Take all the work out of your favorite potatoes. Add in some ground beef, extra seasonings, and copious amounts of cheese? And these Slow Cooker Beef & Potatoes Au Gratin are a hearty meal the whole family will love.
There are days where I love my crockpot. Every day, I like my crockpot.
Then there are the days I feel like I should get down on bended knee and recite an ode for the ages to that epic electric machine.
Not like in some odd worshipy, check my into the loony-bin way. More like, this machine is a worker of practical miracles and even-though-i-know-its-an-inanimate-object-that-cant-actually-hear-me I feel an undeniable urge to sing it’s praises.
Hold on just a minute. Don’t write me off as crazy just yet.
This deep dish, slow cooker takes a meal (yup, a full meal) hours sweating/slaving in the kitchen, and makes it all in one pot while I go about my day.
Not only does it unchain me from the bonds of my kitchen and my familys’ voracious appetites, it frees me from my entire house I so choose.
Everything prepped, ready, into the pot. Set it, forget it, and BOOM– dinner’s ready in about 8 hours, regardless of whatever else I have or haven’t done that day.
Talk about liberating.
If only I had another machine that ran on the same principle and I came home to folded laundry and matched socks.
I mean, I’ve got one for everything but putting away my dishes. And there’s another for cleaning my floors. Why not for this last chore on my ‘Things I Hate To Do’ list??
Who knows. Maybe I should patent this idea? Maybe it’ll be on the market by the time my kids have kids.
Cheesy Au Gratin Potatoes is one of those dishes I mentioned earlier that took me hours of prepping and cooking. It was a show stopper at holiday dinners, and the whole family loved it whenever it would grace our supper table.
But it was work, and it took time.
Thankfully, my BFF- the crockpot- stepped in and made it almost effortless, and with a few alterations I even managed to turn one of our favorite side dishes into a complete main meal.
Slow Cooker Beef & Potatoes Au Gratin
Thinly sliced, seasoned potatoes are layered with ground beef and shredded cheddar cheese for a hearty family-friendly meal that’s slow cooked to perfection.
The same au gratin potatoes you love, without all the extra work, and upgraded to an all in one meal. Just like a slow cooker, this Slow Cooker Beef & Potatoes Au Gratin recipe should be in everyone’s kitchen.
If you’ve tried this SLOW COOKER BEEF & POTATOES AU GRATIN, or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Slow Cooker Beef & Potatoes Au Gratin
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 3 lbs russet potatoes, washed, peeled, and sliced into 1/4" coins
- 1 cup thinly sliced white onion
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp parsley
- salt & pepper, to taste
- 3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 2/3 cup chicken broth
Instructions
- In a skillet over medium high heat, brown the ground beef- stirring and breaking up as it cooks. Drain, return to the skillet, and set aside.
- Add the seasoning to a small prep bowl, stir them together until evenly combined.
- To the bottom of your slow cooker, add half of the potatoes in an even layer. Spread half of the sliced onions evenly out over the potatoes. Sprinkle half of the seasonings evenly out over top. Add half of the meat in an even layer, followed by the cheese. Repeat the layers.
- Slowly pour the chicken broth evenly out over the layers.
- Cover and cook the casserole on high for 4 hours without removing the lid. Resist the temptation, and trust me when I say that if you do, the heat lost in the process will prevent the potatoes from getting soft.
- Turn the slow cooker off, and let the casserole 'rest' for 3-5 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Jhuls says
I am salivating! This looks really good! Thanks for sharing & happy Fiesta Friday!
TurksWhoEat says
What a wonderful no fuss meal! It’s a little chilly here today and this looks like the perfect dinner 🙂
4sonsrus says
I was so excited to share, because the cooler temps are starting to roll in at night here– and it’s so cozy.
Colleen says
I never think of au gratin potatoes and beef together, however, I do have to say that it sounds pretty good! Certainly worth a try! Thanks for sharing on Fiesta Friday! – Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck – Colleen
Shirley says
This recipe looks great! I want to try it soon, but I don’t see whether to set the crock pot on high or low…did I miss it somewhere?
4sonsrus says
Thanks for pointing that oversight out for me, Shirley! It’s to be cooked on high, and I’ve since updated the instructions if you’d like to print out the recipe card. Hope you enjoy!
cecily says
Can you cook this on low for longer? will it get gross? I work 8 hours and am looking for something that takes that long in the crock pot.
4sonsrus says
It should be good for 8 on low 🙂
Erin says
I made this for dinner last night and it was absolutely delicious. Everyone loved it. I served it with green beans. What a hit!
4sonsrus says
Beans or broccoli both go good with it. Glad y’all enjoyed it as much as we do!
Sam Martin says
Have you tried it with putting in meat raw? Looking for one less step haha!
4sonsrus says
I haven’t, mostly because I was worried it would make everything too greasy-especially with the cheese. If you try it, let me know how it works out for you though!
tsir says
What if no cheese?
4sonsrus says
You could leave the cheese out, but we’ve never tried it that way.
Rosanne says
Can you please tell me how many servings this makes?
4sonsrus says
It serves our family of 6 with everyone getting a solid serving.
Angela Saunders says
Could I use a liner will it change anything?
4sonsrus says
I don’t see why not, Angela! I don’t often use them myself, but when I have everything’s worked well and turned out just like it was supposed to if made directly in the crock.
Amber says
I’m making this right now for dinner tonight. I only had vegetable stock instead of chicken so I added a bit extra salt than I normally would. I’m gonna try it on low for 7 or so hours. Thanks for the recipe!
4sonsrus says
Sounds great, Amber! I can’t wait to hear how it turns out!
TOMYCook says
I’ve always been leery about putting cheese into a crockpot, but I think I might have to set aside my irrational fears for this… it looks amazing!
Lauren says
I just made this and it was amazing! I added an extra half pound of beef (it all had to be eaten today or it would have expired) and I also added some cut up pickled jalapeños and some of the juice from the jar. And then I sprinkled more cheese on it after I plated it. Soooo amazing and super easy! (Especially since my twin boys peeled the potatoes!!) thank you for the recipe!!
4sonsrus says
I love how much easier my dinners get when I get my boys in the kitchen helping with prep. So wonderful to hear that you’re family enjoyed it. I can’t wait to try the jalapenos in mine the next time I make it- great addition! I can taste it now with just a hint of kick with the cheddar. I hope you find many more things here that you love just as much 🙂
Jan says
I made a vegetarian version with Morningstar Crumbles which I used frozen right from the bag, a vegetarian chicken broth and sliced cremini mushrooms on top. I cooked it for 8 hours on low. It smelled great while cooking and my husband and I really enjoyed it! Thanks for the recipe.
4sonsrus says
I love that you were able to easily adapt this to your vegetarian tastes, and still loved it as much as we do 🙂
Louise says
Potatoes did not get done. Probably will not make again🙁
4sonsrus says
Oh no! That makes me so sad 🙁 I know everybody’s slow cookers can be a bit different. We love this meal though.
Jeannie Bass says
I just made it in my 6 qt pressure cooker. Used bout 2 1/2 cups chicken broth vs 1/2 cup. Next time l’ll likely use 1 1/2 c. I set my cooker on brown, brought to a boil re-set on warm and in about 15 min, it was perfect. Served in bowls with green peas on top.
Kitty Dreisbach says
I walked into our house around 6PM this evening, after a 10 3/4 hour shift at the hospital to the alluring aroma of this! My sweet husband fixed our supper! He found this recipe this afternoon and went to the market for the chicken broth to fix this. He followed the recipe exactly and we have put this on our make again list…this is one tasty dish!
I did put a dollop of sour cream on top, along with even more cheddar cheese! If it weren’t for the Mexican Sundae makings I probably would have no lunch for tomorrow! Something that is this good most usually doesn’t last long because I can’t stop until I have to!
Thank you for sharing!
4sonsrus says
Thanks so much for leaving such an awesome note! I’m so happy your Hubby & this recipe were able to make your day. We make it often- it’s so easy, and everybody loves it. I can’t wait to try mine with some sour cream next time!
Karen says
Getting Ready To Make It Now. So Excited To See How It Turns Out 🙂
4sonsrus says
I can’t wait to hear!
Kasie says
Can this be turned into a freezer meal??
4sonsrus says
Absolutely! I’d recommend filling the bowl of your crockpot with a gallon sized ziplocking bag, and then assembling the au gratin as instructed. Seal tightly, removing any excess air. Keep the bag in the crock, and transfer them to your freezer until completely frozen. Then remove and store the bag only in the freezer. This will allow you to open and remove the frozen au gratin & pop it right in the crock. I’d let it thaw, sealed, for an hour or two, and then cook it as recommended in the recipe card.
Kaleigh says
So excited to try this! We’re a large family and this will be so easy to prep even the night before by slicing potatoes and stashing them in a Ziploc full of water.
One of my weekend rituals is to cook 2-4 lbs of ground beef or ground turkey (or yummy sausage!) for the week ahead. I pop it in the crock pot on high for a few hours while I’m doing chores, drain, and store in the fridge freezer so it’s at the ready. This recipe is going to be the perfect one to use some of that meat!!
Thanks for sharing!
Meg says
Making now but trying it with pre cut au gratin potatoes (Betty crocker’s boxed version) hoping it turns out.
Paula says
Making this now hope it turns out! I started using a crockpot because of my back trying to make it easier on me been cooking in it so far this week!
4sonsrus says
Crockpot’s make everything so much easier! We love making meals like this in them, because with very little effort- almost the whole meal’s done when the timer goes off.
Paula says
This was yummy and plan on having it again!!!
Elizabeth says
Can this recipe be made using low fat cheddar cheese as I need to watch my cholesterol ?
Lisa says
I put a small can of diced green chili’s in it. Really good too!
4sonsrus says
That sure sounds like a tasty addition. I love when I can ‘spice’ things up a bit. Thanks for sharing, Lisa!
Holly says
I’m making this now but I plan on having leftovers that we won’t eat right away since Thanksgiving is in 2 days. Does anyone know if this will freeze & reheat well? I’ve also got a 2nd baby on the way so having meals I can put away in the freezer is a good idea for me!
Becky says
Do you add All the cheese to the middle? Or just half?
4sonsrus says
Just half, and the other half is the top of the second & final layer.