Warm, cheesy, and comforting, Cheesy Broccoli Ham Casserole is the perfect way to use up some leftover ham you’ve got lying around!
Casseroles are my JAM. What is not to love about a whole, complete dinner (or breakfast…or lunch for that matter) all mixed up into one delicious dish? Casseroles are great to feed a crowd!
They’re great to pull out of the freezer for a busy school night, and they’re great because they make everyone in my house happy. We especially love a casserole that incorporates cheese and veggies like this delicious broccoli ham casserole. (We also love this cheesy squash casserole) Your family will be begging for seconds of this yummy dish!
CHEESY BROCCOLI HAM CASSEROLE
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In our family, the holidays go on for much longer than the actual holiday itself. Christmas is practically a whole week event. We have extended family come and stay with us from the day before Christmas Eve through a few days after.
Why cram all your celebrating into just one or two days?! I adore these days after Christmas because they are so much more low-key (I’m talking SO low-key that most of us just spend the day in our jammies. Yes, I do change out of my daytime jammies into my nighttime jammies…).
But, just because these days are filled with relaxation and family time doesn’t mean that we don’t all need to eat! Those post-holiday days I always whip up some delicious casseroles. They’re great for so many reasons – they feed a crowd, they’re super easy to make, and people can eat whenever they’re hungry. No stress of setting a big elaborate table filled with foods that need to be perfectly executed.
My FAVORITE casserole to make after Christmas is this delicious broccoli ham casserole. The kids love it (they’re eating broccoli and not another Christmas cookie? Total mom win…), it uses up all my extra ham from Christmas dinner, and it is SO easy to make. I mean come on… who wouldn’t love a ham broccoli rice casserole!?
So whether you’ve got a crowd to feed or you just want a simple meal for your family after all the stress of holiday cooking, this cheesy ham and broccoli casserole is sure to satisfy!
Ingredients for Broccoli Ham Casserole
Ham – you’ll need about 3 cups of diced ham to make this delicious leftover ham casserole. It’s always my husband’s job to peel all of our leftovers off our Christmas ham. I make sure to remind him that he needs to get every last bit off that bone.
I’ve also made this recipe with only 2 cups of ham, so no stress if you’ve got less than 3 cups! If you don’t have leftovers on hand, go ahead and use a store-bought ham steak or even chopped up deli-sliced ham.
Rice – the glue that binds all of this yummy ham broccoli rice casserole together is the rice. You’ll want to have 3 cups of COOKED rice. It’s very important to measure your rice after it’s already been cooked. Otherwise, you’ll have way too much.
Don’t worry if you made too much already… just go ahead and make some super Easy Fried Rice!
Cheese – in my personal opinion, no casserole is complete without a large amount of cheese. For ham broccoli cheese casserole, I love using a combination of Havarti and Colby Jack cheeses. Havarti has a delicious, buttery flavor that really highlights the broccoli and the Colby Jack is always one of my go-to casserole cheeses. It melts beautifully and gives a mild, yet unique flavor that is cheesy perfection!
If you don’t have these cheeses on hand, you can get totally away with using cheddar cheese instead. Been there. Tried that.
How to Make Ham Casserole with Broccoli
While ham and broccoli casserole is super easy to make there are a few steps that you need to take to make it. My biggest tip (as a seasoned broccoli ham casserole maker…) is to have all your ingredients for the sauce already measured out and ready to go. The roux can burn quickly, especially if you stop stirring it to get your other ingredients ready. So, knowing that… here’s how you make it:
- Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Next, grease a 4-quart casserole dish – AKA a 9-inch x 13-inch baking dish.
- After prepping your dish, fill a large pot (large enough to hold all of your broccoli) with water, and bring it to a boil.
- Once it’s boiling, add 1 tsp of salt and the broccoli, allow it to boil for 4 minutes. The broccoli should still be a bit firm. It will continue to cook in the casserole, we don’t want it to be too mushy.)
- Now drain the broccoli and set it aside for later.
NOTE: You can use frozen broccoli florets instead of fresh broccoli for this recipe. You’ll just need to cook them for an extra 2-3 minutes in the boiling water.
To make the Sauce:
This is the part where you can get into trouble with burning – make sure you’ve got everything all measured out and ready to go before starting on your sauce!
- Melt your butter in a large pot over medium heat
- Next, whisk in your flour and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring continuously (use those arm muscles!)
- Stir in the garlic powder, onion powder, dry mustard, salt, and pepper and cook for another minute (yup, continue that stirring).
- Now, slowly whisk in the milk and stir until no lumps remain.
- Bring your sauce to a simmer for 5 minutes or until thickened.
- Last, stir in the Havarti and Colby Jack cheeses. Keep stirring until the cheese is melted.
Now it’s time to assemble your ham and broccoli casserole:
- Add the broccoli, ham, and rice into the pot with your cheese sauce and stir.
- Next, pour your cheesy broccoli mixture into the casserole dish and spread evenly.
- Top with remaining cheese (there’s no such thing as too much cheese, right?) and place into the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
- While your broccoli ham casserole is baking, combine the melted butter and panko breadcrumbs in a small bowl.
- Remove the casserole from the oven and top with the breadcrumbs.
- Serve and enjoy!
You’re welcome to add more or less cheese to this dish for either the sauce or the topping (I always choose the more is more option for cheese, but less works too!). If adding more cheese to your sauce, add it 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup at a time and taste before adding any more. You can always add more, you can’t take it away!
The ham is pretty easy to adjust as well. I’ve made it with 2 to 3 cups and it’s been great, so just use whatever you have on hand!
Can You Freeze Broccoli Ham Casserole?
If you’re looking to make this dish ahead of time (I’m totally one of those people who loves to have an easy, pre-prepped meal in the freezer!) you can go right ahead! I suggest following all the directions in the recipe up until the baking part. Once your casserole is assembled (without the breadcrumbs!), wrap it up tightly and throw it into your freezer.
On the day you’re ready to serve your ham broccoli cheese casserole, pull it out of the freezer, let it thaw in the fridge, and then follow the rest of the instructions in the recipe! You may need 5 to 10 extra minutes of cooking time since the casserole will be chilled.
If you have leftovers of an already cooked broccoli ham casserole that you’re looking to freeze, you have to follow a few simple steps:
First, make sure that your leftover ham casserole is completely cooled. If you freeze it too soon, it’ll thaw out as a mushy mess. Second, make sure you store your leftovers in an airtight container. You don’t want any air getting into it during the freezing process or else it will again, cause your casserole to become a mushy mess once re-heated!
Looking for some more easy, family-friendly recipes for after the holidays?
- Instant Pot Ham
- Leftover Ham Soup with Lentils
- Philly Cheesesteak Casserole
- Chicken Enchilada Casserole
- Simple Broccoli Casserole
- more MAIN DISH recipes…
Tools used to make this Cheesy Broccoli Ham Casserole recipe
Rice cooker: while you can absolutely make rice in a pot on the stove, I have found that I love using a rice cooker! It’s fluffy and perfect every time.
Casserole dish: whether you’re making a tater tot breakfast casserole or a leftover ham casserole, every kitchen needs a trusty casserole dish. This one is a tried-and-true favorite!
Ingredients
Casserole
- 3 cups cooked rice
- 4 cups broccoli chopped into bite-size pieces (2 heads)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups ham diced
- ½ cup Havarti cheese shredded
- ½ cup Colby-Jack cheese shredded
- 4 tablespoons butter melted
- ¼ cup Panko bread crumbs
Sauce
- 4 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2 cups milk
- 1 ½ cups Havarti cheese shredded
- 1 ½ cups Colby-Jack cheese shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the inside of a 4-quart casserole dish.
- Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add 1 teaspoon salt and the broccoli. Allow it to boil for 4 minutes. The broccoli should still be a bit firm as it will continue to cook the casserole.
- Drain the broccoli and set aside.
Sauce
- Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat.
- Whisk in flour and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Stir in the garlic powder, onion powder, dry mustard, salt, and pepper. Cook for another minute, stirring constantly.
- Slowly whisk in milk and stir until there are no lumps. Bring to a simmer for 5 minutes, until thickened.
- Sti in Havarti and Colby-Jack cheese. Keep stirring until the cheese is melted.
Casserole
- Add broccoli, ham, and cooked rice to the sauce and stir to combine.
- Pour the mixture into your prepared casserole dish and spread evenly.
- Top with remaining cheese and place into the oven to bake for 20 minutes.
- While the casserole is baking, combine the melted butter and Panko bread crumbs in a small bowl.
- Remove the casserole from the oven and top with the bread crumbs. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.
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