Ham and Cheese Casserole

5 — Votes 6 votes

Ham and Cheese Casserole

Picture this: a bubbly, warm, cheesy pasta dish studded with hearty ham and topped with buttery, delicious bread crumbs. This ham and noodle casserole is as easy to make as it is delicious, and we'd be willing to bet that it'll become a family-favorite in no time!

Prep Time5

Cook Time45

Total Time50

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free

Servings: Servings

Author: Cassy Joy Garcia

Ingredients

12 ounces shell or rotini pasta
2 tablespoons butter
¼ cup flour
1½ cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
½ cup heavy cream
½ teaspoon mustard powder
½ teaspoon paprika
3 cups shredded mild cheddar cheese
1½ pounds ham, leftover or deli ham, thick-cut, diced
¼ cup butter, melted
1 cup panko

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cook noodles according to package instructions minus 2 minutes, reserving a ½ cup of pasta water for later.
In a large sauce pan, add 2 tablespoons of butter and let melt over medium heat. Add ¼ cup flour, and toss until all butter is absorbed.
Add the milk a ½ cup at a time, then add salt and pepper. Whisk to combine until smooth. Add in the cream, then the mustard and paprika, and whisk to combine again.
Add the shredded cheese to the creamy sauce, then turn the heat to medium low and stir until the cheese is totally melted. Keep scraping the bottom of the pan to make sure it doesn't burn. If your cheese sauce does not look creamy and gravy-like, whisk the pasta water into the sauce.
In a 9x13 casserole dish, add the noodles, chopped ham, and cheese sauce. Toss to combine.
In a separate bowl, melt a ½ stick of butter, toss it with the bread crumbs, and then sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over top of the casserole.
Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes, then let the casserole broil for 2 minutes. Let cool slightly, then serve and enjoy!

Notes

Recipe Variations and Modifications:

Make it gluten-free - make this dish gluten-free like we did by using gluten-free noodles (Barilla GF noodles are our favorite and can be found at most local grocery stores) and gluten-free panko bread crumbs.
Use a different noodle shape - the noodle shape really doesn't matter here. Short noodles are definitely preferable (rotini, bowtie, shells, etc.), though, so just don't grab spaghetti or linguine noodles for this recipe!
Use crackers instead of bread crumbs - feel free to crumble your favorite crackers and mix those with butter instead of using bread crumbs, if you'd like.

Recipe Tip:

Shred your own cheese! Because of the anti-caking agents put on store-bought pre-shredded cheese, you'll get a more even melted texture if you shred a block of cheese yourself rather than buying pre-shredded cheese from the grocery store.

Nutrition