I'll be honest, when I first heard of leftover ham casserole, I got a bit queasy. This creamy ham casserole dish is the ultimate comfort food. It's extremely popular as a leftover meal after holidays like Easter or Christmas. Like most casseroles, this can be served as a main dish for the whole family. If you've got leftover ham, you need to make this yummy dish.
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There's no denying that while casseroles are delicious, they're not the healthiest. You can count on high carbohydrates, high cholesterol and saturated fat in this noodle casserole. If it makes you feel better, the cheese provides some calcium and vitamin a.
Ham Casserole Recipe
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This is a very easy recipe that can be on the table with little prep time. While you can swap out the veggies and protein, the traditional casserole uses carrots, broccoli florets, ham, pasta and a cheesy sauce.
Like the name suggests, you'll need a good amount of leftover ham or ham steak. You'll also need a noodle; we suggest egg noodles, but macaroni will work too. You'll need the best part of this cheesy ham casserole-the cheese sauce. To make the cheesy sauce you'll need sour cream, cream cheese, cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup, breadcrumbs and cheddar cheese. Once you have all the ingredients, you're ready to prep it and put it together.
Grease a 9X13 baking dish and boil the water for the pasta. Since you're going to cook the noodles in the oven, you only need to boil them for 2 minutes. After they're boiled, drain and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the cheeses and soup. Pour over the noodles and add the diced ham and seasonings. Depending on your taste, you may want to add garlic powder and pepper for a kick. Add the breadcrumbs and bake for 30 minutes.
This leftover ham casserole will make enough for you to serve it again the next day. If you're serving it for dinner, you can serve it again for brunch the next morning.
Check out the full recipe from The Novice Chef
Watch: Green bean casserole with Elissa the Mom
This post was originally published on March 21, 2018
Leftover Ham Casserole
Ingredients
For the Pasta
- 16 oz dry macaroni noodles
- 3 cups brocoli florets
- 3/4 cup butter
- 3/4 cup flour
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp dry mustard powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded gruyere cheese
- 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan
- 2 cups cubed ham
For the Topping
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 Tbsp melted butter
- 1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400ºF.
- Fill a 3-quart pot with water and season with salt. Bring to a boil and add in the macaroni, cooking according to packaging. Add the broccoli in with the macaroni during the last 3 minutes, boiling until tender-crisp. Drain.
- Meanwhile in a large saucepan over medium-heat, add the butter and melt. Add in the flour and whisk, cooking for two minutes. Whisk in milk, heavy cream, onion powder, mustard powder, garlic powder and paprika. Cook, whisking constantly until sauce is thick. Remove from heat and stir in cheddar, gruyere and Parmesan until melted.
- Transfer the cooled pasta to a large bowl and combine with the cheese sauce. Fold in the cubed ham until incorporated. Transfer to a greased 13x9-inch baking pan.
For the Topping
- In a small bowl combine the breadcrumbs, butter and Parmesan. Sprinkle over the pasta. Bake until bot and the topping has browned, about 20 to 25 minutes. Serve.
