This Slow Cooker Beef and Potato Au Gratin is an easy from-scratch hearty meal!
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.
I can eat au gratin potatoes by the plate full! I decided to add ground beef to homemade potatoes au gratin and came up with this fabulous hearty meal.
I really enjoyed creating this recipe. I knew that the potatoes would need some heavy seasoning, so I went heavy with the salt and pepper, but also added garlic powder, paprika and parsley.
The potatoes go in the slow cooker peeled, though I don’t mind skin on for most recipes this one tastes great without.
How to make Beef and Potato Au Gratin in the crockpot:
- Brown ground beef on the stovetop, add salt and pepper to taste.
- Peel and slice russet potatoes thinly and lay them on the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker.
- 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.
- Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours. (see full recipe below)
Can I use bacon instead of ground beef?
Yes! Brown one package (12-16 ounces) of bacon, crumble and use in place of the beef in this recipe.
Can I use a different type of potato?
Use any type of potato in this recipe just be sure to thinly slice them.
- Red Potatoes
- Gold Potatoes
- White Potatoes
How to serve Beef and Potato Au Gratin:
- Serve as a main dish.
- If desired add a green salad or steamed green veggies.
- Enjoy!
Try more of my ground beef recipes:
- Slow Cooker John Wayne Casserole
- Slow Cooker Hamburger Potato Casserole
- Slow Cooker Land Your Man Baked Beans
- Slow Cooker Salisbury Steak
- Slow Cooker Porcupine Meatballs
- Slow Cooker Chuck Wagon Chili
- Slow Cooker Hamburger Hash
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
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. parsley
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
- 3 cups shredded sharp cheese
- 1/2 cup chicken broth or beef 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’
Did not have a lot of flavor- needs something more. Good way to use up potatoes though.
How about the dehydrated sliced potatoes that you get from au gratin box kits.
I have not tested with those, let me know if it works for you!
Yes, it worked very well. Much less labor!
DIce THE potatoes IN STAD SLICES POPATOES
Can I use ground turkey instead of ground beef?
Yes, that will work great.
Can I bake this in the oven if I don’t have a crockpot big enough? And if so for how long?
I have not tested in the oven, I apologize. Though I’m sure it would work.
I had a ton of ground beef and a bag of potatoes to use up. So happy I found this recipe. The onion is essential!
Would this work with less cheese and vegetable broth instead? I’m trying to use up the rest of some stuff in my fridge 🙂
I don’t see why not!
If I do 2lb of ground bison how long do I have to cook for ? Will it still be 4 hours?
Yes, I would cook for the same amount of time, 4 hours.
Can I use thin round steak instead of ground beef? And Do I need to brown it first before I put it into the crock pot?
I don’t see why not, since it will cook up fine with the potatoes. You do not need to brown it.
So I can just cut the thin round steak into thin strips and put it in place of the hamburger without browning it, is that correct? I love this dish,and I make it all the time
So I can just cut the thin round steak into thin strips and put it in place of the hamburger in the crock pot and I do not have to precook it,?is that correct?We love this dish and I make it all the time just the way you do.
Can this be cooked on low instead of high in the slow cooker? I wanted to make it tomorrow, but I go to work at 9:30 and it would get done too early if cooked on high.
Casserole-type recipes in the slow cooker can’t go too long. They tend to burn on the edges. You may be able to get away with 6 hours on low though.
My question is from my experience potatoes take so long to cook well done in the slow cooker even when cut small. I’m going to try this in my slow cooker tonight and hopefully it will be done for tomorrow afternoon to eat. I will report back with my findings
Keep the lid on the entire time for sure!
I was afraid this wasn’t going to be good. But it WAS GOOD!! I’m making it again tomorrow night. Going to experiment a bit and add some cream of mushroom soup. It was really good, I just think it was missing that tiny “something”.
Looks good
Making this tonight, I’m using Ground Bison. I also went with smoked paprika,and added a 1/2 cup of red wine