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This Broccoli Cheese Casserole is a family favorite! Pasta, broccoli and tender ham is tossed in a quick and easy from scratch cheese sauce. This casserole is then topped with breadcrumbs and baked until bubbly and golden. The kids love this dish just as much as I do.
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As we all know, life can be very busy! With the kids activities, managing a house and working, there is never a wrong time for a great casserole! This one comes together in just a few steps and can be prepped in the morning before you head out the door. When you get home after a long day, all that’s left to do is pop dinner into the oven! Plus it’s full of cheesy goodness with some veggies snuck in there! Yum right?!
Broccoli and cheese is as natural a pairing as PB & J… they just should ALWAYS go together. I’ve paired them in a broccoli cheese soup or with rice and about a million other ways too. And of course I am a huge fan of macaroni and cheese in any way, shape or form.
In this easy broccoli cheese casserole recipe I’ve added ham and fresh broccoli to turn a traditional mac & cheese into a complete meal! This recipe calls for a quick from scratch sauce which is so worth the effort, it takes only about 5 minutes!
I top this recipe with breadcrumbs but you can use anything from Ritz crackers to just plain cheese as a topping. Of course leftover ham works perfectly in this dish but if you don’t have ham on hand, cooked chicken works well in this recipe too. It’s fairly versatile, as long as you’re using 2 cups of cooked meat (ham/chicken etc) and 3 cups of veggies, it’s going to be great! 
It is comforting, filling and completely delicious! The easy clean up of this one dish meal makes it a recipe that is near and dear to my heart! Being able to create a meal this yummy and clean it up in a matter of moments makes it nothing short of an ideal recipe!
Broccoli Cheese Casserole with Ham
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 ounces elbow macaroni
- ¼ cup butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups milk
- 1 cup light cream
- ½ teaspoon dry mustard powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
- ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 3 cups broccoli florets
- 2 cups cubed cooked ham
Topping
- 1 cup bread crumbs
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
- ⅓ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Cook macaroni according to package directions. Add broccoli in the last 2 minutes to cook it tender crisp. Drain and run under cold water.
- Melt butter over medium heat in a large saucepan. Whisk in flour and let it cook for 2 minutes while stirring. Slowly whisk in the cream, milk, and seasonings. Cook over medium heat while stirring until thickened. Remove from heat and add in the cheeses. Stir until melted.
- Toss cheese sauce, pasta, broccoli, and ham together. Pour into a greased 9×13 pan. Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle over macaroni.
- Bake 20 to 25 minutes or just until hot. Do not over cook.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dinner
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.
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I made this with my leftover Easter ham. It was delicious!! Although I had a sink full of dishes after preparing…. I’ll make it again:)
Overall a really delicious recipe, but we found the topping too much for our liking. Next time I would half the topping amount. This recipe was a great way to use up leftover ham.
This was absolutely delicious! I made a couple of modifications with the cheese other than that it was awesome!!
this was not at all what I was expecting- it was way over and beyond!!!! Much an amazing meal with little effort ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Drizzle melted butter on the crushed ritz topping!
Delicious idea, Pam!
This was a super forgiving recipe as I didn’t have everything, but used what I had on hand, and it was so delicious that it is going into our rotation. I used presliced smoked ham that I cut into squares, frozen broccoli florets, sharp cheddar and sliced American cheese, and I completely forgot to add the parm to the dish, but I did remember to add it to the topping. I used the grated cheese in the green cannister instead of shredding a block because I didn’t want to open a new block and was feeling lazy, so I took a shortcut. I cut this in half and baked it in a loaf pan which was completely full so the next time, I will use an 8×8 or cut the recipe down further for our small family of two. We have enough left for two more meals. I will definitely make this again! Thank you for sharing this great dish.
Thank you so much for leaving a comment, Cindi!
Made this tonight on a chilly winter night. It was delicious and three adults loved it. Great comfort food.
so wonderfully cheesy! I used two cups shredded Mexican cheese and one cup of gruyere /swiss blend.
turned out perfect. I would say any meat would be great in here as long as you add a little bit of salt to compensate.
This was delicious and family loved it. I used rotini because that is what I had. Definitely will be making this again.
Hello, how many cups of dry macaroni? I’m in Canada, and we use metric measurements here and I also don’t have a scale.
Thank you!
This will be approximately 3 cups of dry macaroni. Enjoy Lynda!