Do you love potatoes as much as I do? Even if you don’t, you will love these Simple Italian Scalloped Potatoes. They are layered with roasted red peppers, onions, and Pecorino Romano cheese, which makes them savory, cheesy and absolutely delicious!
I love potatoes and am always looking for different ways to prepare them as evidenced by how often I make this recipe as well as my Parmesan Crusted Potatoes. Traditional scalloped potatoes, made with butter, milk or cream and cheese, are delicious. But sometimes I want a dish that has a lot of flavor and isn’t quite as heavy. I started making this version years ago and it has remained one of my all-time favorite side dishes. This pairs well with so many entrees and it also appeals to a lot of people, even the finickiest of eaters.
Scalloped Potatoes vs Italian Scalloped Potatoes
Frankly speaking there is nothing about this dish that resembles the traditional scalloped potato except that the potatoes are “scalloped”. The term scalloped is thought to come from the old English word, “collops” which means to slice meat very thin. Other then that and that I use cheese in this dish, there is truly little else that resembles what people expect when they think of scalloped potatoes.
What you will find is lots of roasted red pepper, onion, and cheese for a burst of salty and savory flavors with every bite. Sometimes I leave the onion out, for some of my pickiest eaters, and it is still a tasty side!
Easy and convenient recipe
You will find this dish to be easy and convenient! Simple Italian Scalloped Potatoes do not require a lot of ingredients, and you can prepare this in advance and then bake them just before dinner. Better yet, if you have any leftovers, which I rarely do, they are great reheated. I made this last week for John and me and we ended up eating the entire casserole dish! Not a speck was left over!
How to make Italian Scalloped Potatoes
When making Simple Italian Scalloped Potatoes, I start by preparing all the ingredients that will be layered between the potatoes. Having everything prepped means that once the potatoes are sliced, I can quickly assemble the dish. I drain and slice or chop the roasted red peppers, slice the onions if I am going to use them and have the grated Pecorino Romano cheese, olive oil, salt, and pepper, ready to go.
Assemble the dish
You will want to make sure that the potatoes are sliced about the same thickness so that they cook evenly. You don’t need to be exact. 1/8” to ¼” thick slices are perfect. I like to take a bite and know that I am eating a potato. I also want it to be the star ingredient!
Start by coating an oven safe casserole dish with about a tablespoon of olive oil. Then start laying the potatoes down in a row and when you get to the second row, start overlap about half way up the potato slices. Continue this until you have completed a full layer.
Now you can stream about a tablespoon of olive oil over the sliced potatoes, salt, and pepper them generously, spread about half of the roasted red pepper, and onion slices, then top with 1/3 of the Pecorino Romano. Repeat this one more time.
For the final layer of potatoes, drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper, and finish with the rest of the grated cheese. You can bake this immediately or set aside and pop it in the oven about 45 minutes before you are planning to serve it. The potatoes will be soft and tender, and the top layer is golden and crunchy! YUMMM!
Other delicious side dishes you may want to try:
Easy Italian Cucumber and Tomato Salad
Artichokes Made Sicilian Style- Stuffed with Onions and Cheese
These potatoes make a great accompaniment to some of these recipes:
Lemon, Garlic and Herb Grilled Chicken
Italian Scalloped Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4 Russet Potatoes Peeled and washed
- 4 tbsp. Olive oil
- ¾ cup Roasted red peppers diced
- ⅓ cup Pecorino Romano cheese grated
- ½ Onion thin sliced, optional
- Salt
- Pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°.
- Lightly grease a casserole dish with olive oil.
- Cut the potatoes into 1/4 inch thick slices.
- Start at one end of the casserole dish and overlap the potatoes until one layer of potatoes completely covers the bottom of the dish.
- Drizzle 1 tablespoon of Olive oil over the potatoes. Then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Spread 1/2 of the roasted red peppers and onion if you are using it.
- Sprinkle with 1/3 of the Pecorino Romano cheese.
- Repeat with another layer of potatoes, salt and pepper, olive oil, roasted red peppers, onion and cheese.
- Finish with a layer of potatoes, olive oil, salt, pepper and cheese.
- Bake uncovered for 40 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
Enza, you have THE best recipes-keep them coming!