Leftover Ham Casserole

Leftover Ham Casserole is the perfect recipe to make when you have leftover ham from the holidays. It is loaded with flavor and the best comfort food to enjoy your ham again.

This creamy pasta dish is simple to make and is so cheesy and delicious. The creamy sauce is made from scratch so there is no need for cream of chicken soup. The casserole is topped with a Panko breadcrumbs to bring all the ingredients together.

This is the casserole to make when you have guests staying over from the holidays are a great weeknight meal.

What is Leftover Ham Casserole?

We always have so much leftover after the holidays. We usually use the leftover turkey for pot pie but wanted to try something different with our leftover ham. That is why we started making this Leftover Ham Casserole.

It is the perfect way to dice up your holiday ham from Thanksgiving, Easter, Christmas or any holiday. Combine the ham with these easy ingredients and make a casserole.

This casserole is creamy, delicious and always full of flavor. My family loves when I use the leftover ham and make this casserole.

Ingredients

• Butter – We used unsalted butter
• Minced Garlic – Learn How to Mince Garlic Cloves
• Italian Seasoning – Make Italian Seasoning Recipe with simple spices
• Chicken Broth – If you are out, see Chicken broth substitutes

Scroll to the bottom for the full recipe in the recipe card.

Substitutions and Variations

• Change the Meat – You can use any leftover meat in this recipe. Left over turkey or leftover cooked chicken instead of the ham would work great in this recipe.
• Change the Topping – This casserole is also great topped with crushed crackers or Ritz crackers instead of the bread crumbs. 
• Noodles – You can easily use different noodles if you prefer. We used egg noodles but penne noodles or rigatoni noodles would work great.
• Vegetables – You can stir in different vegetables. We used steam broccoli but you also use leftover green beans or corn. Diced carrots would also be a good suggestions.
• Seasoning – Change the seasoning to what you prefer. We used Italian Seasoning, but you can use what you have.
• Cheese – We used Sharp Cheddar Cheese in this casserole. But you can easily use Colby Monterrey Jack or for an extra kick add in Pepper Jack Cheese.

How to Make Leftover Ham Casserole

• Step 1 – Cook the egg noodles based on the package instructions to al dente.  Rinse with cold water and set aside. 
• Step 2 – Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and spray a 9X13 baking pan with a non-stick cooking spray. 

Step 3 – Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add the minced garlic.  Cook for 1 minute.  Then whisk in the flour, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.  

Step 4 – Once the flour mixture has thickened, slowly whisk in the chicken broth and the heavy cream.  Heat and whisk until the mixture thickens.  

Step 5 – Remove the pan from the heat and then whisk in the cheddar cheese until it’s melted. 

Step 6 – Gently stir in the diced ham, pasta and broccoli. 

Step 7 – Then pour the mixture into the 9X13 casserole dish. 

Step 8 – In a small separate bowl, stir together the topping ingredients.  

Step 9 – Top the casserole with the topping mixture.  Then bake for 20-25 minutes until the casserole is bubbly and the top is golden brown. 

Step 10 – Allow the casserole to sit for 10 to 15 minutes.  Then it’s ready to serve and enjoy!  

Recipe Tips

• Pasta – We used egg noodles in this recipe, but we recommend using bite size pasta.
• Sauce – We made the sauce from scratch. But you can easily by a jar alfredo sauce or use a can of condensed soup. Cream of Chicken or Cream of Mushroom Soup would be my suggestions. You can even make homemade cream of soup.
• Meat – Try substituting the meat with chicken or leftover turkey. If you prefer to not mix in the meat you can use beans instead.
• Preparing Pasta – Cook the pasta to al dente according to the package. You do not want to over cook the noodles, since they will be baking in the sauce as well. If over cook the pasta may turn into mush.
• Heat Sauce – Heat the sauce until it thickens. Then add in the remaining ingredients. Thoroughly cover the ham with the sauce.
• Sour Cream – For a creamier sauce, mix in sour cream.
• Ham – You can use any type of leftover ham. Ham steaks, spiral ham, or slice ham.

What to Serve with Leftover Ham Casserole

• Side Salad – The casserole is hearty and filling, so a side salad is perfect to serve with this recipe. A garden salad or a Caesar salad would be perfect with this casserole.
• Roasted Vegetables – Roast some vegetables such as asparagus or zucchini would be perfect with this casserole.
• Garlic Bread – Add some homemade garlic bread with this casserole for an easy side.