These simple skillet scalloped potatoes with mushroom soup are a great way to whip up a flavorful side dish in a convenient way.
Why This Recipe Works
Have you ever found a scalloped potato recipe that is made for a casserole dish size you don't have? Yeah, that's common.
This recipe however uses a standard size deep skillet that you are far more likely to have around your kitchen. No more specialty pans that you rarely use!
Plus, by using a condensed mushroom soup, the scalloped potatoes cook up quicker and don't require as much time preparing the sauce!
What's Goes Into the Recipe?
- Potatoes. Choose starchy potatoes for this recipe. Russet and Yukon Gold's are the most common and will both be delicious. Plus, they tend to be a bit larger than their waxy counterparts so there are fewer to peel!
- Mushroom Soup. You can use a condensed store bought soup, or make your own as home. Make sure you own homemade recipe uses enough thickener to be equal to the 10.5 ounce can of store bought.
- Thyme. If you can get fresh, do it. This is part of the secret of making scalloped potatoes with mushroom soup taste entirely from scratch. However, substituting with dried will still give it oomph.
- Milk. This isn't the time to skimp. Go full fat if you can. If you have lower fat milk on hand, you can substitute ¼ of the milk with half and half for the same effect.
- Cheese. If you can, shred the cheese yourself. Most stores sell the shredded cheese with an anticoagulant added to prevent it from clumping. This same ingredient makes the skillet scalloped potatoes sauce not quite as good.
- Sour Cream. You don't want too much of the sour cream because the acid can make the potatoes hard, so don't improvise on this one.
- Onion. Go for a sweet yellow onion and slice it very thin. If you feel comfortable, use the mandolin after you finished the potatoes to make sure the slices aren't thicker than the potatoes.
How To Make This Recipe
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Peel the potatoes and use a mandolin to slice potatoes into ⅛ inch thick pieces.
Meanwhile, heat a small saucepan with the mushroom soup, milk, and sour cream. Once simmering, stir in the shredded cheese.
Heat the skillet until the butter melts and use a paper towel to rub the butter around the bottom and sides of the pan.
Slightly overlap a layer of the potatoes like a spiral in the bottom of the skillet. Use a spoon to add ¼ of the sauce mixture and spread it around.
Sprinkle in a little fresh thyme and repeat two more times.
On the top layer pour the last of the sauce over the top and sprinkle on the rest of the shredded cheese and thyme.
Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour.
Remove the aluminum foil from the skillet scalloped potatoes and bake another 10-15 minutes or until the top layer is browned and crispy.
Let the scalloped potatoes rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Expert Tips
- Mixing the cheese into the cream of mushroom soup sauce mixture prevents the cheese from becoming grainy while cooking.
- If using dried thyme, use 4 teaspoons total.
- Traditionally, scalloped potatoes use a cheese blend like gruyere and parmesan. I also love to mix in mozzarella and fontina. (This blend is often referred to as "pizza cheese mix" or "four cheese blend".) You can use whatever cheese you prefer, even cheddar cheese is delicious.
- Don't skip the time for the time for the skillet scalloped potatoes to set up. This is what helps the layers grab ahold of each other like lasagna. It won't be quite that firm, but it won't immediately fall apart as you pick up a slice.
- You can speed up the process of browning the top by placing the pan in the middle of the oven under the broiler. Cook for 3-5 minutes.
FAQ's
For the best guaranteed texture, peeled potatoes work best. However, it isn't a requirement, especially if you use a starchy variety of potato (Russet or Yukon Gold) whose peel cooks better.
Yes you can, just place them in a bowl of water and refrigerate covered for up to 12 hours. (Any longer than that and the potatoes become waterlogged and soggy.) This slows down the oxidation process and also helps remove some of the excess starch that can slow down the cooking process.
Similar to baking a cake, stick a toothpick or knife all the way into the skillet scalloped potatoes. It should easily pierce the potatoes and remove without too much friction.
Related Recipes
Looking for some other great starchy side dishes? I highly recommend:
Skillet Scalloped Potatoes with Cream of Mushroom Soup Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes
- 1 small onion, (optional)
- 1 condensed cream of mushroom soup, 10.5 ounces
- ¾ cup milk
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 4 Tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 2 ½ cups shredded cheese, your favorite (see tips for my favorite)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Peel the potatoes and use a mandolin to cut the potatoes to ⅛" slices. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan, heat the mushroom soup, milk, and sour cream together. Once it begins to simmer turn off the heat and stir in 1 cup of the shredded cheese and paprika.
- Melt the butter in the bottom of a 12" skillet with high sides. Use a paper towel to rub the butter around the bottom and sides of pan until coated.
- Working in a spiral pattern, slightly overlap the sliced potatoes until the bottom of the pan is covered. Spoon and spread out ¼ of the mushroom soup mixture. Sprinkle on one tablespoon of the fresh thyme. Repeat two more times.
- Put the final layer of potatoes on the top and pour the last of the soup mixture on top. Cover with the last of the shredded cheese and thyme. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for one hour.
- Remove the foil and cook for another 10-15 minutes or until the top is golden brown and crusty. Remove from the oven and let rest at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Mixing the cheese into the cream of mushroom soup sauce mixture prevents the cheese from becoming grainy while cooking.
- If using dried thyme, use 4 teaspoons total.
- Traditionally, scalloped potatoes use a cheese blend like gruyere and parmesan. I also love to mix in mozzarella and fontina. (This blend is often referred to as “pizza cheese mix” or “four cheese blend”.) You can use whatever cheese you prefer, even cheddar cheese is delicious.
- Don’t skip the time for the time for the skillet scalloped potatoes to set up. This is what helps the layers grab ahold of each other like lasagna. It won’t be quite that firm, but it won’t immediately fall apart as you pick up a slice.
- You can speed up the process of browning the top by placing the pan in the middle of the oven under the broiler. Cook for 3-5 minutes.
What are your thoughts?