Ham Casserole
Ham Casserole with Rice and Broccoli is a hearty casserole the whole family will love. Packed full of diced ham, creamy, cheesy rice, fresh broccoli, melty cheddar cheese, and topped with crispy, butter crackers for a delicious crunch! Make ahead and pop in the oven for an easy meal after the holidays!
Searching for more leftover ham recipes? Try our simple Crockpot Ham and Potato Soup, Easy Bow Tie Ham and Peas Pasta, or hearty Ham and Cabbage Soup!
Ham Casserole with Broccoli
Made a holiday ham and have way too many leftovers? Want to include any kind of veggie into a meal so the kids aren’t completely living off leftover mashed potatoes and sugar cookies?
Want a dish that’s filling but doesn’t take much effort to prepare? Then we’ve got the perfect dish for you: Ham Casserole with Broccoli!
It’s cheesy, creamy, delicious, and uses leftovers and broccoli that’s cooked to perfection. Combine your ingredients and bake and you’ve got dinner on the table in no time.
How to Make Ham Casserole
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and prepare your baking dish. Set aside.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Place the broccoli into the boiling water and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the broccoli is bright green and slightly less firm in texture.
- Immediately drain the water and rinse the broccoli with cold water. Make sure the broccoli is well dried then set aside.
- In a small skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion and cook until soft, then add the garlic. Cook for an additional 30 seconds then remove the pan from heat.
- In a large bowl, combine the onion mixture, cream of mushroom soup, cream of celery soup, milk, ¾ cup of cheddar cheese, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper.
- Next, stir in the cooked ham, cooked rice, and blanched broccoli. Transfer the mixture to the prepared casserole dish.
- Top with the remaining ¾ cup of shredded cheddar cheese, crushed crackers, and drizzle with melted butter.
- Bake the Ham and Broccoli Casserole for 30-40 minutes or until the filling bubbles and the crackers are golden brown.
- Serve warm and enjoy!
Tips for Ham Casserole
- Swap the Ritz crackers for Panko breadcrumbs if you’d prefer or if that’s what you have on hand.
- This casserole works best in a 2-quart baking dish. A 1 ½ quart casserole dish works although it’s a tight squeeze and the dish is very full. If you are using a 1 ½ quart sized dish, you’ll want to place a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil underneath the casserole dish as it bakes in case the casserole bubbles over. This makes cleanup so much easier if it does spill!
- Leftover holiday ham? This recipe is perfect for using up your leftovers.
- For extra veggies try adding in chopped carrots or a can of whole kernel corn.
Storage
Storage: Store leftover ham casserole in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 4 to 5 days.
Freezing: This casserole freezes well! Wrap it in a layer of plastic wrap followed by a layer of aluminum foil. It will stay fresh in the freezer for about 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.
Reheating: Reheat in the oven at 350°F until warmed through, or pop individual servings in the microwave until heated.
Can this be made ahead of time?
Sure! Since the ingredients are mostly cooked ahead of time, this dish is easy to throw together a day in advance. Add the cracker topping just before baking and you’ve got an easy make ahead meal that comes in so handy after the holidays when your loving family has totally drained all your energy.
Do you have to cook broccoli before putting it in the casserole?
I don’t suppose it’s necessary, but we like to blanch the broccoli for 3 to 4 minutes to soften it up a bit. Blanching the broccoli gives it a head start in the cooking process. It’s slightly softer, easier to eat, but still has a bite.
Do I have to use fresh broccoli?
No you do not! You can swap to frozen broccoli, or use canned spinach or peas to keep the greens going. You can also add or swap green peppers, asparagus, really whatever you have on hand. The beauty of this recipe is the ease and lack of full force effort.
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh broccoli florets
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- ½ cup white onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 10 ½ ounces cream of mushroom soup, 1 can
- 10 ½ ounces cream of celery soup, 1 can
- 1 ¼ cups milk
- 1 ½ cups cheddar cheese, shredded off the block and divided
- 2 teaspoon(s) Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon(s) salt, optional to taste
- ¼ teaspoon(s) pepper
- 2 cups cooked ham
- 2 cups cooked rice
- 2 cups butter crackers, crushed (1 sleeve similar to Ritz crackers)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and grease a 2 quart baking dish. Set aside.
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Place the broccoli into the boiling water and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the broccoli is bright green and slightly less firm in texture.2 cups fresh broccoli florets
- Immediately drain the water, and rinse the broccoli with cold water. Make sure the broccoli is well dried then set aside.
- In a small skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 3 to 4 minutes, then add the garlic. Cook for an additional 30 seconds then remove the pan from heat.1 tablespoon unsalted butter½ cup white onion2 garlic cloves
- In a large bowl, combine the onion mixture, cream of mushroom soup, cream of celery soup, milk, ¾ cup of cheese, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper.10 ½ ounces cream of mushroom soup10 ½ ounces cream of celery soup1 ¼ cups milk2 teaspoon(s) Worcestershire sauce½ teaspoon(s) salt¼ teaspoon(s) pepper
- Next, stir in the ham, cooked rice, and blanched broccoli.2 cups cooked ham2 cups cooked rice2 cups butter crackers2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Transfer to the prepared dish. Top with the remaining ¾ cup of shredded cheese, crushed crackers and drizzle with melted butter.
- Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until the filling bubbles and the crackers are golden brown.
- Serve warm! See post for tips, FAQs, and storage options.
Very good! I used two cans of cream of mushroom soup because that’s all I had and topped it with french fried onions. Also used a mix of swiss cheese and cheddar. Will make again!
Thank you, Carrie! The substitution and different cheeses sound like tasty additions. Thank you again for commenting and rating the recipe. Have a lovely day 🙂
So we cook onions, remove from heat, and never add them? 😂
Hi Nara!
Good catch! The onion mixture goes in step #5. I’m fixing it now. Have a great weekend!