Scalloped Potatoes
Classic Creamy Scalloped Potatoes
Classic CreamymediumCleanup score 3 of 5
Cooking for a crowd
212 recipes that scale up for 12 to 50: how many pans, pots or slow cookers, how many rounds in the oven, how the timing changes, and which ingredients not to simply multiply.
These are estimates. They come from rules of thumb, not a recipe we tested at this size. Go by the recipe's own doneness cues and a thermometer, and taste as you go.
Side Dishes (43)
- Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Streusel for 24: 3 pans, 1 oven round
- Easy Caesar Salad with Homemade Croutons for 24: 6 pans, 3 oven rounds
- Extra-Crispy Garlic Rosemary Roasted Potatoes for 24: 4 pans, 2 oven rounds
- Classic Crispy Potato Latkes for 24: the recipe 4 times over, in rounds
- Cheesy Twice-Baked Potatoes for 24: 3 pans, 2 oven rounds
- Classic Creamy Potato Salad with Eggs for 24: one 12-quart stockpot
- Classic Homemade Garlic Bread for 24: 3 pans, 2 oven rounds
- Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits for 24: 3 pans, 2 oven rounds
- Garlic Parmesan Knots for 24: 2 pans, 1 oven round
- Homemade Stovetop Applesauce for 24: one 12-quart stockpot
- Honey Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread for 24: 2 pans, 1 oven round
- Overnight Cherry Tomato and Olive Focaccia for 24: 2 pans, 1 oven round
- Rosemary Sea Salt Focaccia for 24: 2 pans, 1 oven round
- Soft Buttery Pull-Apart Dinner Rolls for 24: 2 pans, 1 oven round
- Soft Classic White Sandwich Bread for 24: 2 pans, 1 oven round
- Southern-Style Collard Greens for 24: one 16-quart stockpot
- Sweet Honey Cornbread with Honey Butter for 24: 3 pans, 1 oven round
- Three-Strand Braided Challah for 24: 2 pans, 1 oven round
- Turkey Gravy from Pan Drippings for 24: one 5½-quart Dutch oven
- Boiled Corn on the Cob with Herb Butter for 24: one 5½-quart Dutch oven
- Tangy Vinegar Coleslaw for 24: 3 batches in one big bowl
- Warm Dijon Herb Potato Salad for 24: one 8-quart stockpot
- Cheesy Garlic Bread for 24: 3 pans, 2 oven rounds
- Classic Buttermilk Irish Soda Bread for 24: 3 pans, 2 oven rounds
- Classic Parsley Tabbouleh for 24: 4 batches in one big bowl
- Buttery Rice Pilaf for 24: one 12-quart stockpot
- Creamy Classic Coleslaw for 24: 3 batches in one big bowl
- Crispy Oven-Baked French Fries for 24: 6 pans, 3 oven rounds
- Crispy Parmesan Lemon Roasted Broccoli for 24: 6 pans, 3 oven rounds
- Crispy Sweet Potato Oven Fries for 24: 6 pans, 3 oven rounds
- Crispy-Skin Baked Potatoes for 24: 6 pans, 3 oven rounds
- Cumin Lime Roasted Carrots for 24: 6 pans, 3 oven rounds
- Fluffy Cilantro Lime Rice for 24: one 8-quart stockpot
- Garlic Sesame Roasted Broccoli for 24: 6 pans, 3 oven rounds
- Greek-Style Lemon Oregano Roasted Potatoes for 24: 4 pans, 1 oven round
- Honey Thyme Roasted Carrots for 24: 6 pans, 3 oven rounds
- Lemon Herb Rice Pilaf with Orzo for 24: one 8-quart stockpot
- One-Pot Hoppin' John for New Year's Day for 24: one 16-quart stockpot
- Classic Greek Village Salad for 24: 6 batches, mixed in rounds
How we work it out
- How it cooks decides how it grows. Baked dishes and casseroles are made as separate batches of the recipe as written, one pan's worth at a time. Soups, stews and chili go in one bigger pot, or several. Slow cooker and pressure cooker recipes get one batch per cooker or per round. Roasts become more roasts, not a bigger one. Skillet, griddle, grill and fried recipes cook in rounds.
- Pans and the oven. We assume a home oven with two racks, two baking dishes or cake pans per rack, or one sheet pan per rack. More pans than that means another round in the oven.
- Pots. The volume comes from the weight of the ingredients (about a liter for each kilogram; dry pasta, rice and grains count 2½ times, since they soak up water), in a pot no more than 3/4 full.
- What we don't simply multiply. Salt: add 3/4, taste, then the rest. Cayenne, chiles and hot sauce: start with 2/3. Ground spices and dried herbs: start with 3/4 once it's 3 batches or more. Bay leaves and other whole spices: about half the extra. Baking soda, baking powder and yeast: batch by batch. Frying oil and the water for boiling: by the pot, not the recipe. A big pot of soup or stew: hold back a tenth of the liquid.
- Timing. Each extra batch adds about 3/4 of the recipe's prep time. A big pot takes about 3 more minutes per extra quart to come to a simmer on one burner. Meat browns in batches no bigger than the recipe's. A full oven bakes a little slower: swap and turn the pans halfway, and allow 5 to 10 minutes more.
These are our rules of thumb, not tests of each recipe at each size. The recipe's own doneness cues and a thermometer come first.
Planning a party?
Holiday menusFreezer mealsOne-pot mealsPan size converterCheap eats