This baked ham casserole with silky cheese-mushroom sauce and veggies is perfect for the day after your holiday dinners. Topped with crispy breadcrumbs, it’s the best way to use leftover ham!
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If you’re into creating new dishes from leftovers, this cheesy ham casserole with lots of noodles is right up your alley. It’s a good way to give your fridge some breathing room again after Thanksgiving or Christmas. Why? It’s packed with things that are probably already in your fridge: tender broccoli, carrots, and leftover ham.
Why I Love This Ham Casserole Recipe
- Great for leftovers: This saucy recipe brings new life into homemade ham leftovers.
- Versatile: Add peas, mix in shredded turkey, or use cream of onion if you want to get creative.
- Perfect for the holidays: Baked ham is a traditional Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner dish, making it the perfect ingredient for this holiday casserole.
- Beginner-friendly: Cook the noodles, whisk the sauce, mix, and bake. That’s it!
Ingredient Notes
The breadcrumbs will become nice and golden in the oven for a crunchy topping on this ham casserole. Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact ingredient amounts.
- Egg noodles: Avoid gluten-free ones because they’ll fall apart with the cream sauce.
- Broccoli florets: Remove any large stems.
- Carrots: Use fresh, canned, or frozen.
- Milk: I prefer full-fat milk but 2% works too. Heavy cream and half-and-half are good swaps.
- Cream of mushroom soup: Add your favorite.
- Cheddar cheese: You can use mild or sharp cheddar. Monterey Jack is okay as well.
- Chive cream cheese: Go for regular or jalapeño cream cheese if you prefer.
- Ham: My Air Fryer Ham, Orange Glazed Ham, and Crockpot Ham all work for this.
- Black pepper: Freshly-cracked black pepper is best.
- Breadcrumbs: Use plain breadcrumbs or panko.
The Cheesy Sauce Makes This Recipe Stand Out!
Mixing the milk, cream of mushroom, cheddar, and cream cheese together lets all the rich and creamy flavors make friends. A sprinkle of black pepper also adds a spicy, peppery kick. By the time the noodles and ham are stirred in, the smooth sauce is ready to tie everything together.
Tips & Variations for the Best Ham Casserole
The versatility of ingredients for this ham casserole will blow your mind. You can use frozen veggies, other canned soups, and leftover turkey.
- Swap the soup: You can use cream of onion, celery, chicken, or cauliflower soup for easy variations of this recipe.
- More protein: Shred leftover Air Fryer Turkey Breast or Thanksgiving Turkey and mix it into the ingredients. Shredded Chicken and rotisserie chicken work too.
- Different types of pasta: Grab all the leftover bits of short pasta you have in the pantry like penne, bowtie, and fusilli. Cook according to package instructions and use them to make the casserole.
- Use frozen: Skip any chopping of veggies by using frozen (and thawed) broccoli florets and diced carrots.
- More veggies: Stirring 1 cup sweet corn, peas, or Sautéed Green Beans with Garlic into the ham mixture can reduce food waste and pack this casserole with more flavor.
How To Make It Ahead
Assemble the casserole as usual but don’t bake it. Cover it with foil or plastic wrap. Refrigerate for up to 24 hours and then bake it. Don’t make it more than a day in advance because the noodles will absorb too much moisture and fall apart.
Storing and Reheating Extras
If you make it in advance, you’ll be all set with your holiday dish before the festive cooking craze begins.
- Fridge: Cover the baking dish with foil and refrigerate it for up to 5 days. You can also store it in an airtight container.
- Freezer: This works for the assembled but un-baked casserole. Tightly cover the baking dish with foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw it overnight in the fridge or on the counter for 30 minutes. Bake at 350F for 1 hour, then uncover it and bake for another 15 minutes.
- To reheat it: Microwave it in 30-second increments, stirring between each one. You can also use the oven at 300F for 25-30 minutes for larger portions.
Ham Casserole
Ingredients
- 4 ½ cups egg noodles, cooked
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 1 cup carrots, chopped
- 1 cup milk
- 10 oz canned cream of mushroom soup
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, about 8 oz
- 6 oz chive cream cheese, softened
- 2 cups chopped ham
- 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13 casserole dish, set aside.
- In a large pot, bring 2 quarts water to a boil. Cook egg noodles for 2 minutes. Add broccoli and carrots and cook 3 minutes more. Drain immediately. (You do not want to over cook your noodles, otherwise you will end up with a soggy casserole.)
- Combine milk, cream of mushroom soup, cheddar cheese, and cream cheese in a large bowl; until smooth. Fold in noodle mixture, ham and pepper.
- Spread the noodle mixture evenly in prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs evenly over casserole.
- Cover casserole with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes, or until topping is lightly browned.
Notes
Storage & Reheating
- Fridge: Refrigerate it for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw it overnight in the fridge or on the counter for 30 minutes.
- To reheat it: Microwave it in 30-second increments, stirring between each one.
Nutrition
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Tasted great and was so easy! My husband had two helpings which is his seal of approval. Nice way to use up some Xmas ham.
Nice recipe, have a good one.
This looks like a great recipe – we are trying to reduce sodium so is there a recommended substitute for the cream of mushroom soup?
Hi Eileen! You could use the reduced sodium canned cream of mushroom soup, but if you need even less salt, you could always make your own!
Is it 4 and a half cups of dry pasta or cooked pasta?
Hi Delanie! You add the uncooked (dry) egg noodles to a large pot of boiling water in step #2!
This is the best recipe I have made in a while. The entire family loved it including the kids!
Awesome! So glad y’all enjoyed it too! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
Any time one is using foil, it is a good idea to line it with parchment paper to protect the food from metal which the heat will cause contamination.
I often cover food with just parchment only.
Metal relates to Dementia and Alzheimers
I really loved how easy this recipe came together. It also smelled amazing while cooking. But when we tasted it, it was surprisingly bland. I’d try it again but next time would add 1 tsp salt to the creamy mixture. Maybe that’s just us?
Love, love, love this recipe! I have made it numerous times since I stumbled across it! The only thing I did different was I used Philadelphia Cooking Cream –Italian Herb & Cheese, because my grocery store didn’t have the chive and onion cream cheese. Loved it so much I’ve just continued to use that. Bonus: my kids like it!! It’s my new favorite comfort food casserole!
After the weekend of snow, travel, and feeling under the weather we needed some serious comfort food. Oh boy did we find it with this! This casserole had everything going for it. Rachel and I loved it. We’re featuring it on this weeks Taste Test Thursday. Will tweet you the link when it goes live!
So glad y’all liked it Chris! 🙂
And thanks ahead of time for the link!
I must admit, my Cooking Light cookbook has been getting some attention lately, too. But you know, the recipes I’ve tried have been great so I know I would like this. Beautifully photographed!
Yummy! Looks good…comfy food!
Moving is the next best thing to stabbing oneself to death with a fork!!!!!!!! Sympathies to you sista…, glad you’ve put your big girl panties on & doing it anyways…. indoor plumbing does that to you. 🙂
Jessica, I couldn’t agree more about casseroles being one of the best comfort dishes. This ham casserole looks SO delicious. I’m sorry to hear that you’re dreading your upcoming move, but with relocation comes a fresh start and a chance to find new friends, things to do, and local food! I hope it’s an easy move for you anyway, and hope to keep seeing delicious recipes like this once you’re settled! Thanks for sharing, and Happy New Year to you and Jorge!
Moving sucks, so I can somewhat feel your pain. However, mine was just a cross-town move, so I can’t imagine moving further! 🙁 Hopefully you’ll find lots of new opportunities in Jacksonville. (PS. The Jacksonville Jaguars are in the same division of NFL as the Tennessee Titans.)
In regards to the 4 1/2 cups egg noodles you have as an ingredient, is it 4 1/2 cups of dry noodles, or should the amount of noodles equal 4 1/2 cups after you cook them?
Hi Mary! Dry noodles! In step #2 of the directions you will cook the noodles.
Good luck on your move, I’m sorry it’s somewhere you don’t want to move though. BUT you’ll be closer to Atlanta, are you going to BHF? I registered already…
happy new year and good luck with the move!
Looks great, I am always looking for new casseroles!
Good luck with the move!