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With just 5 minutes of prep, this dump-and-bake ham, broccoli, cheddar, and rice casserole 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!
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!
Do you have to cook rice before putting it in a casserole?
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.
Ingredients
This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for this ham and broccoli casserole. As always, specific measurements and step-by-step cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Condensed 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.
- Milk or chicken broth: the liquid that thins the sauce and cooks the rice.
- Seasoned salt: such as Lawry’s brand. 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.
- Ground black pepper: for a little bit of zesty kick, without making the dish spicy.
- Long grain white rice: 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 white rice.
- Ham: a convenient protein for a quick casserole, since it’s already cooked! Use leftover ham from a previous meal, or see my notes below for other options.
- Frozen baby broccoli florets: or sub with frozen broccoli cuts or even fresh broccoli florets.
- Sharp cheddar cheese: the perfect companion for ham and broccoli! Use any good melting cheese that you like — Colby, Colby-Jack, mozzarella, Pepper Jack, monterey jack cheese, gruyere, Gouda, or Swiss cheese.
The Best Ham to Use for a Casserole
You’ll need about 2 cups (or ¾ lb.) of diced ham for this recipe, and a variety of options will work. Pick the most convenient method for you:
- Leftover Ham: use leftover holiday ham. For instance, that pineapple glazed Christmas ham or that extra bourbon-glazed ham from Easter are ideal for this recipe.
- Store-bought cubed ham: 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.
- Ham Steaks: buy a few ham steaks and dice them yourself at home.
How to Make Ham Casserole with Rice and Broccoli
Quick ham casserole recipes are some of our favorite ways to use leftover ham from the holidays, or to take advantage of store-bought ham when you need an easy meal. I’ve included the detailed cooking instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post, but here’s the quick version:
- 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.
- Sprinkle cheese over top and pop it under the broiler.
- Garnish with chopped fresh parsley or other herbs, if desired, and serve!
Serving Suggestions
This is basically an entire meal in one dish, thanks to the meat, rice, and veggies. That said, if you’d like to round out the meal, the ham casserole goes well with any of the following sides:
- Fluffy Bakery-Style Corn Muffins, Southern Cornbread, Jiffy Cornbread with Creamed Corn, Sweet Cornbread, Pumpkin Cornbread, Cake Mix Cornbread, Skillet Cornbread, Corn Sticks, or Honey Cornbread
- 3-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits, Sweet Potato Biscuits, Flaky Biscuits, Cheese Biscuits, or Drop Biscuits
- Cranberry Muffins or Apple Muffins
- Crusty French Baguette, Soft Dinner Rolls, or Homemade Crescent Rolls
- Green Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette, Mixed Greens with Dijon Vinaigrette, Caesar Salad, or our favorite House Salad with Candied Pecans
- Fried Corn
- Southern Fried Apples, Baked Apple Slices, or Applesauce
- Roasted Asparagus or Sauteed Asparagus
- Amish Green Beans with Brown Butter or Southern-Style Green Beans
- Oven-Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon or Roasted Root Vegetables
- Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots
- Cranberry Sauce
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.
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.
Tips for the Best Ham Casserole Recipe Ever
- This recipe is specifically designed and tested with uncooked long grain white rice. Do not substitute with brown rice, wild rice, or instant rice — all of which require different amounts of liquid and different cooking times.
- 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.
More Leftover 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!
Dump-and-Bake Ham Casserole with Rice, Broccoli, and Cheddar
Ingredients
- 1 (10.5 oz) 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
- This recipe is specifically designed and tested with uncooked long grain white rice. Do not substitute with brown rice, wild rice, or instant rice — all of which require different amounts of liquid and different cooking times.
- 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.
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!
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?
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.