Easy Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes (Printable)

Thinly sliced potatoes baked in a creamy cheddar and mozzarella cheese sauce with a golden top.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 2 lbs Yukon Gold or Russet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
02 - 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced

→ Dairy

03 - 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
04 - 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
05 - 2 cups whole milk
06 - 2 tbsp unsalted butter
07 - 2 tbsp all-purpose flour

→ Seasonings

08 - 1 tsp salt
09 - 1/2 tsp black pepper
10 - 1/2 tsp garlic powder
11 - 1/4 tsp paprika

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish and set aside.
02 - Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and whisk for 1 minute to form a roux.
03 - Slowly pour milk into the saucepan, whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Cook until slightly thickened, approximately 3-4 minutes.
04 - Remove from heat. Stir in salt, pepper, garlic powder, and half of the cheddar and mozzarella cheeses until melted and smooth.
05 - Layer half the potatoes in the prepared dish. Top with half the onion slices and half the cheese sauce. Repeat with remaining potatoes, onions, and cheese sauce.
06 - Sprinkle the remaining shredded cheeses and paprika over the top layer.
07 - Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes.
08 - Remove foil and bake an additional 25-30 minutes, or until potatoes are tender and the top is golden brown.
09 - Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It's a showstopper that takes less than 20 minutes of actual hands-on work, leaving you free to handle everything else on the table.
  • The combination of cheddar and mozzarella creates this impossibly creamy sauce that somehow gets even better as it sits.
  • You can assemble it hours ahead and just slide it in the oven when you're ready, which means one less thing to stress about during dinner prep.
02 -
  • The foil matters—without it, the top burns before the potatoes get tender, and with it, everything stays moist and creamy until the final uncovered minutes.
  • Slice your potatoes as thin as humanly possible because thick slices will still be hard in the center even when the sauce looks perfect.
03 -
  • Use a mandoline for slicing unless you have the knife skills of someone who actually attended culinary school—consistency in thickness is what separates mushy bottom from perfectly tender potatoes.
  • Don't get nervous about the cheese sauce; it's just a roux and milk, which you've probably made a thousand times without realizing it had a fancy name.
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