📋 Old Fashioned Scalloped Potatoes Recipe without cheese

cooked scalloped potatoes without cheese in a blue casserole dish with a wooden spoon and a checkered tea towel in the background

5 from 3 votes

📋 Old Fashioned Scalloped Potatoes Recipe without cheese

Made with ingredients you have on hand, this Old fashioned scalloped potatoes without cheese recipe is a classic comfort food dish that has been enjoyed for generations. This recipe makes a great side dish for a holiday feast and is especially popular at Easter dinner, but is great for any time of the year!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American, Canadian, North American

Keyword potatoes, scalloped potatoes

Special Diet Vegetarian

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 20

Servings servings

Calories 272kcal

Author Terri Gilson

Equipment

Ingredients

8-10 medium potatoes *I use red potatoes
½ cup salted butter
6 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2½ teaspoon salt
1½ teaspoon pepper
4 cups scalded milk (see directions) = 1 litre
3 onions, sliced in rounds, then cut in half * I use yellow onions

US Customary - Metric

Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

Prep: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F ( 176 degrees C) Wash and peel potatoes.
Slice potatoes on medium slicing setting in food processor (I use a #5 on my Cuisinart food processor) or with mandoline. *You can do this by hand but it will take you much longer.
*You'll want them to be about ⅛ inch thick (#5 on my Cuisinart food processor)
Scald milk (*see video) - this step is optional but recommended.
Spread ⅓ potatoes in pan and top with ⅓ of the onions
Dot on half the flour and ⅓ of the butter, then sprinkle on ⅓ of the salt and pepper
Repeat for next layer (adding the potato, onion, butter, flour and salt and pepper)
Place remaining potatoes on top, then remainder of the butter, onions, sprinkle salt and pepper.
Pour milk over top.
Bake, uncovered in 13X9 inch casserole dish for 60 minutes - 75-80 or until fork can easily go through potatoes and it's browned on top.
*If the top is browning too fast and the potatoes aren't cooked, lay a piece of aluminum foil over the top to prevent burning.
*If you want it to cook faster, seal the pan with aluminum foil before baking, then remove after 45 minutes. You may have to turn it up to broil (500 degrees F/260 degrees C) for 1-2 minutes at the end, in order to get the browning you desire.
Allow to set for 5 minutes before serving.

Garnish

Garnish with parsley or green onion or chives, if desired.

Notes

🎥 Video:

If you’re not sure how to scald milk, check out this How to scald milk video!

Expert tips:

- Best Potatoes to Use: Red potatoes hold their shape well and add great texture. Yukon Golds work too, offering a creamier result. Avoid russets unless you prefer a softer consistency.

- Uniform Slices: To ensure even cooking, slice the potatoes uniformly—about ⅛ inch thick. A mandoline slicer or food processor can save time.

- Prevent Browning: If prepping potatoes in advance, submerge them in cold water and store them in the fridge to prevent discoloration.

- Don't skip scalding: Scalding milk acts as a flavor carrier, warming up the ingredients before baking, reducing cooking time, and preventing curdling.

- How to Scald Milk: Heat it on medium until small bubbles form around the edges—don’t let it boil! (see Video).

- Prevent Dryness: If the top starts browning too much before the potatoes are fully cooked, loosely cover with foil.

- Check Doneness: Use a fork to test—potatoes should be tender but not mushy.

The "Lazy Way" Prep Hacks for Scalloped Potatoes

Don't Rinse the Potatoes: After slicing, do not rinse your potatoes! You want that extra starch to stay on the slices, as it helps thicken the sauce and makes the dish extra creamy.
The "Onion Layer" Trick: Instead of mixing the onions into the sauce, layer them thinly between the potatoes. This ensures the onion flavor infuses every single bite without overpowering the sauce.
The Foil Seal: Keep the dish tightly covered with foil for the first 45 minutes of baking. This "steams" the potatoes so they get tender quickly. Remove the foil for the last 15 minutes to get those beautiful, "Award-Winning" golden brown edges

How to Avoid "Hard" Scalloped Potatoes

The #1 complaint people have when making old-fashioned scalloped potatoes is that the potatoes stay hard even after an hour in the oven. To ensure your dish is perfectly "fork-tender" every single time, follow these three hacks:

The ⅛-Inch Rule: Use a sharp knife (or better yet, a mandoline or food processor- #5 thickness on my Cuisinart food processor) to slice your potatoes into uniform rounds that are about ⅛-inch thick. If the slices are too thick, they won't cook through at the same rate as the sauce thickens.
Uniformity is Key: Make sure every slice is roughly the same thickness. This ensures that every bite is perfectly cooked, rather than having some mushy pieces and some crunchy ones.
The "Foil Steam" Method: Always bake your scalloped potatoes tightly covered with aluminum foil for at least the first 45 minutes. This traps the steam from the milk and potatoes inside the dish, "pressure-cooking" the slices until they are soft. You can remove the foil for the final 15 minutes to get those beautiful, golden-brown edges we all love!

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