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.
Try more of my ground beef recipes:
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Slow Cooker Beef and Potatoes Au Gratin
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:
Sarah’s 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’
Anonymous says
Very good recipe. I did not use onions husband not a big fan of onions. He liked the recipe. Will be added to regular rotation
Debbie says
How should I change this to bake in the oven? More broth? We loved it in the slow cooker but I want to try it in the oven. Thanks for your wonderful recipes!
Sarah Olson says
I believe it would be one hour at 350 degrees, I do not test my recipes in the oven, so that is just an educated guess. I would cover it with foil as well.
Anonymous says
I followed the recipe but cooked on low for 6 1/2 hours (was probably done at 5 1/2). Absolutely delicious! Thank you.
Regina says
This has become one of my 2 week meal planning meals. My family loves it even my youngest and he is very picky.
Tamara says
I didn’t rate this recipe yet as it’s still in the slow cooker. Followed the recipe except for the following changes.
1. I used left over grilled brats sliced in place of the ground beef.
2. I drizzled EVOO over each potato layer and seasonings, onions.
3. I combined one cup of chicken broth and one can of cream of mushroom soup for the liquid.
I’ll update my thoughts on the recipe once it’s done:)
Thank you OP:)
Judy says
Umm, as you created a whole different recipe, why would you comment on the original recipe?
Meg says
How much is a serving?
Sarah Olson says
1/6 of the recipe. I don’t have measurements, I apologize.
Lynn says
How many hours on Low for Beef & Au Gratin? And I never PEEL potatoes, because most Nutrients/Vitamins & Fiber are in the Skin. And I love the taste of Potato Skins.
Sarah Olson says
About 5 hours on low. Depends how thick your potatoes are.
Carol says
There is a lot of potato in this recipe! Next time I will reduce potatoes and increase onions. It also only took 2 hours on high to cook so after 4 it was overdone.
Cassandra says
This was fantastic! I substituted ground turkey for the ground beef and used shredded colby-jack cheese. My husband had two large servings (and he’s a very picky eater!!). Thank you for this…happy tummies tonight!
RH says
I wanted to love this but without the cream, it’s not a true Au Gratin, so the name of the recipe is really misleading. The flavor was one-dimensional and really would have benefitted from a simple bechamel sauce.
Valeria says
Can you freeze this?
Sarah Olson says
Potatoes don’t freeze well, they turn grainy.
maball says
Did not have a lot of flavor- needs something more. Good way to use up potatoes though.