Healthy Au Gratin Potatoes | Perfect Holiday Side!

This healthy Cheesy Au Gratin Potatoes recipe is a clean-eating, savory, and easy upgrade to an old classic. Bake this savory side as a gluten-free accompaniment to your main protein.  Perfect as a holiday side, too!

this RECIPE

Okay, friends, let me be the first to introduce you to these next-level au gratin potatoes right here. I wanted to go all out with this au gratin potatoes recipe by adding additional yummy flavors to the cheesy potato goodness. I brought in the big guns: onion, bacon, and mushrooms

Yup.  And it was goooood.

What Are Au Gratin Potatoes?

Okay, so if you're wondering what the difference between au gratin and scalloped potatoes are and, thus what are au gratin potatoes, hopefully, this helps explain it for you.  PS: You're not alone!

Here are the three main differences between au gratin and scalloped potatoes:

1. What's on top of the dish. A gratin (coming from the French word for "grated") usually has a topping of breadcrumbs or cheese (like in this recipe), which gets golden brown as it finishes its cooking. A scalloped dish does not have a grated topping. The surface pf scalloped potatoes may still brown, but it is the sauce itself that is browned, not the gratin.
2. The Cheese!  Most of the time, "Au gratin" indicates cheese is either on top or within the sauce.  Scalloped, however, does not have cheese.  
3. Are they scalloped? The term, "scalloped," refers to the shape of the potatoes on top that tend to curl up around the edge when cooked forming the shape of a scallop shell.

HOW TO MAKE GLUTEN-FREE

This recipe for Cheesy Au Gratin Potatoes is already gluten-free. But, if you are new to the world of cooking without gluten, you should know to check your cheese before purchasing to make sure that there is no added wheat starch or modified food starch made from wheat. 

Other things to look out for are the addition of barley or rye to the cheese making process. As long as you keep an eye out for those additions, you’ll be fine! Enjoy the yummy flavor of cheddar cheese used in my recipe, or try variations, like Gruyere.

HOW TO MAKE VEGAN

It’s simple to make this healthy au gratin potato recipe into a vegan dish. Make this wholesome dish super creamy and vegan-friendly by using cauliflower cheese sauce instead of actual cheese.

Of course, there are lots of vegan cheeses out there, too. Explore tastes like cheddar, ricotta, mozzarella, gouda, and more any time you need to transform a cheese-related dish into vegan fare. If you are looking to make a dairy-free version of this savory side, use your vegan cheese option in this case as well.

You can also sub out the bacon for additional mushrooms to make this au gratin potatoes recipe vegan.

INGREDIENT SUBSTITUTIONS

There are easy ingredient substitutes for Cheesy Au Gratin Potatoes. I know sometimes there is a need to replace an item because of a health concern or a specific diet. Here is how to do it:

• Gluten-free: Double check the cheese you buy to verify that there are no wheat additives. As for the bacon, make sure there is no malt used in processing.
• Vegan/Non-dairy: Substitute vegan cheese or make a cauliflower “cheese” sauce.  Replace bacon with addiitonal mushrooms.
• Keto: Replace the potatoes with cauliflower for a low-carb, fiber-rich option.
• Paleo: Replace the cheese with coconut cream and almond milk.

HOW TO PREP AHEAD

This potatoes au gratin recipe can easily be made ahead of time and then reheated when ready.  As long as the potatoes are mostly submerged in the cheesy, creamy gooey goodness, you will likely not have any issue of the potatoes turning brown or grey. 

To prepare the make ahead au gratin potatoes, just cover the cooked dish with plastic wrap.  You can also press down the plastic wrap to directly touch the potatoes to remove as much air as possible.  Then, when ready to reheat, place in the oven as in the directions to heat through.

HOW TO REHEAT

In the unlikely event you have any portions of this delicious baked classic left over, you can go ahead and store right in the same dish. Just be careful to wrap these healthy au gratin potatoes well with saran or foil until you reheat.

To warm them up, place in a 350 degree oven, covered with foil. Check it in 20 minutes. If you want to freeze the leftovers, do so in an airtight dish and thaw in the refrigerator before reheating in the oven.

What To Eat With Au Gratin Potatoes

Here's a list of my favorite recipes to eat with au gratin potatoes:

• Easy Roasted Pork Tenderloin
• Garlic Roasted Pork Chops
• Oven Roasted Chicken
• Honey Mustard Chicken
• Roast Beef
• Pan-Roasted Steak

LOOKING FOR MORE HEALTHY POTATO SIDES?

If you are wondering about healthy potato sides for your next special occasion (or for a weeknight dinner!), look no further. These easy clean-eating dishes are oh, so savory and sure to please every taste:

• Roasted Potato Salad
• Easy Sweet Potato Hash
• Healthier Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes

This tasty side also makes a great side dish for a Christmas ham so keep them in mind during the holidays!

Cheesy Au Gratin Potatoes

Lacey Baier

Make your own homemade Cheesy Au Gratin Potatoes! This potatoes au gratin recipe is an easy, healthy, and flavorful upgrade to an old classic.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Side

Cuisine American

Servings 8

Calories 221 kcal

Equipment

• Saucepan
• Square Baking Dish 8x8

*This post may contain affiliate links for products I use often and highly recommend.

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 3 medium russet potatoes, sliced between ⅛ and ¼-inch thick
• ▢ 8 cremini mushrooms, fienly diced
• ▢ ½ large yellow onion, finely diced
• ▢ 4 strips nitrate-free bacon, chopped
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ▢ 1 teaspoon sea salt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 3 tablespoon chickpea (garbanzo bean) flour
• ▢ 2 cups unsweetened almond milk
• ▢ ¾ cup PLUS ¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions

 

• Heat oven to 400 degrees.
• Place potato slices in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high for 6 minutes. This will save significant time baking, as it will start to cook the potatoes. If you're wanting to line the potato slices into a neat domino format (as pictured above), do this before heating in the microwave. Lining them up makes for a better presentation, but is not necessary.
• Over medium-high heat, cook bacon for 3-5 minutes, or until it begins to sweat.
• Add onion and mushrooms and cook until tender. 
• Add garlic and cook for one additional minute. Then, remove from heat.
• In a medium sauce pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Mix in the chickpea flour, garlic powder, and sea salt, stirring constantly. Cook for one minute.
• Add the almond milk and stir to combine. Continue to cook, stirring very frequently, until mixture has thickened.(To get even thicker, can add 1 tsp. arrowroot starch, though this is not necessary).
• Add in ¾ cups of the cheddar cheese, and stir until melted. 
• Combine the onion-mushroom-bacon mixture with the cheese sauce.
• If you lined the potato slices like dominos, just pour the cheesy onion contents over the potatoes and then giggle the baking dish some to get it to settle in the crevices. If you'd prefer to just combine it all together and not worry about the slices being in an orderly fashion, just gently toss to combine, making sure to coat the potatoes as evenly as possible, and then pour into the baking dish.
• Sprinkle the remaining cheese evenly over the top.
• Bake, covered with aluminum foil, for 40-50 minutes, until potatoes are completely tender. Remove aluminum foil and bake, uncovered, for an additional 10-15 minutes until top is golden brown.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 cupCalories: 221 kcalCarbohydrates: 19.1 gProtein: 8.1 gFat: 13 gSaturated Fat: 5.1 gCholesterol: 24 mgSodium: 485.5 mgFiber: 2.1 gSugar: 1.3 gVitamin A: 800 IUVitamin C: 7.4 mgCalcium: 280 mgIron: 1.1 mg

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