CHEESY BACON RANCH SCALLOPED POTATOES

Scalloped potatoes smothered in a homemade cheese sauce and loaded with ranch seasoning and bacon crumbles. Delicious side dish for any meal or occasion.

Cheesy bacon ranch scalloped potatoes were on the menu for last night’s dinner. I do not know about you, but I have to wake up every single morning with “what’s for dinner” on my mind. Admittedly, it’s annoying! Some say that’s a part of adulting though… lol! On a serious note though, these cheesy bacon ranch scalloped potatoes came about because we wanted something cheesy. Macaroni and cheese is always a great answer, but that gets played out after so much of it.

One thing we always keep in our pantry, are potatoes. They are such a versatile vegetable, everyone should have a bag at all times. A few Christamas’ ago, I was gifted a veggie bullet- and it is my absolute FAVORITE kitchen gadget! This machine can spiralize, slice, and shred just about any and everything. It is a time saver for sure! Okay- enough about that.

Let’s get to these cheesy bacon ranch scalloped potatoes!

First things first- get those potatoes sliced thinly. Use a sharp knife, or a mandolin if you own one. Next, begin on the cheese sauce. Melt the butter in a medium size saucepan, over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, slowly stir in the flour. Continue stirring until all of the butter is absorbed by the flour, about 2-3 minutes.

NEXT: 

Slowly pour the half and half  into the flour. Stir vigorously to dissolve the flour into the half and half. After it is an almost smooth sauce, start to add the chicken broth. The sauce may be slightly thick, so add more chicken broth if needed.Temper the sour cream by adding a little bit of the cream sauce with the sour cream and mixing it. Doing this helps prevent the sour cream from separating once adding it to the hot pan.

Now it’s time for the cheese!

Add in 2 cups of the shredded cheddar cheese and stir until it’s melted into the sauce. You can season the cheese sauce with salt and pepper for added flavor.

How to assemble the cheesy bacon ranch scalloped potatoes:

Place the potatoes in a large bowl and season liberally with the packet of ranch seasoning. For more flavor, add some seasoning salt, garlic and onion powder, and black pepper. Mix the potatoes up good so they are fully coated with the seasoning.

Spray non-stick cooking spray in a baking dish and begin layering the potatoes. Place an even layer of potatoes, then some bacon crumbles, and some of the cheese sauce. Continue with those layers until all of the cheese sauce and potatoes have been used. On the top layer, add the remaining shredded cheddar cheese and bacon crumbles.

Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for about 30 minutes in the oven at 375 degrees. Cooking times may vary depending on oven settings. Scalloped potatoes are done when they are fork tender.

Yield: 4 People

Cheesy Bacon Ranch Scalloped Potatoes

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Scalloped potatoes smothered in a homemade cheese sauce and loaded with ranch seasoning and bacon crumbles. Delicious side dish for any meal or occasion.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 medium Potatoes, sliced thin
• 2 tablespoons Butter
• 1/2 cup Flour
• 2 cups Half and half, heavy cream or whole milk can substitute
• 1 cup Chicken broth
• 1/2 cup Sour cream
• 3 cups Shredded cheddar cheese, reserve 1 cup to sprinkle on top
• 1 cup Bacon, crumbled

Seasoning (to taste)

• 1 packet Ranch seasoning mix
• 1 tablespoon Seasoning salt
• 1 teaspoon Black pepper
• 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon Onion powder

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Melt butter in a medium size sauce pan. Once the butter melts, begin stirring in flour until combined.
2. Slowly add half and half to flour, stirring vigorously to get a smooth mixture, sauce will begin to thicken. Start to add in chicken broth and stir to get any lumps of flour out.
3. Temper the sour cream by adding a little bit of the cream sauce and stirring, this prevents the sour cream from separating once adding it to the hot pan.
4. Once sauce is creamy and not too thick, add in the 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese, stir until smooth.
5. In a large bowl, season sliced potatoes and mix to ensure they are coated evenly. Begin layering potatoes in a shallow baking dish.
6. Layer potatoes, bacon, and then cheese sauce, continue layering until all the cheese sauce is used up.
7. Add the remaining shredded cheddar cheese and bacon crumbles to the top layer of the potatoes.
8. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.

Notes

Baking times may vary depending on oven settings. 

If cheese sauce is too thick, add more chicken broth to thin it out.

Use vegetable broth in place of chicken broth if desired.

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