Ham Casserole

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Smoky ham, tender noodles, and a super-rich, velvety cream sauce marry together in this winner of a meaty dinner, my (if I do, humbly, say myself!) sensational Ham Casserole! Made all from scratch! Absolutely no cans of soup required.

My Grandma taught me how to make this dish, and over the decades I’ve made it, I’ve tweaked and changed it to my family’s taste. It just may be my best casserole recipe ever!

My ham casserole recipe lets smoky ham mingle with curly ribbons of pasta in a super-rich, decadent, I mean seriously decadent,  cheesy cream sauce. All your dinner favorites come together at their very best!

Do you love cozy casseroles as much as we do? Be sure to try my Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole, Pioneer Woman Mac and Cheese, and Baked Ziti With Ricotta next. And if you have extra ham to use up, don’t miss my collection of Leftover Ham Recipes for even more easy dinner ideas.

Let’s make this delicious casserole!

MORE HAM RECIPES

Got Ham?

Here are a few of my personal favorites from this list that I make over and over again! That said, I seriously hope you try them all!

• Ham Salad: I can not tell you how much I love this amazing, Uber-creamy ham salad! If you try one other recipe, of course, after this amazing casserole, I pray it will be this one!!!! Spread it on crackers or turn it into a more substantial snack or meal by spreading it on King’s Hawaiian rolls, croissants (mini or regular-sized), or just plain old, wonderful white bread.
  • Seriously, I really hope you try this recipe, my friend!! Let me know in the comments below if you do ♥
• Ham and Bean Soup Recipe: Soup is one of my favorite types of food. This combo is really yummy, rib-sticking, and wonderful!
• Scalloped Potatoes and Ham: I’m a potato kind of gal. They’re one of my favorite foods. This casserole is comforting, filling, and just the right thing to serve for dinner!

HAM CASSEROLE RECIPE INGREDIENTS

• Panko Crumbs: I love the convenience and fabulous crunch of Panko crumbs.
• Butter: I use unsalted butter.
• Pasta options: Let’s talk pasta, the unnamed second leading lady of this dish. The most important difference between egg noodles and other dried pasta is that “egg noodles” must contain rich and nutritious eggs!
  • If you need to substitute for some reason, I’d suggest using fettuccine or linguine, any “ribbon”-shaped noodle, or my favorite, mini penne.
• Ham: I love to use leftover ham. If you want to make this and don’t have any leftovers, simply use a ham steak.
• Onion: I use yellow onion. Fresh onion is imperative; onion powder will not add enough onion flavor.
• Celery: I prefer the celery to be minced finely.
• Garlic: Please use Fresh Garlic only. If you run out of fresh garlic, add 1 tsp of garlic powder.
• All-Purpose Flour: I use Gold Medal.
• Milk: The key to making your homemade cream sauce is, you guessed it, milk! I use whole milk to get a really rich flavor, but you can use any type — skim or 1% for less fat, or even heavy cream to go really decadent!
• Worcestershire Sauce: Adds so much flavor, don’t skip it!
• Tabasco Sauce: I like the little bit of acid that this particular hot sauce adds. Not all hot sauces have as much vinegar.
• Salt + Black Pepper: Our foundational seasoning.
• Thyme Leaves + Sage Leaves: We use fresh herbs in this casserole, and you can really taste the difference.
• Cheese: My favorite cheese for this recipe is an extra sharp cheddar, but you can substitute a plain Monterey Jack, colby, mozzarella, Swiss cheese, or even a pepper jack with awesome (and equally cheesy!) results.
  • Using pepper jack is another little spin I put on other ham pasta casserole recipes. Jack cheese has a lovely, creamy texture, especially when it’s melted, and the peppers bring a subtle heat that adds that little “something special” to the dish.
• Pea haters: Peas are optional. My family loves this; in fact, my SIL, Doug, asks me to add more! Feel free to omit them if you want. You can actually substitute some chopped broccoli (either blanched or frozen-then-thawed) for a nice, nutritious pop of color.

Storing + Freezing Tips + Make-Ahead

• How Long Can You Keep This In The Refrigerator? After it’s cooked, this recipe will last up to four days in the fridge. Store in an airtight container. Any longer, and all that dairy will start to separate, ruining the flavor and making the safety questionable.
• Can You Freeze This? One of the many things I love about casseroles is that they often freeze well, and this casserole is no exception! You can double the bang-for-your-buck by enjoying half for dinner and freezing the other half for a quick meal that just needs thawing and reheating.
  • The frozen casserole will last in your freezer for up to 2-3 months! To thaw, let it sit in the fridge overnight, or you can just pop the frozen casserole straight into a 350ºF (177ºC) preheated oven and bake for an hour
• Make-Ahead Tips: My favorite way to speed up this process is to make the casserole right up to the point of baking, then wrap it and store it in the fridge overnight. You can then just pop it in the oven and bake it for dinner without having to worry about cooking!

WHAT TO SERVE WITH HAM AND CHEESE CASSEROLE

Oh, my friends, there are sooo many delicious things to serve with this casserole. Because it’s so rich and cheesy, I often opt for a fresh green salad with my homemade balsamic vinaigrette recipe. 5 minutes and you’ll have a fresh, delicious salad dressing that absolutely nothing store-bought can even begin to touch in the flavor department! It’s also great with our KFC coleslaw, strawberry salad, cucumber tomato salad, pineapple coleslaw, carrot salad, fresh broccoli, or our strawberry spinach salad.

If you prefer cooked veggies, I’ve got you! Try my super quick and easy roasted broccoli, Paula Deen corn casserole, Southern-style green beans, crack green beans, creamed peas, Tennessee onions, candied carrots, fried cabbage and bacon, sweet, simple roasted peppers (“bell peppers”of course!), or one of my favorites, sauteed asparagus!

How to Make Ham Casserole Recipe

1. Saute aromatics.
2. Add butter and sprinkle flour.
3. Whisk and continue to cook.
4. Remove the skillet from the heat and slowly whisk in the milk.
5. Return to medium heat and cook until the mixture begins to thicken.
6. Add almost all the ingredients.
7. Add egg noodles, ham, and sauce. Stir. Pour into prepared baking dish. Bake.
8. Sprinkle the topping evenly. Pop back in the oven and broil until golden brown.
9. Sprinkle the top with fresh thyme and fresh sage leaves.

***See full instructions below.

MORE FAVORITE HAM RECIPES

• Impossibly Easy Ham And Swiss Pie
• Ham And Cheese Pinwheels 
• Mississippi Sin Dip
• Ham Balls
• Ham Tetrazzini

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Ham Casserole

Smoky ham, tender noodles, and a super-rich, velvety cream sauce marry together in this winner of a meaty dinner, my sensational Ham Casserole!

Prep Time40 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Servings: 8 servings

Author: Kathleen

Ingredients

Topping:

• ▢ 1 1/2 cups panko crumbs
• ▢ 6 tablespoons butter, melted

Casserole:

• ▢ 12 ounces dried egg noodles
• ▢ 1 1/2 pounds ham (about 4 1/2-5 cups cubed), cut into 1/2 cubes
• ▢ 1/2 cup, plus 2 tablespoons butter, divided
• ▢ 1 cup yellow onion, chopped
• ▢ 1 cup celery, finely minced
• ▢ 4 cloves garlic, minced
• ▢ 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• ▢ 5 1/2 cups whole milk
• ▢ 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
• ▢ 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• ▢ 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, stripped off stems
• ▢ 2 teaspoons fresh sage leaves, chopped
• ▢ 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• ▢ 4 ounces cream cheese softened
• ▢ 1 cup frozen petites peas, thawed and drained

Garnish:

• ▢ thyme leaves
• ▢ sage leaves

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F (177ºC). Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish lightly with nonstick cooking spray.
• Make Topping: In a small mixing bowl combine Panko crumbs (1 1/2 cups), and melted butter (6 tablespoons); set aside.
• Make Casserole: Cook egg noodles (12 ounces) in salted water according to package instructions. Drain.
• Meanwhile, in a high-sided large skillet, melt butter (2 tablespoons). Add onion (1 cup), celery (1 cup), and garlic (4 cloves), and saute over medium heat, until soft, about 8-10 minutes.
  
• Add the remaining butter (1/2 cup) to the skillet with cooked vegetables and melt. When the butter begins to bubble, sprinkle the flour (1/2 cup) over the top of the vegetables and whisk over medium heat until evenly combined.
  
• Cook, stirring constantly, for 1-2 minutes.
  
• Remove skillet from heat and slowly whisk in milk (5 1/2 cups).
  
• Return to medium heat and cook until the mixture begins to thicken, enough to coat the back of a spoon.
  
• Reduce heat to low and stir in Worcestershire sauce (2 teaspoons), Tabasco (1/4 teaspoon), salt (1 1/2 teaspoons), pepper (1/2 teaspoon), fresh thyme leaves (1 tablespoon), fresh sage leaves (2 teaspoons), 2 cups cheddar cheese, cream cheese (4 ounces), and thawed peas (1 cup).
  
• Add drain egg noodles back to the empty pot it was cooked in. And ham (1 1/2 pounds) and sauce to the egg noodles and stir to combine well. Pour into prepared baking dish. Bake in the preheated oven until heat through and bubbly, about 25-30 minutes.
  
• When the casserole is heated through, remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle topping evenly over the surface. Pop back in oven and broil (watching closely so it doesn't burn!) until topping is golden brown, about 3-5 minutes. Sprinkle top with fresh thyme and fresh sage leaves.
  

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Notes

1. Pasta options: Let’s talk pasta, the unnamed second leading lady of this dish. So, the most important difference and the distinction between egg noodles and other dried pasta is that “egg noodles” must contain rich and nutritious eggs!
   • Whenever I make my own homemade pasta, I add eggs. That said very often commercially available pasta doesn’t contain eggs. I love egg noodles in this dish mainly because the twisty pasta ribbons just make me happy!
   • If you need to substitute for some reason, I’d suggest using fettuccine or linguine, or any “ribbon” shaped noodle.
2. Milk: The key to making your homemade cream sauce is, you guessed it, milk! I use whole milk to get a really rich flavor, but you can use any type — skim or 1% for less fat, or even heavy cream to go really decadent!
3. Cheese: My favorite cheese for this recipe is an extra sharp cheddar, but you can substitute a plain Monterey Jack, mozzarella, or even a pepper jack with awesome (and equally cheesy!) results.
   • Using pepper jack is another little spin I put on other ham pasta casserole recipes. Jack cheese has a lovely, creamy texture, especially when it’s melted, and the peppers bring a subtle heat that adds that little “something special” to the dish.
4. Pea haters: Peas are optional. My family loves the, in fact my SIL, Doug asks for me to add more! Feel free to omit them, if you want. You can actually substitute some chopped broccoli (either blanched or frozen-then-thawed) as a nice, nutritious pop of color.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/8 of the recipe | Calories: 805kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 41g | Fat: 49g | Saturated Fat: 27g | Cholesterol: 176mg | Sodium: 1902mg | Potassium: 688mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 1207IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 494mg | Iron: 3mg

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