Slow Cooker Au Gratin Potatoes and Ham is comfort food at its best! It is a great recipe to use up leftover ham after a holiday dinner.
This is a no-fuss slow cooker recipe. All of the ingredients can be prepared quickly and easily. You can use any kind of baked ham or spiral ham and it will taste great. You can also use any variety of potatoes. I especially like the use of thyme leaves in this Au Gratin dish. Thyme has a light mint and lemon scent and taste. Just a little bit of thyme goes a long way and really adds a delicious flavor to this dish.
The term “Au Gratin” is French and refers to a dish topped with grated cheese and/or browned bread crumbs. It is difficult to achieve the browned look of au gratin when cooking in a slow cooker, but the taste of the dish is pretty much the same. The potatoes along the sides and bottom of the slow cooker do brown a little as they cook, and gently stirring the potatoes before adding the cheese on top will bring some of the more browned potatoes to the top. Ham freezes very well. I usually freeze leftover ham and save it for recipes like this. The ham can be added frozen to the slow cooker. It will thaw and warm as the potatoes cook.
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If you want to make this a vegetarian dish or use it only as a side dish, you can substitute mushrooms, carrots, or extra potatoes for the ham. You can also use our Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup Substitute in place of the can of cream of mushroom soup in this recipe.
Slow Cooker Au Gratin Potatoes and Ham
- 8 potatoes medium-sized, peeled and sliced
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 cups cooked ham cubed
- 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- 2/3 cup milk
- 1/2 tsp thyme or more to taste
- ground pepper to taste
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In a slow cooker, layer half of the potatoes, onion, ham, and cheese.
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Repeat layer.
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In a mixing bowl, whisk together soup, milk, thyme, and fresh ground pepper.
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Pour over potato layers.
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Cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours, or on LOW for 6-8 hours.
More Slow Cooker Recipes
Slow Cooker Recipes are the best! It is so great to make dinner ahead of time and have it ready to serve after a busy day. Here are some more of our favorite Slow Cooker Recipes.
- Slow Cooker Lasagna – This is the easiest way to make lasagna! You don’t have to boil the noodles ahead of time. They cook in the sauce and come out perfectly every time.
- Slow Cooker Pizza Bake – All of you favorite flavors of pizza in a hearty pasta dish. Make it with your favorite pizza toppings.
- Slow Cooker Vegetable Beef Soup – A rich, stew-like soup with ground beef, potatoes, and lots of vegetables.
- Slow Cooker Kalua Pork with Cabbage – This is a Slow Cooker version of a Hawaiian dish often served at Luaus. The pork is tender, juicy, and flavorful.
- Slow Cooker Zesty Italian Shredded Chicken – A few ingredients are added to chicken breasts in the slow cooker to make a creamy, shredded chicken sauce that is delicious served over rice or pasta.
pam says
WE had this last night and it turned out great, thanks or sharing.
R.G. says
Doesn’t the milk curdle? Can it be put in at the end?
Echo says
The milk does not curdle. I’ve made this several times and I’ve never had that problem. You may have a problem adding it at the end because when mixed with the soup it gives the potatoes the liquid needed to cook and become soft and tender. If you are concerned about it, a better alternative would be to use water in place of the milk. Thank you for asking!
Jenn says
Are there any other meats that could be used in this dish? We don’t eat pork or beef. Thank you.
Echo says
I have always made this dish with ham, but I don’t see why cooked chicken or turkey wouldn’t work just as well. It would also be delicious as a side dish without any meat at all. You could substitute carrots, mushrooms, more potatoes or another vegetable in place of the ham. Thanks for asking, Jenn!
Suzanne says
Turkey pastrami would be a good substitute
Suzanne says
Turkey pastrami would be a good substitute or turkey ‘ham’ sold at most stores.
Emilie says
Hi, i don’t like cream of mushroom, what other type of soup mix would you recommend?
Echo says
This recipe would work with cream of chicken soup or cream of celery. We have a recipe for Cream of Chicken soup works as a great base. See the recipe here: /condensed-cream-of-chicken-substitute/
erin says
could i use canned potatoes in this recipe?
Favorite Family Recipes says
You probably wouldn’t want to use canned because the canned ones are typically pre-cooked. They will get too soft in the slow cooker with the additional time. You may be better off just baking. Hope this helps!
Heather Schumacher says
I subbed the cream of mushroom with cream of bacon. And also used bacon in place of the ham.
Favorite Family Recipes says
Cream of BACON? How have I never heard of this??