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’
Marlene says
Hi..I bought new potatoes.. This…wil also work eh?!
Sarah Olson says
Yes, should do fine!
Sandy Zitek says
good
Lisa Salacinski says
I followed directions to cook on high for 4 hours. I placed a piece of tinfoil under the lid to hold the moisture for the potatoes. The top burger layer was a bit dry but my cooker temperature runs high. The potatoes were perfectly cooked. I sliced the potatoes closer to 1/2″ and left the skins on. The taste was ho hum. The taste of the cheese was not discernable. I think the longer cooking time simply melted the cheese into the moisture used for the potatoes. Maybe I’ll try it again and add a can of diced tomatoes and some chilies with much more cheese.
Erika says
I made this today and it was so good! I used 1 cup of chicken bone broth and used red onion since that’s what I already had. Didn’t have parsley so I had to omit that. Also didn’t have paprika so I used soul seasoning which has paprika in it. Also sprinkled the meat with onion powder while it was cooking. Was very flavorful, not bland at all. halfway through I turned the heat down to low as it seemed to be cooking too hot. It was done in 4 hours. I have an older crock pot almost 20 years old, so not sure if that’s why. Added a little more shredded cheese to my portion once added to my plate. This is a great recipe and was easy to make. Much better than the boxed version!
Alyssa says
Do you have nutrition info on this?
Rev says
Pay attention…your comment obviously does not apply to the recipe at hand which is Beef and Potatoes Au gratin.
I cant speak for anyone else but I sure enough would not want butternut, lemon and herb chicken nor carrots mixed in.
Erica Meadows says
I see this calls for a white onion. I have sweet onions. What is your opinion on that.
Sarah Olson says
Sweet onion will work fine in this!
Anna says
How many servings
Sarah Olson says
about 6
Chelsea says
Going off personal preference, I doubled the spices and halved the cheese, used a crockpot liner, and substituted broth made from beef bouillon since it usually has more flavor. Cooked on low for 6 hours since my Hamilton Beach model tends to run hot. Was a success! Served with green beans.
Kimberly says
Hi Sarah – by chance can you slice up canned potatoes for this recipe? With arthritis it’s difficult to peel potatoes. Thank you.
Sarah Olson says
Hi Kim! You probably could, and cut the cook time way down. You could leave the skins on too!
Martha says
This looks delicious!
What do you normally serve this with?
Sarah Olson says
On it’s own or with a salad.
Sara says
I cheated. Used frozen hash browns, because I needed to use theme but all else as normal and I just loved it. So tasty and warming in this snowy day! Thanks for sharing!!
Sarah Olson says
Thank you for the tip! How easy that will be when I make this again.