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Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes with Caramelized Onions, the ultimate holiday side dish. These potatoes are creamy, cheesy, and seasoned simply for a potato casserole that everyone really loves. The thinly sliced potatoes melt into a creamy, cheesy sauce. The top brown up in the oven adding a bit of crunch. Together these creamy crunchy potatoes are so delicious. They’re simple to make and always a crowd favorite.

Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes with Caramelized Onions | halfbakedharvest.com

Monday potatoes in prep for Thanksgiving next week! Is everyone getting excited for the big feast? I talked about this yesterday, but it feels as though we’ve skipped over Thanksgiving and moved right on into Christmas.

I mean, to a point! I’m still here sharing out as many Thanksgiving recipes as possible before the 25th rolls around. And these potatoes will add another delicious item to our Thanksgiving menu.

What’s funny about these potatoes is that as simple as these are, they really took me a while to perfect. I’ve struggled with scalloped potatoes for the longest time. I just could never get them to cook all the way through.

After a few rounds of these I figured out the secret. A lower oven temperature, plenty of liquid, and lots of time in the oven.

So while these do take a while to make, the prep is simple, and the rest is mostly hands off.

Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes with Caramelized Onions | halfbakedharvest.com

Here are the details

Before I slice the potatoes, I always caramelize the onions. A lot of potato casseroles call for onion powder. But I wanted to add a little more of a fresh onion flavor that wasn’t over powering, but just right.

I love to use caramelized onions for an onion flavor that’s more mellow.

I caramelize them down in a bit of butter and add wine to help them caramelize a little faster. Then just a little fresh thyme, salt, and pepper.

While the onions are cooking, I mix the cream, milk, and the two types of cheese together. Most scalloped or au gratin recipes will call for you to cook the milk and cheese together on the stove, creating more of a cheese sauce.

I’ve found that the cheese sauce didn’t help the potatoes cook. It left me with a drier potato, and not in a delicious way.

So I skip cooking the sauce.

Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes with Caramelized Onions | halfbakedharvest.com

Slice the potatoes using a super sharp knife or a mandoline. Using a mandoline is ideal as you’ll get even slices and it’s much quicker too.

Layer the potatoes in a baking dish with the cream/milk/cheese mix and onions. I layer this up similar to a lasagna to ensure every potato gets evenly seasoned.

Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes with Caramelized Onions | halfbakedharvest.com

Once assembled, you bake

The baking time for these potatoes is long. I cook mine a full two + hours to ensure that the potatoes are really cooked and turn tender. I then remove the foil, add a little more cheese, and bake until the cheese is bubbling and browning on top.

It might seem simple, but that browned, golden top really adds another layer of deliciousness to the potatoes that makes everyone want more.

Serve these up warm with a little added fresh thyme for color.

I’m excited to have this recipe to share with not only you guys, but family and friends as well. I actually served them earlier in the month to my oldest brother Creighton. He said they’re probably one of his favorite potato dishes.

When you win over the brothers, all is good!

The next question is, what will you be pairing these cheesy potatoes with? The obvious answer for Thanksgiving is turkey. But come December, over here it will be my roasted beef tenderloin.

Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes with Caramelized Onions | halfbakedharvest.com

Looking for other easy Thanksgiving sides?? Here are my favorites: 

Make Ahead Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Crispy Parmesan Thyme Sweet Potato Stacks

Crispy Cheesy Potato Stacks

Sweet Potato Casserole with Sweet ‘n’ Savory Bacon Pecans

Lastly, if you make these Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes with Caramelized Onions, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!

Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes with Caramelized Onions

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 3 hours
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 478 kcal

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

Ingredients

Instructions

  • 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
    2. Melt together the butter and onions in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally until softened, about 10 minutes. At this point, you'll want to add the wine and continue to cook another 5 minutes until the onions are deeply caramelized.
    3. Add the garlic and thyme, then season with salt and pepper. Cook another 2 minutes, then remove from the heat.
    4. Butter a 9x13 inch casserole dish. In a large glass measuring cup, combine the cream, milk, a pinch of cayenne, salt, and pepper. Then add the Gruyere cheese. Pour 1/3 of the milk mix into the bottom of the baking dish. Layer in 1/3 of the potatoes, and 1/2 of the onions. Add another 1/3 milk mix, then 1/3 of the potatoes, and then the remaining onions. Add the remaining potatoes, then pour over the last of the remaining milk mix. Try to get the potatoes in an even layer.
    5. Cover and bake 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours. Remove the foil and top with cheddar cheese. Bake another 20 minutes, until the cheese is golden and melty. Serve the dish warm, topped with fresh thyme.

Notes

To make Ahead: prepare and bake through step 5, but stop cooking after 2 hours. Let chill, then cover, and keep in the fridge for up to 4 days. Before baking, bring the dish to room temperature, add the cheddar cheese, and bake another 20-30 minutes.
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Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes with Caramelized Onions | halfbakedharvest.com

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Comments

    1. Hi Steve,
      I didn’t measure my potatoes in pounds, but a good rule of thumb is usually 1 pound per potato. Let me know if you give this recipe a try! xT

    1. Hi Leah,
      Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback! I’m so glad it tasted good, sorry to hear you had some issues with the sauce! xx

    1. Hi Roberta,
      So sorry to hear that your milk curdled. At what step did this happen? Did you finish the recipe? How did they turn out? Let me know how I can help! xT

  1. 5 stars
    Made these scallop potatoes and everyone raved about them. Made them the night before and cooked them for 30 minutes the next day. Soo good!!

  2. I have a similar recipe, but I bring the mixture to a boil first to cut down on cooking time.

    Gotta love caramelized onions and browned cheese together!😋

  3. Question? I want to make these for Christmas Eve dinner but see many had a problem with the milk curdling. I don’t see anywhere in the recipe that the milk and cream need to be room temp or cooked with the gruyere? Can you clarify? These sound delicious!