Ham casserole is perfect for those nights when you want a home-cooked meal that’s easy to make and full of flavor.
This casserole is made with ham and pasta tossed in an easy from-scratch cheese sauce. It’s topped with buttery bread crumbs for a great family meal.
This casserole is great for using up leftover ham, and you can even add in broccoli or other leftover veggies for an extra boost of nutrition.
Ingredients in Ham Casserole
I love that this recipe uses ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen to turn leftover ham into a new meal.
Ham – Use leftover diced ham or purchase ham steaks at the grocery store.
Pasta – Any medium shape works. Try rotini, farfalle, shells, or penne.
Sauce – The sauce is homemade and it’s really easy to make. Thyme and Dijon mustard add lots of flavor to this leftover ham casserole.
Cheese – This recipe uses a combination of cheddar, gruyere (or swiss cheese), and parmesan cheeses for a tasty dish. Feel free to use whatever cheeses you have on hand, just make sure to include one with a bold flavor.
Topping – A topping of buttered Panko bread crumbs with cheese adds a crunchy finish to the casserole.
How to Make Ham Casserole
Homemade Cheese Sauce is easy to make and creates great flavor for this casserole. The sauce for this recipe starts with a roux.
- Cook butter & flour in a saucepan per the recipe below.
- Slowly whisk in the milk & broth and thicken. Stir in cheese.
- Combine cheese sauce, ham, and pasta in a casserole dish.
- Top with a crumb topping and bake until bubbly.
Variations & Tips
Add in veggies if you’d like! Leftover steamed or roasted broccoli, frozen peas, Brussels sprouts, or even cauliflower work in this recipe.
For a quick shortcut sauce, stir together the following:
- 10 ¾ ounces condensed cream of chicken soup
- 1 ⅓ cups milk
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 cups sharp cheddar and ½ cup gruyere cheese
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon each dried thyme leaves & dijon mustard
Pre-shredded cheese can have starches added to keep it from clumping so it may not melt as well. For this sauce, it’s best to shred your own cheese.
Serve Ham Casserole with…
Ham and cheese casserole is creamy stick-to-your-ribs rich with salt from the ham and cheese. Look for a side dish that is light, fresh and sweet or tangy.
- Steamed vegetables like broccoli or green beans.
- A fresh salad like tomato salad or cucumber dill salad.
Easy Cheesy Casseroles
Did your family love this Cheesy Ham Casserole? Leave us a rating and a comment below!
Cheesy Ham Casserole
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound medium shells or rotini or penne
- ⅓ cup butter
- ⅓ cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon thyme
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1 ¾ cups milk
- 1 cup light cream 10-12% M.F.
- 1 teaspoon dijon
- 3 cups sharp cheddar shredded, divided
- 1 cup gruyere cheese shredded
- 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese shredded
- 2 cups diced ham
Topping
- ½ cup Panko bread crumbs
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Mix together topping ingredients, set aside.
- Cook shells al dente according to package directions. Drain well.
- Meanwhile, melt butter, flour and seasonings in a saucepan. Allow to cook 1 minute.
- Slowly add in milk, cream, and dijon while whisking after each addition. The mixture will seem thick at first but will smooth out with each addition.
- Once all of the milk/cream is added, whisk while bringing to a boil over medium heat. Allow to boil for 1 minute.
- Remove from heat and stir in 2 ½ cups cheddar, gruyere cheese, and parmesan until smooth.
- Mix cheese sauce with cooked pasta and ham and place in a 9×13 pan. Add topping and remaining ½ cup of cheese.
- Bake 22-26 minutes or until heated through and topping is browned. Cool 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Casserole, 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.
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What a great recipe! My fussy husband loved it! Easy and fast to make. I just cubed some of the cheese and grated some others. Melted great in the delicious creamy sauce. Excellent directions!
I’m so happy to hear this recipe was a hit!
Mix everything in HUGE pot before adding to the casserole dish. It also helps to have my son hold the pot while putting it in the casserole dish!
Very easy and had a lot of flavor. My changes were that a sautéed in a little chopped onion in the butter before wishing in the flour. I added about 2/3 c of frozen peas to the last few minutes of the pasta boiling. I also used Swiss instead of Gruyère cheese and a bit more Dijon mustard than was listed.
my mom made this for years while growing up, but she ground the ham, wow, ham flavor in every bite. makes a whole meal…s
This is delicious, and great for left over ham after the holidays. I’m making it for the third time but I’m never quite sure if I am using the right item when it comes to the Dijon. Should I be using actual spreadable Dijon mustard or is this suppose to be a mustard spice I should be using like ground mustard? Also, do you suggest rinsing the pasta or just draining?
Hi Laura, we use normal dijon mustard in this recipe and you can rinse the pasta if you prefer but it’s not necessary for this recipe.
My family loved it. Even the ones that don’t usually like too much cheese.
Sandra
So happy they enjoyed this recipe too, Sandra!
I thought this was fabulous. Lots and lots of cheese. We ended up dividing it in thirds after it baked. Froze two portions for another day. I didn’t make any changes other than not having any parsley on hand.
We loved this recipe. The only change I made was I used 1 tsp.of Dijon mustard instead of 1/2 tsp. It. Took 1.5 hours of prep for me and it cooked for 30 minutes. Came out perfect. I have tried several recipes from SWP and am always happy with the results. Thank you for the recipe.
How long would you bake for if you doubled the recipe?
Hi Brooke, we have only made this recipe as listed but if you want to try doubling the recipe in one casserole dish I would recommend adding 10 minutes to the cooking time and adding additional time as necessary. We dice precooked ham so the main concern is just making sure the recipe is fully heated with a nice golden brown topping before serving!
Easy and delicious
This was extremely delicious. I used four cups of shredded Kerrygold Dubliner cheese, and sprinkled the Parmesan on top with the panko. Used plain old elbow noodles because they were what I had on hand. Skipped the onion powder, but chopped and sautéed a small onion separately to add to everything. And I added a couple of cups of frozen peas. Go with what sounds good to you and what you have available; if you like it half as much as we did you will be very happy to have made it.
Can’t wait to try some of these yummy recipes!
We have a grab’n go … freezer at my store and I will make up some of these for in it. I love that it has the nutritionals included! thank you.
Do you mean to use 21/2 cups EACH of the 3differant cheeses you use for the recipe.
I LOVE ALL your recipes, would not use any other food site
Thank you Christine! You’ll want to add 2 1/2 cups of the cheddar, and all of the gruyere and parmesan.
Do you recommend this as a make ahead and freeze dish?
You can definitely make this ahead and freeze it, Marcy! When you’re ready to serve it, just thaw on the countertop and then bake at 350°F for 30-45 minutes, covered in foil so it doesn’t dry out.
Anyone have any reheating tips for this? Making it tonight and won’t have as many guests as I thought but would like to serve the leftovers tomorrow.
Hi Chase, I would reheat @ 350°F for 20-30 minutes, covered with tin foil. It might need more or less time depending on how much is left in the dish but that’s a good place to start :)
Can you use all milk if you have no cream?
In a pinch, that will definitely work JS. It might not be quite as creamy but still super delicious.
Cant wait to use this for Thanksgiving leftovers
Holly, could one substitute potatoes, instead of the pasta??
We haven’t tried this recipe with potatoes but that sounds delicious. Let us know how it turns out Sandra!
Thank you Holly! Your recipes sound great. I have made the Cracker Barrel potatoes and it was wonderful. I like the simple recipes which require the staples we already have in our pantries! So glad I found you on FB! Have a blessed day.. Jan
I’m so happy you found me too Jan! Enjoy the casserole!
Your dishes are very very good we just love them!!
Many thanks Linda!