I’m a big fan of skillet suppers like this gluten-free Skillet Scalloped Potatoes with Ham and Peas recipe that I’m sharing today. I love skillet suppers all year long, but especially during the summer. You can get a wonderful one-dish meal and—bonus—you don’t have to turn on the oven. Who doesn’t love that?
So when I got a chance to check out my friend Alea Milham’s (Premeditated Leftovers) new cookbook, Prep Ahead Meals from Scratch: Quick and Easy Batch Cooking Techniques and Recipes That Save You Time and Money, I honed in on several skillet suppers. Including this Skillet Scalloped Potatoes with Ham and Peas recipe.
If you’re a gfe reader, you know that I appreciate comfort food and every element of this recipe says comfort food to me. Delicious comfort food!
I’ve made scalloped potatoes in the oven many times—even with ham—but I’ve never thought of making them on the stovetop. But Alea did!
This is really a terrific dish and it comes together easily. I’m a pea lover, but if you’re not, you can simply leave them out or perhaps substitute corn. I bet that would also yield a delicious dish!
I’ve talked about Alea’s cookbook before here on gfe—when it was offered as one of the prizes for March Muffin Madness. As I mentioned then, Alea herself has celiac disease and, therefore, lives gluten free.
I’ve even shared some of her wonderful gluten-free recipes here on gfe before (such as Lemon Chia Seed Muffins) and you’ll find many on her site. You’ll find mainstream recipes there as well and the recipes in her cookbook are written for a mainstream audience.
In this case, that means that most of the recipes are naturally gluten-free and for the ones that contain gluten, Alea notes gluten-free substitutions. I actually “consulted” some with Alea when she was writing her cookbook to make sure that all the gluten-free bases were covered and she was kind enough to mention me in her book. (Thanks, Alea!)
Prep Ahead Meals from Scratch: Quick and Easy Batch Cooking Techniques and Recipes That Save You Time and Money is really a terrific cookbook. It works with my gfe approach for sure.
The recipes and their photos make you want to get cooking and none of them are complicated. As you know, that’s my kind of cooking!
Please don’t be intimidated by the “prep-ahead” and “batch cooking” factors. Using this cookbook does not require you to do anything such as cook a month’s worth of meals in a weekend. Alea’s methods simply allow you to get a jump on a meal and future meals if you’d like. Doing so is completely optional but, goodness, she shares some great and easy ideas on prepping ahead—ones you’ll definitely want to try!
This cookbook is divided into six chapters:
- Quick and Easy Chicken
- Tasty Pork on a Budget
- Simply Delicious Beef
- Fast, Filling Beans and Rice
- Flavorful Vegetables in Minutes
- Frugal Pantry Staples
You’ll find her versions of recipes that you’re familiar with—ones like Swedish Meatballs, Beef Burgundy, and Minestrone Soup—and other non-standard recipes that you will be anxious to try—for example, Buffalo Ranch Chicken Squash Boats, Southwestern Sloppy Joes (with Beans), and Ham and Spinach Waffle Quesadillas.
The last chapter covers pantry mixes like Seasoned Salt, Taco Seasoning Mix, and Poultry Seasoning so you can make them yourself (lots of savings there!) and use them both in the recipes in Alea’s cookbook and in other recipes you make at home. For example, the homemade seasoned salt can be used in her Skillet Scalloped Potatoes with Ham and Peas recipe, which I’m sharing today, but I also know that I’d use it in recipes that I make all the time.
Update: Be sure to check out Alea’s latest cookbook, Prep-Ahead Breakfasts and Lunches: 75 No-Fuss Recipes to Save You Time and Money, as well. I don’t know anyone who would not want no-fuss recipes!
Giveaway of Prep Ahead Meals from Scratch
UPDATE: This giveaway is now closed. Who wants a copy of Prep Ahead Meals from Scratch: Quick and Easy Batch Cooking Techniques and Recipes That Save You Time and Money? I’m giving away two copies! All you have to do is leave a comment—any comment—but I’d love to hear about any prepping ahead or batch cooking that you all do. Sometimes the things that we do along these lines—and do as second nature I might add—seem brilliant to others and when implemented make our lives much easier. So please share if you have any tips along these lines! Plus, there are two additional bonus entries if you choose to visit my gfe Facebook page or Alea’s Premeditated Leftovers Facebook page.
More Comforting Gluten-Free Potato Recipes
~ Quick and Easy Pan-Baked Potatoes
~ Salt and Vinegar Smashed Potatoes
~ Scalloped White and Sweet Potatoes
Skillet Scalloped Potatoes with Ham and Peas Recipe
Cookbook author Alea says: "Scalloped potatoes are one of my favorite dishes from my childhood. However, I rarely made it for my kids because it took over an hour to prepare. I realized that I could save time i I didn't peel the potatoes, but that only sped up the prep time. Then one day I had the idea of making scalloped potatoes on the stove top and discovered I could make them start to finish in about 25 minutes." Prep-Ahead Tip: You can cut the onions and potatoes 1 or 2 days in advance if you wish. Store the onions in a sealed container. Store the potato slices in a bowl, covered with water. Add the ham, peas, and milk mixture to the potatoes. Cook uncovered over medium-low heat until the sauce thickens and the ham and peas are heated through, which takes approximately 5 minutes. There is a recipe in the Pantry Staples chapter of Alea’s book for Seasoned Salt, but ready-made seasoned salt is fine. Recipe reprinted with permission of Alea Milham and Page Street Publishing.Skillet Scalloped Potatoes and Ham with Peas (Gluten Free)
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
Lisa says
Really excited about this recipe. It’s something everyone in my family can have and, I’m confident, will enjoy! I plan on making it tonight. Thanks!
Lisa says
10 Thumbs Up from this family!! A quick, easy, delicious meal!! Thank you!
Shirley Braden says
Woohoo, Lisa! That’s really great news. Thanks so much for coming back and sharing with us all! I know Alea will be pleased. This is definitely going to be a new “go to” recipe for us. Plus, I ended up being inspired by the stove top aspect of this recipe and making my “Cheesy” Chicken Zucchini Bake using the same method tonight. It was so quick, easy, and tasty, too! 🙂
Shirley
Judee@gluten freeA-Z Blog says
Hi Shirley,
Anyt ideas that saves me time in the kitchen works for me. Looks like some great recipes!
Re: the strategic blogging Acadamy- Is it intended for those on Blogger too- ? Based on your feedback, I’m thinking of signing up…
Shirley Braden says
Hi Judee–Yes, these are the kind of recipes we really enjoy! 🙂
Yes, the SBA is good for all! It doesn’t matter if you have a WordPress blog or use Blogger. The emphasis is not really on one’s platform or design, although the latter is addressed towards the end of the 12-week course and with your one-on-one blog evaluation with Alea. Reading the description on the sign-up page should really tell you if it’s the right course for you. Hope that helps!
Shirley
Gabrielly says
Really love this recipe. I plan on making it tonight.
Shirley Braden says
Hi Gabrielly–Welcome to gfe! 🙂 Sorry you weren’t a winner this time, but I hope you still loved this recipe. We sure do!
Shirley
Carly Williams says
I love prep ahead recipes! They save time and make life so much easier!
Shirley Braden says
Hi Carly–It’s good to see you here at gfe again! 🙂 Sorry you weren’t a winner this time. Be sure to follow Alea via social media to get more of her prep-ahead tips and recipes!
Shirley
GFCarrie says
This looks like a fantastic cookbook that I’m eager to check out. My cousin and I have three times now gotten together to prep ahead for meals. Comradery and splitting the tasks makes it much easier. The hardest part has been finding the recipes. This book looks like the answer.
Shirley Braden says
Hi Carrie–It’s good to see you here at gfe again! Sorry you didn’t win this time, but it sounds like you have a great start on following some of the concepts shared in Alea’s book. 🙂 Be sure to follow her elsewhere so you’ll get many of these tips!
Shirley
Diane says
I love the look of this dish and will def try it. I really like the idea of prep ahead. I’ve never left potatoes in water that many days in advance. Has anyone else? If so that would be a great tip for Thanksgiving!
Shirley Braden says
Diane–No more than two days in advance is what I’ve consistently read. I first read about the idea on my friend Lynn’s blog here. In that case she was using this method to save time on making mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving and other events. I will admit that I’ve not tried it myself yet. I would never have room in my refrigerator to have potatoes in water, but putting them on my screened porch might work just fine. 😉 Hope you enjoy this dish, Diane! I think it’s a keeper! 😉
Shirley
Mary says
I would like to win the book. It would help plan meals while going to college.
Shirley Braden says
Hi Mary–Welcome to gfe! 🙂 Sorry you didn’t win this time, but stay tuned for more cookbook and other giveaways in the future. Good luck in college!
Shirley
Jorie says
Hallo, Hallo!
I am thankful I saw a s/o about this bookaway via Twitter today, as this is something that I have been wanting to get into the habit of doing – but when it comes to cooking ahead or batch cooking/baking, I feel lost! I know it’s clearly not that complicated, but like most things in the kitchen, when you experiment with something new, sometimes you overthink it!
The only thing I can share about ‘cooking ahead’ is sometimes I might slow cook a chicken, whilst making a turkey meatloaf and then prepping a one pot dinner for that evening’s meal. The chicken gets pulled apart and stored in the fridge, whilst the meatloaf gets cut into pieces for either sandwiches or to use in a one pot meal another day. I’d like to learn how to do a bit more than these one trick wonders, as sometimes I feel my cooking habits are too limiting or not as adventurous as they used to be. lol
I also like eating healthy… love baking with GF flour and ingredients, but I am more of an omni at the moment than strictly anything else. I also go between GF baking, vegan baking and traditional. Sometimes you just have to work within your budget or your pantry ingredients.
Saw you put in Coconut Milk with the scalloped potatoes – I personally love using Coconut in lieu of traditional milk. I also like Almond or Cashew milk. Coconut simply has that richness I appreciate whilst cooking or baking. It also whips nicely for home-brewing coffee or chai lattes!
I’d rather be more GF in the future for health reasons, and this looks like a wonderful cookbook with wicked sweet cook ahead options to head me in the right direction moving forward! 🙂 I’ll definitely get a copy of this even if the bookaway blesses someone else.
Regrettably, I only follow you on Twitter; I opted for Twitter over FB. Oh! How lovely, I can view the photo streams! I saw your s/o about using honey for health benefits?! I totally agree! I love eating local honey to help with my seasonal and environmental allergies! Such a blessing to have learnt about how honey works with your body to naturally attack allergens a few years ago at the farmer’s market!
Jorie says
Hallo again!
My last comment timed out from editing – I went to visit Premeditated Leftovers on FB? I went through the photo gallery: I wanted to say, those pizza egg puffs reminded me of the fact I am using the same idea to make small quiches? The beauty of it you can just grab the fresh ingredients you have on hand and whip up a lovely batch of these — perfect for brunches or breakfast for dinner nights! 🙂 Nice to know others are finding this to be a super healthy way to have a protein rich meal with little prep and a lot of joy to eat! 🙂
Forgot to mention – I blog about recipes I want to try or recipes I’m trying whilst reviewing cookbooks time to time. I like finding new cookbooks with a bent of focus on healthy eats & championing focusing more on wellness than just eating through cravings or a traditional diet of choice. I am so thankful I dropped by today!
Shirley Braden says
Hi again, Jorie–Coconut milk and honey are some gfe favorites for sure! Sorry you didn’t win a copy of this book, but I think it’s worth a buy and you can also get lots of Alea’s tips from following her blog and following her on Twitter. Thanks for stopping by!
Shirley
Debbie Beck says
I’ve always loved anything that saves time!! I would love to have this book!!
Ina Gawne says
Shirley this dish is right up my alley….so yummy! These days I am sooo busy with work it is a lucky day if a salad gets made in the morning for dinner at night….usually with something on the BBQ the hubby can make! Cant wait to get back to the kitchen properly….maybe November? If I’m lucky…October. Yikes, that is actually not too far away!
Shirley Braden says
Ina–This recipe does seem like one you would love, based on all the recipes you’ve made over the years at Gluten Free Delightfully Delicious. 😉 I know that you will enjoy getting back in the kitchen more. I’m looking forward to the same myself! This has been a brutally hot summer and not nearly as much cooking and baking has been done here at gfe as a result. 🙁
Shirley
Debbie Beck says
Yea me!!! I won the Cookbook “Prep-Ahead Meals from Scratch”!! I’m excited to win this cookbook!!!! It couldn’t have come at a better time.
Thanks for the opportunity to win!!
Debbie Beck
Shirley Braden says
Congrats again, Debbie! So glad you received your book. Hopefully, you have been enjoying perusing the recipes and tips. Sometimes that’s my very favorite part when I get a new cookbook! 🙂
Shirley
April J Harris says
Hi Shirley! Thank you for sharing this post with us at the Hearth and Soul Hop! Sharing! Love Alea’s Prep-Ahead Meals from Scratch – and I’ve just taken the Strategic Blogging Course as well. It’s wonderful!
Shirley Braden says
Hi April–Playing catch up here … This is really a terrific recipe. I love it because I know have a great recipe to make when my potatoes need to be used up. 🙂 It’s yummy with mushrooms added, too, which makes Mr. GFE, the mushroom lover, really happy! Alea is an amazing resource in so many areas. 🙂
Shirley
Diane Eblin says
So excited I won. Can’t wait to dive in!
Shirley Braden says
Hey Diane–Congratulations again! Reading and cooking from your new cookbook will be a great way to unwind at home after your amazing world travels! 🙂
Shirley
Alisa Fleming says
Bummer that I missed this giveaway, I need serious help in the make ahead department and that potato dish looks so great!
Shirley Braden says
Hey Alisa–Sorry you missed this one, too, but Alea’s book is still available for purchase, of course, and it’s a good value. This recipe is outstanding (we loved it with mushrooms added as well) and all of Alea’s methods and tips are so helpful. 🙂
Shirley