Creamy broccoli pasta bake is packed with pasta and ham and can be a side or a main dish.
Pasta shells, broccoli, ham, and two kinds of cheese are baked in a creamy sauce for this family-friendly casserole!
Holly’s Recipe Highlights
- Swaps: It’s delicious and easy to swap and switch out ingredients to accommodate what you have on hand. Swap ham for leftover chicken or sausage, and any pasta will work in this recipe.
- Serving suggestions: This casserole can be kept warm in a crock pot, then guests can help themselves!
- Freezing: Freeze before or after baking. If freezing after baking, make sure it cools completely before putting it in the freezer!
Ingredients and Variations
Pasta: Use medium-sized pasta like shells, elbow, noodles, or penne. Subbing cauliflower rice for the pasta makes this recipe a low-carb dream.
Broccoli: Fresh broccoli is best as it will stay firmer than frozen. If using frozen, thaw and pat dry before adding it to the dish.
Ham: Diced ham, crumbled bacon, or leftover shredded chicken are great options in this recipe. Feel free to omit the meat for a meatless meal and double up on broccoli if you like.
Sauce: Half and half or cream, chicken broth, and some seasonings make up the creamy base for this recipe.
Cheese: Grate your own cheddar cheese. Pre-packaged shredded cheese contains anti-caking agents that prohibit the best melt. Another bold flavored cheese I love is smoked Gouda. Or, use up bits of cheese hanging around in the refrigerator.
Our Favorite Easy Variations
- Short on time? Use a can of cheese soup, Velveeta, or Cheez Whiz instead of making the sauce from scratch in Step 5.
- Top with crushed buttery crackers (like Ritz), crushed tortilla chips, homemade breadcrumbs, or crispy fried onions.
- Add cauliflower florets, asparagus, or frozen peas and carrots if you like.
- Out of pasta? Try a variation on this recipe with our delicious broccoli rice casserole.
How to Make Broccoli and Cheese Casserole
- Cook pasta and broccoli.
- Cook onion and garlic in butter until softened.
- Combine cheese sauce ingredients (full recipe below) and add to the onions.
- Combine ingredients in a baking dish, top with cheese, and bake.
Storage Tips and Tricks
- Make everything except the pasta up to 2 days ahead, and add pasta and cheese topping just before baking. Add 10 minutes to the baking time.
- Keep leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or cover with foil and reheat in the oven at 350°F.
- Freeze portions in zippered bags for up to one month and thaw in the refrigerator. Reheat with fresh broccoli and pasta if desired.
Best Broccoli Dishes
Did you try this Broccoli Cheese Casserole? Leave a rating and a comment below!
Broccoli Cheese Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 cups medium pasta uncooked
- 8 cups broccoli florets
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup half and half or light cream
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon dried basil
- 2 cups diced ham or cooked chicken, optional
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese divided
- ¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 9×13 casserole dish.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add pasta. Cook until al dente, adding broccoli for the last 4 minutes of cooking time. Drain very well and set aside.
- While pasta is boiling, cook onion and garlic in butter in a frying pan over medium heat until tender, about 5 minutes.
- In a large saucepan, combine broth, half and half, cornstarch, and basil. Add the onions and mix well. Bring to a simmer over medium heat while whisking until it comes to a boil and thickens.
- Once thickened, remove from the heat and stir in ham, 1 ½ cups of cheddar cheese, and parmesan cheese until melted. Season with salt & pepper to taste.
- Combine the pasta, broccoli, and ham and spread into the prepared casserole dish. Top with remaining ½ cup cheddar cheese and bake 20 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is melted.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Air Fryer, Casserole, Dinner, Ham, Main Course, Pasta
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
I loved this! I only used 6 cups of broccoli because that’s all I had, and I think it was just the right amount. I also crushed some Ritz crackers and sprinkled those on top with a drizzle of melted butter before I put it in the oven. It was delicious and we look forward to eating the leftovers for lunch today.
Yay I’m so happy it was a hit for you, Kathleen!
This is delicious! I’m a big fan of this recipe! I’ve made it twice now and it has turned out great. Our taste is on the saltier side so I add salt into the cream mixture and also in the final stir before pouring into the casserole dish. I have also successfully substituted tapioca flour in place of corn starch (just double the amount called for!). This recipe was also so good with leftover rotisserie chicken instead of ham. It’s a delicious recipe as written! and it also turned out great with these slight modifications based on what I had on hand. And yes I did use 8 cups of broccoli :) now save this page so you can make this for dinner!
So glad you enjoyed this casserole, Janelle!
Giving 4 stars ahead of time because I love everything in the casserole. However, 8 cups of broccoli is a huge amount even for a 9×13 pan. Are you sure about that?
We used 8 cups of broccoli in this casserole and it turned out perfect, but you can always add less depending on your preference!
Made this a couple times for the family and our picky 6 year old loved it!
That is great, Jenny! So happy to hear that.
This was easy to make, and looked like it would serve more than the listed 6 servings. I think the sauce would provide a nice base to work with for other recipes. This particular combination was a bit bland and neither of my kids liked it.
Glad you enjoyed the sauce, Ami. You can definitely increase the spices to suit your preference.
Wow, this was delicious with ham and we didn’t need to add ANY salt or pepper. Look forward to making again with the optional breadcrumb topping.
This was delicious, we used ham. My husband says this us a repeat. Thanks for all your great recipes!
You’re welcome Ann!