 thick is a REALLY thick slice. Using 4 cups of liquid (2 broth/2 milk) with only 1/4 cup of flour yields a very liquid ‘sauce’. 2 cups of liquid total would be much more appropriate. And then there’s the total time…this recipe easily takes 1.5 hours (my bacon doesn’t cook itself). It was such a failure as directed, it was not even edible.
Oh no, Rachele! I’m sorry this recipe didn’t work out for you! I’d love to help you troubleshoot. To keep the potatoes from going mushy, only boil until just beginning to turn tender. They should not quite be fork tender! They will continue to cook in the oven to the perfect consistency. Also, be sure to cook the sauce over the stovetop until it begins to thicken. This may take longer than directed depending on your individual stove!