Cheesy Ham Casserole
Cheesy Ham Casserole is a hearty and filling dish made with the perfect combination of ham, potatoes, veggies, and cheese sauce! This loaded dish is so easy to prepare and budget-friendly.
I love how casseroles are so convenient to make. No complicated recipes. No-fuss preparation. Just like my recipes for Instant Pot Hawaiian Chicken, Garlic Butter Steak Bites, and Beer Battered Fish, this recipe does not take too long to make!
Potato and Ham Casserole
Cheesy Ham Casserole is just one of the many recipes I have for easy lunches and dinners. What is great about casseroles is that you just need to assemble them, then pop it in the oven until it is done cooking.
That’s it! And the outcome is a hearty sizeable dish for the whole family. And it is already a complete meal on its own. It has protein, fiber, and carbs that are healthy for you.
And it also has a lot of layers of textures from the various veggies infused in every bite. The panko breadcrumbs also give that textural contrast that elevates the whole dish.
A mixture of herbs and spices offers harmonious flavors in addition to the savory ham and cheese combo.
This recipe is also great to “clean the fridge”! If you don’t have leftover ham from a holiday celebration, you can just buy the cubbed stuff. I usually combine it with the veggies that I already have in the fridge and need to use.
Overall, this dish is a delicious treat that you can easily prepare on a weeknight. And it is a great recipe for leftover ham. Now that is a win-win!
What goes into Cheesy Ham Casserole?
This recipe, like any other casserole, is so versatile that you can add almost any of your favorite ingredients. But for this recipe, here is the basic rundown of ingredients that you will need:
- Protein: cubed ham
- Veggies: potatoes, carrots, celery ribs, broccoli, parsley
- Aromatics: onion, garlic
- Spices and seasonings: Italian herbs, smoked paprika, salt, pepper
- Cheese: cheddar
- Others: butter, all-purpose flour, milk, panko breadcrumbs, water
How to make Cheesy Ham Casserole?
- Prepare for baking: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Prepare the potato mixture: Let the spuds boil in a saucepan along with the celery and carrots for about 15 minutes until tender. Then, drain the liquid.
- Cook the ham: In a skillet, sauté it in butter with the aromatics. Then, add in the potato mixture and broccoli. Season everything with the spices and seasonings. Transfer the mixture into a baking dish.
- Prepare the cheese sauce: In a saucepan, make a roux by whisking together the butter and flour. Then, whisk in milk and seasonings. Allow the mixture to boil and thicken before removing from the heat to stir in the cheese.
- Assemble: Pour the sauce over the ham mixture. Add a layer of cheese and panko breadcrumbs.
- Bake: Pop it in the oven for about 25 to 30 minutes.
- Serve: Garnish with parsley and enjoy while hot!
Ham Casserole variations and substitutions:
Here are some suggestions on how you can use the same recipe but with a twist:
- Meat: You can always use leftover ham for this dish. And if you have other leftover meat like shredded chicken, turkey, pork, beef, and whatnot, it will still work really well, too!
- Cheese: Feel free to swap or combine cheddar with other kinds like Colby, Monterey Jack, parmesan, swiss, and gruyere.
- Veggies: You can omit some of the veggies and replace them with cooked pasta. Short ones like shell and rotini work well in this dish.
- Sauce: You can also use condensed cream of chicken soup.
- Toppings: Use ritz crackers or fried onions instead of panko breadcrumbs.
- Vegetarian: This recipe obviously can be made vegetarian by omitting the ham. Just use beans, tofu, or more veggies and potatoes.
More casserole recipes:
- Sausage Breakfast Casserole
- Hamburger Casserole
- Scalloped Sweet Potatoes
- Cheesy Loaded Cauliflower Bake
How to Store Leftovers:
Keep the leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 or 4 days. Simply reheat using the oven in the same settings as the dish was cooked.
Recipe Tips:
- Add more crunch by garnishing with potato chips.
- You can also use hash browns instead of cubes. For the preparation of the spuds, refer to this hash brown recipe.
- While you can eat it on its own, you can always serve it with a soup and a salad for a heartier meal.
- You can also make this casserole in advance and freeze it, just thaw and cook it.
- If you already cooked it, you can transfer the leftover into freezer-safe Ziploc bags or an airtight container and freeze for later.
- I like making double the sauce, it is more caloric, but so worth it, when every veggie is oozing with cheese sauce.
- Use any veggies that you like or have on hand: mushrooms, cauliflower, bell peppers, zucchini, etc.
Cheesy Ham Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 cups cubed and peeled potatoes
- 1 large carrot sliced
- 2 celery ribs chopped
- 2 cups broccoli florrets chopped
- 3 cups water
- 2 cups cubed ham
- 1/2 small onion finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon Italian herbs
- 6 tablespoons butter divided
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cups cheddar cheese shredded
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- In a saucepan with boiling water over high heat, bring the potatoes, carrot, celery and water to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook until tender, about 1215 minutes. Once cooked, drain the veggies in a colander.
- In a large skillet, over medium-high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter and saute the ham with diced onion until tender. Add minced garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.
- Add the potato mixture to the skillet and stir. Season with salt, pepper to taste and addItalian herbs and paprika.
- Transfer to a greased 1 1/2 quart baking dish.
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the remaining butter and stir in the flour until smooth.
- Gradually whisk in the milk, and season with salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a soft boil, cook astirring for 2 minutes or until thickened.
- Remove from heat and add 1 cup of cheese and stir until melted.
- Pour over the ham mixture and top with remaining cheese and panko bread crumbs.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and golden.
- Garnish with parsley and serve.
Nutrition
