This Ham Casserole is loaded with cheesy, creamy rice and perfectly cooked broccoli. It’s an easy make-ahead dinner that can be prepared 2 days ahead of time and even works as a one pot meal!
In need of recipes for leftover ham? Try these next!
Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole |Ham and Potato Soup | Split Pea Soup | Ham and Bean Soup | Ham Soup | Hawaiian Pizza
Here are the major perks about this Ham Casserole Recipe:
- Prepare and assemble it up to two days ahead of time. I like to prepare it on a Sunday morning and pop it in the oven later that night (or even the next day!)
- Easily make it as a one pot meal.
- It’s a great recipe for leftover ham.
- A variety of vegetables work great in here.
- Your entire family will absolutely love it.
One Pot Version
Here’s how you can skip casserole dish and cook this as a one pot meal:
- Cook the rice for 18 minutes instead of 15.
- Add the broccoli to the rice during the last 7 minutes of cooking and replace the lid.
- Stir in casserole ingredients as instructed until well-combined.
- Top with cheese, close the lid for 10 minutes or until the cheese is completely melted.
- Serve, or:
- Top with Ritz cracker mix and bake in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes.
Using Brown or Wild Rice
These varieties take longer to cook and requires more liquid than white long grain rice.
- Refer to the package for the required amount of liquid and cooking time and adjust the amount of chicken broth that you use per package instructions.
Make-Ahead Method
Refrigerator: This ham casserole can be prepared up to two days ahead of time.
- Assemble as outline (don’t add Ritz topping).
- Cover the casserole with foil and refrigerate until ready to bake.
- Add an additional 15 minutes of covered baking time.
Freezer:
- Assemble the casserole as outlined and do not bake. Let it thaw for 24 hours in the fridge.
- Add 10 minutes of covered baking time.
Using Frozen Broccoli
–2 cups of frozen broccoli (and/or cauliflower) can also be used. Just be sure you thaw and pat it dry!
-Frozen broccoli is already blanched so you don’t need to cook it prior to mixing the casserole together.
More Pro Tips
- Use white long grain rice, not Instant rice. It has a creamier consistency and better flavor.
- Use reduced sodium ingredients (unsalted butter & low-sodium chicken broth, etc.).
- Crispy Fried Onion Tops make a delicious topping on this casserole instead of Ritz as well.
- Other vegetable options include diced carrots, celery, peas, and green beans.
- Other cheese options include cheddar jack, mozzarella, and smoked gouda. A combination of different kinds of these cheeses may also be used. Avoid extra sharp or aged cheeses as they won’t melt as well.
- If you’d like to use chicken instead of ham, check out my instructions for that in this recipe.
Storage
- Store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- This casserole is a great meal to freeze and is best if used within 3 months of freezing.
- I often reheat frozen lunch-sized portions in the microwave from a frozen state. If possible, I’ll also bake it 350 degree oven at the end to crisp up the top.
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Ham Casserole with Broccoli and Rice
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup yellow onion, finely diced
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 2 1/2 cups chicken broth, low sodium
- 1 ¼ cup white long grain rice, uncooked
- 2 cups cooked ham, diced
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 10.75 oz. cream of chicken soup
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¾ cup milk
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, separated
- Salt/Pepper, optional
Ritz Cracker Topping
- 1 cup Ritz Crackers, crushed into crumbs
- 2 Tablespoons butter, melted
Instructions
- Note: This recipe is designed to allow you to prepare all of the casserole ingredients in one pot before transferring to a casserole dish for baking. Before you begin, refer to your rice package for the amount of liquid (we'll use chicken broth) and cooking time. If preferred, cook the rice separately and skip the broth ingredient. You'll need 3 + 3/4 cups of cooked rice to combine with the other casserole ingredients. I use white long grain rice and the cooking times below work perfectly.
- Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.
- Add the diced onions and cook for 5 minutes, until softened.
- Add the chicken broth, olive oil, and rice to the pot and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.
- Cover tightly and cook for 7 minutes.
- Add the broccoli, replace the cover, cook for 8 more minutes. Refrain from stirring.
- Note: If liquid remains in the pot and the rice isn't yet cooked through after 15 minutes, cover simmer for up to 5 additional minutes, or until cooked through.
- Turn off heat, leave the cover on. Let the rice stand for 10 minutes. Any rice on the bottom of the pot will release during this time.
- Add the diced ham, condensed soup, sour cream, milk, and half of the cheddar cheese. Stir until well-combined.
- Spread into a lightly greased 9 x 13 casserole dish.
- Top with remaining cheddar cheese.
- Cover and bake for 15 minutes.
- Combine the Ritz cracker crumbs and butter. Spread over the top of the casserole and bake, uncovered, for 10 additional minutes.
- Let the casserole sit for 5 minutes prior to serving.
Notes
Using frozen broccoli instead of fresh:
I love the way this comes out with fresh broccoli, but if necessary, frozen broccoli may be used instead. Be sure to let it thaw and pat it dry prior to adding it to the mixture.Using Brown or Wild Rice These varieties take longer to cook and requires more liquid than white long grain rice.
- Refer to the package for the required amount of liquid and cooking time and adjust the amount of chicken broth that you use per package instructions.
One Pot Method (vs. casserole-style):
- Cook the rice for 18 minutes instead of 15.
- Add the broccoli to the rice during the last 7 minutes of steaming and close the lid to allow it to cook.
- Combine casserole ingredients as instructed, top with cheese. Close the lid to let it melt and serve.
Be sure to check out my ham and ground beef rice casseroles next!
Would there be a way to prep this and freeze it?
Hi Megan! Yes! Assemble the casserole as outlined and do not bake. Let it thaw for 24 hours in the fridge. Let it sit out for 30 minutes prior to baking and add 10 minutes to baking time. The cracker/butter topping should be added at the end of baking.
This is tasty and easy. Works with leftover turkey. Made the rice separately using Better Than, sautéed onion, red pepper, celery in cast iron skillet, added steamed broccoli, leftover smoked turkey from Thanksgiving (thought I’d taken ham out of the freezer), the soup, milk, sour cream, cheese, and lastly folded in the rice. Popped the cast iron skillet into the oven and done. A side of apple sauce compliments the casserole. We liked it. I’ll definitely make again. Will make sure I get ham out of freezer instead of turkey next time.
Nice work Terry, I’m so happy you enjoyed it with the leftover turkey. Thanks so much for the great comments and review!💖
Made this tonight for dinner and it was delicious 😋
That makes me so happy Mary, thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!💖
Absolutely delicious!
Thank you! This was an instant hit!
I did take a few liberties and made some minor changes.
For my diet, I deleted the sour cream and salt.
I added half a red bell pepper, chopped (just for a bit more color).
Lastly, I did not have any Ritz crackers on hand, but I did have two corn muffins left from the day before, so I crumbled them onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and put them in my oven to dehydrate. (200 degrees for about 45 minutes)
Once the crumbles were dry, I added them to the melted butter.
A great recipe and I posted a pic on Instagram.
That’s so cool with the leftover corn muffins Michael, I love it!🙌 Thanks so much for sharing and for taking the time to comment and leave a review!💖
I made this for dinner the other night and it was a huge hit with the family. What really made this pop was carmelizing the onions and using uncured ham. I chose to use a bag of frozen California vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower & carrots) and followed the directions for thawing. I also used Judees powdered milk (prepared as directed on the package) as I don’t keep fresh milk on hand and it worked out great. The rice I used was Jasmine rice. The only spice I used was pepper – I might put a little dill in next time. I used the baking as opposed to the one pot recipe and will continue to do that. Oh! And for a fantastic finish, instead of the cracker topping, I broiled it for about 2 minutes to brown the cheese to give a yummy, crispy top without the added step/carbs (since every oven is different, keep an eye on it so you don’t burn it if you choose to do this). Flavorful, comforting, and the leftovers warmed up nicely in the microwave – although we only had a couple of servings leftover, so I will probably bump up the quantities next time as well. This recipe is so versatile, I can see making it with just about any protein source and having it turn out great. Definitely a family favorite that I will be making again and again! I ordered the cookbook and am looking forward to flagging a bunch of recipes. 😁
Thanks so much for the wonderful comments Jillian! I love what you did with this one!🙌 I agree, it’s very versatile and fun to experiment with. Thanks for your support, I can’t wait for you to get the cookbook💗
Loved it!! My grandma used to make a very similar recipe that dirtied nearly every pan in the house and she would make it by special request for my birthday. 💜💜 My only problem was the broccoli cooked down a little too much – I will make adjustments next time. Thanks for this delicious dish and the treasured memories!!
You’re very welcome Amelia! It’s funny, I remember pot and pans being everywhere back when my family cooked a meal 😂. Lots of great memories, thanks so much for the great comments and review!💖
Can you use brown rice?
Hi Colleen, You definitely can, however brown rice requires more liquid and a longer cooking time than white rice does, therefore the cooking method that I outline in the recipe won’t be the same if brown rice is used. I would recommend cooking the brown rice separately according to package instructions so that you end up with 3 + 3/4 cups cooked. You can add chicken bouillon to the water to add more flavor. I would also steam the broccoli and cook the chicken during this time. From there, you can combine the cooked chicken and all the other ingredients and transfer to a casserole dish. Since you’re cooking the brown rice separately, you don’t need the chicken broth that’s noted in the recipe.
Fabulous dish…made it as written, will be fixing this more often, especially since I usually have leftover ham in the freezer!!!
Thanks so much Karen, I’m so happy you liked it!💖
Delicious and easy to make! This recipe is definitely a keeper.
I’m so happy this is a keeper Paula, thanks so much for the review!💖
Very tasty even if I made the mistake of stirring in the broccoli. I still have left over ham and will make it again, as I like to have freezer meals. Very delicious.!
I love freezer meals too! I’m so happy you enjoyed the casserole Martha, thanks so much for the great review!💗