Back in 2020, and earlier, I used to pick up scalloped and Au Gratin potato mixes as part of our long-term food storage. They were quite affordable (often 10 for $10 back in the day) and lasted a long time. The boxes didn’t make much, but at that price I could pull a meal together with 3 boxes in a 9″x13″ pan. Prices though now? It seems they hover around $3 a box where we live. That being said it’s even in stock. It’s not a good choice for prepper storage anymore. And honestly…it’s so salty and full of questionable ingredients, that even cost wise, making it yourself is so much better.
Here are the ingredients currently in use in a box of Betty Crocker Scalloped Potatoes:
Potatoes*, Enriched Flour (wheat flour, niacin, iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), Maltodextrin, Corn Starch, Salt, Potassium Phosphate. Contains 0.5% or less of: Vegetable Oil (canola, soybean, and/or sunflower oil), Onion*, Spice, Celery*, Monoglycerides, Whey, Cheddar Cheese* (cultured milk, salt, enzymes), Lactic Acid, Calcium Lactate, Nonfat Milk*, Chicken Broth*, Silicon Dioxide (anticaking agent), Color (annatto & turmeric extract), Sodium Phosphate, Natural Flavor, Blue Cheese* (cultured milk, salt, enzymes), Buttermilk, Coconut Oil, Pea Protein Isolate, Rice Flour. Freshness Preserved by Sodium Bisulfite. *DRIED
Let’s just stop here and ponder….when did they start putting pea protein isolate into the mix? If you have a peanut allergy, pea protein can be a trigger. Be careful.
And chicken broth? Sure not vegetarian friendly if you care. You wouldn’t think this would have chicken broth in it….but also if you make this yourself, you can control the sodium. Boxed mixes are usually very salty.
Homemade scalloped potato recipes are often cheese free, where as Au Gratin potatoes do have cheese, but the dry mixes do cheese for both, because…cheese sells.
The Idahoan brand has a better ingredient list, but not fabulous either. I hate xantham gum, and yes, it contains it.
Betty Crocker brand contains bioengineered ingredients (most likely it is corn and soy).
I knew we had a couple #10 can of dehydrated potatoes on hand, and I went down to get one. I found I could make 3 batches of dry mix with the can, with a cup or so of potatoes left over. They can be added to soups and such easily.
I paid $9,99 a can when I bought them earlier this year. They are in the $16 range right now, so watch the price, as it can go up and down.
The can is just over 1 pound, and equals 3 pounds fresh potatoes. Dehydrated potatoes do contain sodium bisulfite, which preserves them. The only way to get around that is to dehydrate thinly sliced and cooked potatoes.
The recipe uses around 7.5 ounces of dried potatoes, which means 1 batch of the mix is basically equal to the “family” size boxes you can sometimes find that are just shy of 8 ounces in weight. And those cost a lot more than the standard $3 box does. The potatoes and mix of ours came in at exactly 8 ounces dry weight.
The mix is easy to mix up and put into quart mason jars, to seal up for future meals. Use a canning funnel to do it. First, mix the dry ingredients well, place in jar, then add in potatoes, gently rapping the jar to settle them into it. If you want long-term storage, use a Food Vac sealer to pull the air out and keep in your pantry.
Scalloped Potato Mix
Ingredients:
- ½ cup dry milk
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 Tbsp dried chives
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
- 3 cups dehydrated potato slices
For cooking:
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 2¾ cups boiled water
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly oil an 8″x8″ baking dish or a 2-quart dish.
Add the potatoes to the dish, then sprinkle the dry ingredients over it.
Slice the butter into pieces, and top with.
Pour the boiling water over and stir until the dry ingredients are fully dissolved.
Bake for 45 minutes.
Take out, let rest for 5 minutes and serve.
Notes:
Many scallop potatoes have cheese, which you should add when you do the water. I used parmesan cheese, a half cup worth, and stirred it in. Most cheeses would work fine. Yes, you could add dried cheese to the mix, but cheese has a shorter storage life than everything else and does have moisture, which you don’t want the potatoes absorbing, which they will.
To make it a more filling meal, add in a can (12 to 14 ounces) of drained chicken breast and a can of drained chopped green beans.
See above for long-term storage.
~Sarah