With just 5 minutes of prep, this dump-and-bake ham and rice casserole with broccoli and cheddar is an easy dinner that cooks in one dish! There’s no need to pre-cook the rice or the veggies — just stir everything together and pop it in the oven.
Table of Contents
If you’re looking for even more recipes for leftover ham, be sure to try these ham and cheese crescent rolls with broccoli, a pot of ham and potato soup, and this dump-and-bake ham tetrazzini, too!
Made this recipe as written but omitted the salt. It was delicious and a great way to use leftover Easter ham!
– Karen
An Easy Ham Casserole with Almost No Prep Work!
I regularly hear from so many of you who love my dump-and-bake recipes for easy weeknight dinners. I have a vast collection of these meals, but this dump-and-bake chicken broccoli rice casserole remains one of the tried-and-true favorites. When I had some leftover ham stashed away in my freezer recently, I decided to tweak the original to create this easy, cheesy ham casserole recipe!
While most casserole recipes call for cooking the rice before mixing it into the dish, this particular recipe is designed specifically for uncooked rice. That means that you do not boil the rice in a saucepan on the stovetop before adding it to the casserole dish. Instead, the rice cooks right in the oven with the rest of the ingredients. This requires extra liquid in the pan (since the rice absorbs a lot of liquid as it cooks), and extra cooking time to make sure that the rice is tender.
Ingredient Notes and Tips for Success
- Cream of celery soup creates a creamy sauce that binds the casserole. If you don’t love the flavor of celery soup, you can substitute with cream of chicken soup or cream of mushroom soup.
- We love Lawry’s seasoned salt for a quick way to add great flavor to the dish. Feel free to substitute with regular salt if that’s what you have available. You can also add other seasoning, such as garlic powder, paprika, onion powder, celery seed, and the like.
- Do not substitute with brown rice, instant rice, or any other variety of rice, since the amount of liquid and the total cooking time are designed specifically for uncooked long grain white rice.
- You’ll need about 2 cups (or ¾ lb.) of diced ham for this recipe, and a variety of options will work. For instance, use leftover holiday ham like that pineapple glazed Christmas ham, Virginia oven baked ham, or that extra bourbon glazed ham from Easter. To really eliminate any prep work, purchase a package of cubed or diced ham from the meat section at your grocery store. You can find these at places like Target or Walmart, too. Alternatively, buy a few ham steaks and dice them yourself at home.
How to Make Ham and Rice Casserole
Quick ham casserole recipes are some of our favorite ways to use leftover ham from the holidays. You’ll find detailed instructions in the recipe card below, but here’s the overview:
- Whisk together the liquid and seasoning in a greased 9 x 13-inch casserole dish.
- Stir the rice, ham, frozen broccoli, and some cheese into the soup mixture.
- Cover and bake until the rice is tender. Make sure to cover your dish tightly with foil so that none of the liquid or steam escapes during cooking. The rice needs to absorb the liquid as it bakes. The total cooking time will vary on a number of factors, including the type of pan that you use and your individual oven. Glass or ceramic baking dishes will take longer than metal pans, for instance. To know when your casserole is done, taste a bite of the rice. The rice should be tender and the liquid should be absorbed. Be careful not to overcook the casserole, or the rice will become mushy and gummy. Fluff the rice with a fork — do not stir with a big spoon, which can compact the grains and yield a dense texture.
- Sprinkle cheese over top and pop it under the broiler.
- Garnish with chopped fresh parsley or other herbs, if desired, and serve!
Serving Suggestions
Pair the ham and rice casserole with Southern cornbread, Jiffy cornbread with creamed corn, corn sticks, Aunt Bee’s 3-ingredient biscuit recipe, flaky biscuits, mixed greens with Dijon vinaigrette, our favorite house salad with candied pecans, Southern fried apples, baked apple slices, old-fashioned applesauce, roasted asparagus, Southern-style green beans, and brown sugar glazed carrots.
Preparation and Storage
- Make Ahead: You can assemble the casserole a few hours in advance, or even leave it covered in the refrigerator overnight before baking. The rice will start to soften and absorb some of the liquid as it sits, and the broccoli will thaw, so you may need to decrease the baking time slightly. You don’t want to overcook the casserole or you’ll end up with gummy, mushy rice.
- Storage: This ham casserole is best enjoyed immediately from the oven. Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. The rice will dry out a bit as it sits, so you may need to stir in some additional broth or milk when you reheat the dish. I do not recommend freezing these leftovers, as rice tends to get mushy when thawed.
- How to Reheat: Cover and reheat leftovers in a 350°F oven for 20-25 minutes, or until warmed through. You can also reheat individual portions in a microwave for 1-2 minutes on high power.
This was super easy and super delish! I have a house of picky and dietary restricted eaters and we give it a thumbs up…
– Courtney
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Ham and Rice Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed cream of celery soup, not diluted (or sub with cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup)
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth or milk
- ½ teaspoon seasoned salt (such as Lawry’s brand)
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup uncooked long grain white rice
- 2 cups (about ¾ lb.) cooked, diced ham
- 1 (12.6 oz) bag frozen baby broccoli florets (or cuts)
- 1 ½ cups grated sharp cheddar cheese, divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°F). Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish or spray with nonstick cooking spray. Add condensed soup, milk, seasoned salt, and pepper to the prepared dish. Whisk until completely combined.
- Stir in uncooked rice, diced ham, frozen broccoli, and ½ cup of the grated cheese. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 55-60 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender.
- Use a fork to fluff the rice. Sprinkle the top of the casserole with the remaining grated cheese. Place the dish under the broiler for a couple of minutes, just until the cheese melts.
- Garnish with chopped fresh herbs, if desired, and serve!
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe Variations
- I like to use frozen baby broccoli florets in this dish because they’re perfectly bite-sized, which means there’s no chopping necessary (I can just dump them right into the pan, still frozen). They also thaw and soften nicely in the oven. If you prefer, you can use frozen broccoli cuts, or substitute with about 2-3 cups of fresh broccoli florets. If using the fresh broccoli, you don’t need to pre-cook it. It should be plenty soft by the time the rice is done.
- Use cream of chicken soup or cream of mushroom soup in lieu of the cream of celery soup.
- Try seasoning the dish with other herbs and spices that you enjoy. Good options include garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, thyme, rosemary, basil, oregano, chives, and parsley.
- Add buttered Ritz crackers, buttered seasoned bread crumbs, or buttered panko breadcrumbs if you like a crunchy topping.
- Cooking for a smaller family? Cut all of the ingredients in half and bake the casserole in an 8-inch square dish. The cooking instructions remain the same.
More Ham Casserole Recipes to Try
Farmhouse Ham Casserole with Cornbread
1 hour hr 5 minutes mins
Ham Casserole
50 minutes mins
Ham and Cheese Casserole
50 minutes mins
Or check out this collection of 15 Leftover Ham Recipes!
Originally published in February, 2023, this post was updated in April, 2025.
Hi Blair
This sounds so delicious! Can’t wait to try it.
Can this dish be frozen?
Hi, Lois! Here are the make-ahead directions (in short, I don’t think freezing the dish is a great option — before or after baking):
Make Ahead: You can assemble the casserole a few hours in advance, or even leave it covered in the refrigerator overnight before baking. The rice will start to soften and absorb some of the liquid as it sits, and the broccoli will thaw, so you may need to decrease the baking time slightly. You don’t want to overcook the casserole or you’ll end up with gummy, mushy rice.
Storage: This ham casserole is best enjoyed immediately from the oven. Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. The rice will dry out a bit as it sits, so you may need to stir in some additional broth or milk when you reheat the dish.
I do not recommend freezing these leftovers, as rice tends to get mushy when thawed.
How to Reheat: Cover and reheat leftovers in a 350°F oven for 20-25 minutes, or until warmed through. You can also reheat individual portions in a microwave for 1-2 minutes on high power.
Hope you enjoy!
I would serve the casserole with no ham. just a rice and brocolli casserole, And the ham apart. Do I have to do any adjustment to the recipe
Hi Carole! It should turn out just fine as is if you omit the ham. We hope you enjoy!
Soo Delish!! Actually I substituted skinless smoked sausage (as we just had a ham dinner) . . just great . . .as is!!
That’s great to hear, Lori. Thank you for letting me know! 🙂 I bet the sausage was a great addition!
This was delicious! Great way to use leftover ham!
Thank you, Korrine! We’re glad you enjoyed it!
So good! I used cream of chicken 98% fat free and I added cauliflower rice to hide a bit more veggies in it (I kept the actual rice, too). It did take , about 90 mins in the oven (probably because of the cauliflower rice moisture) but I made it as a meal prep for dinner during the early afternoon so the extra time didn’t bother me.
The flavor is great. I don’t normally meal prep with ham but my neighbor cooked too much and gave us over 3lbs this recipe may make me use it more often!
Thanks, Jess! I’m glad that you could put that extra ham to good use! 🙂
Tasty and easy. I needed a gluten free version and didn’t have time to make my own cream soup so just substituted with sour cream and little extra cream cheese I had plus some wild morel spice blend and thought it turned out pretty good!
We’re so glad you were able to make it work for you!
I am an experienced home chef. I followed your recipe to the letter after 1 hour in the oven the result was soup, it was liquid the rice not cooked, thanks for spoiling our dinner I added another 2o minutes to your cooking time and it still was a mess. I tested the temperature in my oven and was at 375 as directed…. never going to use your recipes again, thanks alot!!!!!!!
I’m so sorry to hear that, Bob! I haven’t had that problem before, and I’ve not heard that complaint from others. It just doesn’t sound right that the rice wouldn’t be done after an hour in the oven. In fact, I often find that it takes less time than that. Again, I’m sorry that it wasn’t a success for you.
It’s been in the oven for 2 hrs and the rice is still crunchy. I know my oven runs 6 degrees cooler so I adjusted it to 198. I used frozen cauliflower and ham broth in a glass pan. There will be a next time and I will defrost the cauliflower first and use a foil pan. It smells wonderful!
We’re sorry it didn’t turn out for you, Pam! Did you use long-grain white rice?
Unfortunately, this is my experience as well. I’m currently at 1hr 30 minutes, and it’s still soupy. I followed the directions, step by step.
We’re sorry to hear this but appreciate the feedback, Nell!
Great taste and a wonderful use of leftover ham. The veggies got too soft for our preference but the rice was fluffy. I did prep and let it sit about an hour before baking. Used milk and baked in a metal pan.
Thank you for the feedback! We’re glad you enjoyed the recipe overall.
Made this recipe as written but omitted the salt. It was delicious and a great way to use leftover Easter ham!
Thank you, Blair!
Thank you for trying it out, Karen! We’re so glad you enjoyed it.
It turned out great for us. I used shredded Mexican cheese mixture I already had in the fridge (it’s a mix of Monterey Jack, cheddar, queso and Asadaero) with a little Cojack extra on the top, with cream of chicken soup, chicken stock and frozen broccoli, in a glass pan. It was done in 55 minutes (after reading some of the reviews, we wanted to test some of the rice to make sure it was done before broiling the cheese on the top) and we loved it! Everything was soft, fluffy, cheesey and yummy. We will definitely make this again if we have leftover ham.
I’m so glad to hear that, Julie. Thank you!
This was super easy and super delish! I have a house of picky and dietary restricted eaters and we give it a thumbs up I cut the recipe in half, used cream of celery, and fresh broccoli instead of frozen. Baked for about 45 mins and turned out beautifully. I added buttered ritz crackers and I think that’s what jazzed it up a bit for them. Thank you for your recipes they have all been outstanding so far!
Thank you, Courtney! We’re so glad you enjoyed it and were able to make it work for you.
Made this for my family the other night and it was a hit! So easy and I had most of the ingredients already. Followed your recipe “to a T” and it was great! Thank you, Blair.
We’re so happy to hear this! Thank you for trying it out, Daniela.
Quick and easy, and great for a busy weeknight dinner. Rice was fine – the problems other reviewers had may have been due to slow ovens and/or a different type of rice than was recommended in the recipe. Tasty way to use up leftover ham.
Thank you for your feedback, Beth! We’re so glad you enjoyed it.
I would like to know if a ham steak can be used in this recipe.
I look forward to your response.Thank you
Gee
Hi, Gee! Absolutely. A ham steak diced into smaller pieces would work perfectly.