Wondering what to do with leftover ham? This cheesy Ham, Broccoli, and Rice Casserole is the easy and delicious solution the whole family will enjoy.
Ham Casserole Recipe
Who else somehow always makes too much baked ham on Easter?
I don’t mind having leftovers, though! Cooked ham leftovers are great to have on hand as a meal starter or protein rich snack.
I love putting ham in my freezer for dinners and breakfasts! We add it to our ham and cheese quiche!
If you’re getting sick of ham sandwiches and salads, I have a delicious solution for you: Cheesy Ham Casserole! It comes together in just one bowl, plus the baking dish so clean up is easy too.
This is a casserole like mom used to make, only better.
I love the combination of savory ham with cheese, rice, broccoli and creamy soup.
Crumbled buttery Ritz crackers add salty crunchiness that my kids and I couldn’t get enough of.
Leftover Ham Recipes
You can never go wrong with layering slices of leftover ham into a grilled cheese sandwich, throwing them into an omelette or enjoying them in a lunchtime Ham Salad.
But we all need a recipe to shake things up from time to time! This casserole is just the thing.
Cheesy Ham Casserole is different enough from the usual leftover ham recipes but uses familiar ingredients you probably already have in your fridge, freezer, and pantry.
If you have leftover broccoli florets that didn’t make it into your Roasted Broccoli and Zucchini side dish for Easter dinner, toss them into this casserole so they don’t go to waste.
I’ve tried Ham Casserole with both fresh broccoli florets and frozen and it’s worked well both ways .
Another favorite way to use up that leftover ham and broccoli is in Broccoli Ham Quiche. (Brunch anyone?)
Ingredient Notes
- Diced ham
- Canned cream of chicken soup
- Chicken broth
- Broccoli florets (fresh or frozen)
- Unsalted butter
- White rice, uncooked
- Minced onion
- Garlic powder
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Ritz cracker crumbs (or corn flake cereal)
Easy Instructions
- Mix the casserole ingredients.
- Bake covered.
- Add the cracker crumb crust.
What to serve with Ham Casserole
One of the things I love about this easy dinner recipe, is that it’s basically a complete meal…starch, veggie, protein! We love that pork is packed with protein!
We do occasionally make some homemade dinner rolls or garlic bread to serve alongside this dinner.
You can also whip up my favorite Olive Garden Salad recipe to serve on the side!
Tips for Ham Casserole
- If you use frozen broccoli here, you need to reduce the amount of liquid in the overall recipe. Use 1/4 less chicken broth to compensate.
- The crumb cracker crust takes just about 1 full sleeve of Ritz crackers when I make this. If you don’t have crackers (or prefer not to use them) corn flake cereal is a perfect substitution.
- Store leftovers tightly covered in the fridge. It’ll keep well for a couple of days, but the cracker crust will not stay as crisp. Reheat in the oven for a few minutes before serving.
- The beauty of this casserole recipe is that virtually any kind of cooked ham leftovers you have will taste good. I’ve made it with leftover honey cured ham, hickory smoked ham and spicy ham and they’ve all been good.
- How long do you cook pork? Once upon a time, we all overcooked our pork dinners. The safe internal cooking temperature for fresh cuts of pork is 145 degrees F. You can find more information here about how to cook pork safely.
Can you freeze ham casserole?
You can absolutely freeze this casserole before baking!
Follow the recipe from Steps 1 -3 and instead of baking, put the covered casserole in the freezer (wrap a layer of plastic wrap around it to protect against freezer burn too).
When ready to bake, bake as directed adding 5 – 10 minutes of extra baking time before adding the Ritz cracker crust.
Easy Pork Dinners
- Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin – in the pressure cooker!
- Baked Pork Chops
- Lasagna Soup
- Sausage Stuffed Shells – reader favorite!
- Pork Chops with Peaches
Ham Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 cans cream of chicken soup 10.75 ounce each
- 2 ½ cups chicken broth
- 1 Tablespoon minced onion
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups diced cooked ham
- 3 cup broccoli florets fresh or frozen
- 1 ½ cups long grain white rice uncooked
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup butter cracker crumbs
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the soup and broth until blended. Add in minced onion, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Stir until combined.
- Add in diced ham, broccoli, uncooked rice, and cheddar cheese. Pour into large 13×9 baking dish.
- Cover tightly with foil and bake for 65 minutes. Halfway through, stir the mixture, re-cover and finish baking.
- While the casserole is baking, melt butter and add in crushed Ritz crackers. Set aside.
- When the cook time ends, remove the foil and stir everything together. Top with cracker crumbs and bake uncovered for an additional 5-10 minutes.
- Serve hot and enjoy.
Notes
- If using frozen broccoli, reduce chicken broth to 2 1/4 cups.
- 1 cup of Ritz cracker crumbs is approximately 1 sleeve of crackers. You can also use corn flakes.
Nutrition
Mix up your week of leftover ham meals with this easy Cheesy Ham Casserole recipe!
If I have leftover cooked rice, can I substitute? What cooking modifications would you suggest?
Can you use Monterey Jack cheese instead? It’s the only cheese my husband will eat.
Sure! That works!
Can you use jasmine rice for this recipe?
Have you made it with cream of mushroom soup?
My rice isn’t cooked. Was I supposed to use Mintue Rice? Mine has been in the oven for almost 2 hours.
Not a broccoli fan so could frozen spinach be used in place of the broccoli and if so how much would you suggest adding and when would it be added?
This is so good and was perfect for using the left over Easter ham
Our family loves this casserole! It’s so tasty! Perfect for using up leftover ham too!
Was I supposed to use minute rice? I followed the instructions exactly and my rice isn’t cooked. It’s been in the over for almost 2 hrs.
It’s regular white rice. ANd if it’s been in the oven for 2 hours it sounds like you overcooked it.