Need a quick and easy recipe for your leftover ham?
This ham casserole recipe combines pasta and ham in an easy, from-scratch cheese sauce. It’s topped with buttery bread crumbs for a great family meal.
Ingredients for Ham Casserole
- Ham – Use leftover diced ham or diced ham steaks.
- Pasta – Any medium shape works. Try rotini, farfalle, shells, or penne.
- Sauce – Butter, flour, milk, and cream are the base of this homemade sauce. I add thyme and Dijon mustard for flavor.
- Cheese – This recipe uses a combination of cheddar, gruyere (or Swiss cheese), and parmesan cheeses. You can replace the cheeses with what you on hand, however, be sure to include one with a bold flavor.
- Topping – A topping of buttered Panko bread crumbs adds a crunchy finish to the casserole.
How to Make Ham Casserole
- 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 baking 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.
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 has a rich creamy sauce so it pairs well with a fresh side dish like veggies or salad.
- Vegetables like broccolini, asparagus, or green beans.
- A fresh salad like tomato salad, cucumber dill salad, or the classic Caesar salad.
Easy Cheesy Casseroles
Did your family love this Cheesy Ham Casserole? Leave us a rating and a comment below!
4.94 from 63 votes↑ Click stars to rate now!
Or to leave a comment, click here!
Cheesy Ham Casserole
Stretch your leftover ham even further with this easy cheesy ham casserole. It’s the perfect way to feed a crowd!
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
- 1 pound medium shells or rotini or penne
- ⅓ cup butter
- ⅓ cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- ½ teaspoon salt & ¼ teaspoon pepper more to taste
- 1 ¾ cups milk
- 1 cup half and half or light cream
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 3 cups shredded sharp cheddar divided
- 1 cup shredded gruyere or Swiss cheese
- 2 tablespoons shredded parmesan cheese
- 2 cups diced ham
Topping
- ½ cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
-
Preheat oven to 400°F. In a small bowl, combine breadcrumbs, butter, and parsley, set aside.
-
Cook the pasta shells al dente according to package directions. Drain well.
-
Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, melt the butter, flour, and seasonings over medium heat and cook for 1 minute.
-
Gradually add in milk, half and half, and Dijon, whisking until smooth after 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 add 2 ½ cups cheddar, gruyere cheese, and parmesan cheese. Whisk until smooth.
-
Toss the cheese sauce with cooked pasta and ham and transfer to a 9×13 baking dish. Sprinkle the breadcrumb topping over the casserole and top with the remaining ½ cup of cheese.
-
Bake for 22-26 minutes or until heated through and topping is browned. Cool 5 minutes before serving.
If you don’t have gruyere, substitute swiss cheese or extra cheddar cheese.
Use leftover ham or purchase a ham steak from the grocery store.
Do not overbake the casserole, or it can dry out.
Calories: 580 | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 112mg | Sodium: 751mg | Potassium: 246mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1091IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 473mg | Iron: 1mg
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.
Recipes you’ll love
About the author
Holly is a wine and cheese lover, recipe creator, shopping enthusiast and self appointed foodie. Her greatest passion is creating in the kitchen and making deliciously comforting recipes for the everyday home cook!
See more posts by Holly
Free eBook!
Subscribe to receive weekly recipes and get a FREE Bonus e-book: Quick & Easy Weeknight Meals!
You can unsubscribe anytime by clicking the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of emails you receive.