If you’re looking for a hearty meal, this Slow Cooker Beef and Potato Au Gratin is the perfect recipe to try. Packed with hearty Russet potatoes, ground beef, and simple flavors, your family will love this dinner choice.
I love a hearty one-pot meal in the slow cooker like this one and my Seasoned Chicken and Veggies Recipe or Homestyle Pot Roast Dinner.
What is potato au gratin?
Au gratin potatoes are often confused with scalloped potatoes because they look similar. While scalloped potatoes typically call for a mix of milk and heavy cream, potato au gratin ingredients include lots of shredded cheese between its layers.
For this particular recipe, a combination of ground beef, white onion, and shredded sharp cheese are layered before slowly being cooked to perfection. Who knew you could make potatoes au gratin with ground beef?
Recipe Ingredients
- Potatoes: The potatoes go in the slow cooker peeled; though I don’t mind skin on for most recipes, this one tastes great without. Be sure the potatoes are thinly sliced.
- Ground Beef: Adding beef to the recipe makes this au gratin potato dish a complete meal.
- Seasonings: These potatoes need heavy seasoning, so I went heavy with salt and pepper and added garlic powder, paprika, and parsley.
- Onion: White onion adds flavor and heartiness to this delicious casserole recipe.
- Beef broth: Evenly poured over all the layers to help everything cook evenly. Chicken broth works in a pinch!
- Cheese: It’s best to use a block of sharp cheddar cheese for shredding as it melts the best in meals like this.
Step One – Brown ground beef on the stovetop in a large skillet; add salt and pepper to taste.
Step Two – Mix the paprika, garlic powder, parsley, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.
Step Three – Peel and slice russet potatoes thinly and lay them on the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker. Add half of the potatoes to the slow cooker. Sprinkle over half of the onions and half of the seasonings.
Step Four – Add half of the meat.
Step Five – Sprinkle over half of the cheese.
Step Six – Add the remaining potato slices, seasoning, and onion.
Step Seven – Add the remaining beef.
Step Eight – Sprinkle over the remaining cheese and drizzle over the beef broth.
How to serve
- Since this is a one-pot meal, you can serve it as-is by scooping a nice serving into a bowl. If anything, garnish the top with fresh parsley.
- You can’t go wrong with sour cream and extra cheese for additional tasty topping suggestions.
- This is a proper comfort food, so garlic bread, garlic sticks, or homemade rolls also complement this casserole perfectly.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! Brown one package (12-16 ounces) of bacon, crumble and use it in place of the beef in this recipe. You can also use ground turkey.
Use any potatoes (red, gold, or white potatoes). Just be sure they are thinly sliced. You can even use sweet potatoes for an entirely different meal.
You can stir together a can of mushroom soup with the beef broth before pouring it over the finished layers.
Add any remaining beef and potatoes to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat the leftovers on the stove top over medium heat.
You can leave the skin on the potatoes if desired; it’s a personal preference.
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Slow Cooker Beef and Potatoes Au Gratin
Equipment Needed:
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. ground beef plus a touch of salt and pepper to season
- 3 lbs. peeled russet potatoes sliced a ¼ inch thick (about 7 cups total after being sliced)
- 1 cup thinly sliced white onion
- 1 tsp. paprika
- ½ tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. parsley
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp. pepper
- 3 cups shredded sharp cheese
- ½ cup beef broth or chicken broth
Instructions:
- Brown the ground beef on the stove top, drain fat. Add a touch of salt and pepper to season.
- In a small bowl combine the paprika, garlic powder, parsley, salt and pepper.
- Add half of the potatoes in the slow cooker. Sprinkle over half of the onions, half of the seasonings, half of the meat, and half of the cheese. Repeat the layers again.
- Drizzle over the broth evenly over the layers.
- Cover and cook on high for 4 hours. Do not open the lid during the cooking time or the potatoes will not get soft.
- Serve and enjoy!
How to Video:
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
Need an Instant Pot Version of this? Try this version:
Instant Pot Beef and Potato Au Gratin from The Centsable Shoppin’
Do you have similar recipe that use cheese soup and ham…love to try that. Bacon addition Timon this recipe sounds sooo good.
I do not, but that sounds great.
Looks delish and so easy for busy week nights. Cant wait to try this one!
Delish!! Will be a doable at our house. Thanks for sharing!
Can this be doubled?
Yes, though you will need to add additional time.
Can you use canned pre-cut potatoes?
I have not tried, I think it would have a different consistency.
None au gratiny at all.
This was delicious and so easy to make!
I found this dish to be a bit bland. I often taste test my slow cooker dishes and hour or so before finish. I then added a dusting of nutmeg, a pinch of cinnamon and lightly sprinkled some worcheshire sauce on top (1/2 tsp or so). Also a 1/3c of finely chopped green pepper. Green pepper is a great accompaniant with beef. The seasonings gave the dish some depth and warmth of flavor upon finish. Looks great served with fresh parsley on top. Served with a baguette and a small salad with a lite creamy buttermilk pepper dressing.
I rarely post when i change or add to a dish but I was really searching for a dish my mom used to make when i was a child. This dish inspired me to recreate that dish. Thanks for the inspiration.
This dish is fine on its own.
After slow cooking for a little over 4 hours on high the potatoes still weren’t cooked.
Keep the lid on and continue to cook, every slow cooker is different.
Didn’t this used to have cumin in it?
No! I haven’t touched the recipe ingredients since I published it.
Love the recipe, I make it often. Apparently I add cumin. Have made with ground turkey, have tried Instant Pot version. Thank you.
Do you think you could assemble the night before?
I’m unsure if the potatoes would brown since there isn’t much liquid.
I didn’t love this. I thought it was bland. Added pickles, ketchup and mustard to make it a cheeseburger bake of sorts. Wouldn’t make again.