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Cozy, down-home comfort food (and it’s perfect for leftovers)! This farmhouse ham casserole is an easy dinner recipe that the whole family will love. The sweet cornbread topping is paired with a creamy, cheesy filling for a hearty supper that will warm you from the inside out!
Table of Contents
Ham and cornbread are two of our favorite foods here in the South, so put them together in one dish and you’ve got a winner of a dinner! It’s a perfect sweet-and-savory combination that everyone at the table enjoys. Serve the ham casserole with a simple side salad, Southern-style green beans, or cranberry sauce to complete the meal.
Which ham to use for a casserole?
You’ll need about 4 cups (or 1 ½ lbs.) of ham for this recipe, and a variety of options will work. Pick the most convenient method for you:
- Leftover Ham: use leftovers from a holiday meal. For instance, that pineapple glazed Christmas ham, or that extra brown sugar baked ham from Easter are ideal for this recipe.
- Store-bought cubed ham: to really eliminate any prep work, purchase a package or cubed or diced ham from the meat section at your grocery store. You can find these packages at places like Target or Walmart, too.
- Ham Steaks: buy a few ham steaks and dice them yourself at home.
Ingredients
This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for an easy ham casserole recipe. As always, specific measurements and step-by-step instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Condensed cream of chicken soup and condensed cream of celery soup: form the creamy sauce for the casserole filling. Since the ham is already very salty on its own, I recommend using a reduced sodium variety of soup (such as the Healthy Request line or even the unsalted versions, and then adding seasoning to taste).
- Milk: to thin the sauce.
- Ham: a convenient protein for a quick casserole, since it’s already cooked! Use leftover ham from a previous meal, or see my notes above regarding other options.
- Sharp cheddar cheese: adds flavor to the filling, as well as that great ooey, gooey, cheesy texture. Feel free to substitute with other varieties of cheese, such as Monterey Jack, pepper Jack, Colby, Cheddar Jack, or mozzarella. If you’re sensitive to sodium, you might want to omit the cheese, since the ham makes the filling salty on its own.
- Jiffy corn muffin mix: the boxed Jiffy cornbread mix is a great shortcut for the cornbread topping on your casserole.
- Can of cream-style corn: the cream corn adds moisture and flavor to the cornbread.
- Sour cream: for even more rich flavor and texture in the cornbread, as well as a moist, tender crumb.
- Egg: gives the cornbread structure so that it sets up.
- Butter: we like unsalted butter here, since the casserole has plenty of salt on its own, but salted butter is fine too.
How to Make a Ham Casserole
You can’t beat the flavor combination of a sweet cornbread casserole and a creamy, salty ham filling. Add some butter, sour cream, and cheddar cheese to the mix and you know it’s bound to be good!
- Stir together the ham filling, and then transfer the mixture to a 2- or 3-quart baking dish.
- Prepare the cornbread topping.
- Spread the cornbread batter on top.
- Bake the casserole until it’s golden brown.
Serving Suggestions
This is basically a cornbread side and a main dish all in one! That said, if you’d like to round out the meal, the ham casserole goes well with any of the following sides:
- 3-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits, Sweet Potato Biscuits, Flaky Biscuits, Cheese Biscuits, or Drop Biscuits
- Cranberry Muffins or Apple Muffins
- Pumpkin Bread or Pumpkin 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
- Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower or Roasted Broccoli
- Oven-Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon or Roasted Root Vegetables
- Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots
- Cranberry Sauce
Preparation and Storage
- Make Ahead: assemble the ham filling in advance, transfer it to the baking dish, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate. When ready to proceed, allow the dish to sit on the counter and come to room temperature for at least 30 minutes before you add the cornbread topping and bake as instructed. If the dish is still slightly cool when it goes into the oven, you may need to add a few extra minutes to the total baking time.
- Storage: leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- How to Reheat: reheat the casserole in a 350°F oven just until warmed through (tent loosely with foil, if necessary, to prevent excessive browning). You can also reheat individual servings in the microwave for about 1 minute, or until warm.
Recipe Variations
- Ham and Broccoli Cornbread Casserole: Stir in about 2 cups of broccoli florets. I recommend that you steam, sauté, or microwave the broccoli just until it’s crisp-tender before adding it to the dish. The broccoli will continue to soften as the casserole bakes.
- Add Vegetables: Stir in 1-2 cups of your favorite veggies. Good options include corn, frozen peas, frozen mixed vegetables, green peppers, cans of corn, cut green beans, and broccoli florets (as explained above). You can even swap out some of the ham and replace it with the veggies for a less-salty casserole that stretches your meat.
- Instead of the cream of chicken soup and cream of celery soup, substitute with any two flavors that you like. Cream of mushroom soup is another good option.
- To make the casserole with chicken instead of ham, follow this recipe.
- For a cheesier casserole, increase the cheddar to 2 cups. Alternatively, you can omit the cheese entirely if you prefer, or use a different type of cheese. Swiss, Monterey Jack, and Colby would all be nice options, too.
Tips for the Best Ham Casserole Recipe
- Baking Dish: You can use either a 2-quart or 3-quart casserole dish for this recipe. I use this 3-quart dish.
- Check the Topping: Make sure that the cornbread is completely cooked through before you pull the dish from the oven. You don’t want to find uncooked cornbread batter in your casserole, so use a toothpick inserted in the very center of the casserole to determine if the topping is set. If the toothpick comes out clean, then you know that the cornbread is done.
- Tent with Foil: If your casserole starts to brown too much on top before it’s finished cooking, cover it loosely with foil.
- Less Salty: The ham adds a good amount of salt to the filling, so I recommend using a reduced-sodium variety of the canned soups (such as the Healthy Request or unsalted versions). To reduce the salt in the dish, you can also swap out some of the ham and replace it with veggies (like peas or broccoli), or omit the cheese in the filling.
- Garnish: Add sliced green onion, chopped fresh parsley, cilantro, thyme, or chives for a bright touch of flavor and color.
More Leftover Ham Recipes
Checkout this collection of leftover ham recipes for even more ideas!
Farmhouse Ham Casserole with Cornbread
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 45 minutes
Resting Time 5 minutes
Total: 1 hour 5 minutes
This easy ham casserole with a cornbread topping comes together in minutes thanks to help from leftover ham!
Equipment
- 3-quart casserole dish
Ingredients
FILLING:
- 1 (10.5 oz) can condensed cream of chicken soup, not diluted (I like the Healthy Request line in this recipe, or another reduced sodium option, since the ham adds a lot of salt to the dish)
- 1 (10.5 oz) can condensed cream of celery soup, not diluted (I like the Healthy Request line in this recipe, or another reduced sodium option, since the ham adds a lot of salt to the dish)
- ¾ cup milk
- 4 cups (about 1 ½ lbs.) cooked, diced ham
- 1 cup grated cheddar cheese, optional (omit for a less salty dish)
CORNBREAD TOPPING:
- 1 (8.5 oz) box corn muffin mix (such as Jiffy brand)
- 1 (14.75 oz) can cream style sweet corn
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray a 3-quart baking dish with cooking spray (this is the 3-quart dish that I use). If you use a 2-quart dish, the cornbread topping will be slightly thicker and may require a few extra minutes in the oven.
- In a large bowl, whisk together condensed soups and milk. Stir in ham and cheese.
- Pour filling into prepared baking dish.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together corn muffin mix, cream style corn, sour cream, egg, and melted butter.
- Spread evenly over the ham mixture.
- Bake, uncovered, for about 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the topping comes out clean. Tent the casserole loosely with foil if the top starts to get too dark before it’s cooked through. Let stand for about 5-10 minutes, then serve.
Notes
- Ham and Broccoli Cornbread Casserole: Stir in about 2 cups of broccoli florets. I recommend that you steam, sauté, or microwave the broccoli just until it’s crisp-tender before adding it to the dish. The broccoli will continue to soften as the casserole bakes.
- Add Vegetables: Stir in 1-2 cups of your favorite veggies. Good options include corn, frozen peas, frozen mixed vegetables, green peppers, cans of corn, cut green beans, and broccoli florets (as explained above). You can even swap out some of the ham and replace it with the veggies for a less-salty casserole that stretches your meat.
- Instead of the cream of chicken soup and cream of celery soup, substitute with any two flavors that you like. Cream of mushroom soup is another good option.
- To make the casserole with chicken instead of ham, follow this recipe.
- For a cheesier casserole, increase the cheddar to 2 cups. Alternatively, you can omit the cheese entirely if you prefer, or use a different type of cheese. Swiss, Monterey Jack, and Colby would all be nice options, too.
- Check the Topping: Make sure that the cornbread is completely cooked through before you pull the dish from the oven. You don’t want to find uncooked cornbread batter in your casserole, so use a toothpick inserted in the very center of the casserole to determine if the topping is set. If the toothpick comes out clean, then you know that the cornbread is done.
- Tent with Foil: If your casserole starts to brown too much on top before it’s finished cooking, cover it loosely with foil.
- Less Salty: The ham adds a good amount of salt to the filling, so I recommend using a reduced-sodium variety of the canned soups (such as the Healthy Request or unsalted versions). To reduce the salt in the dish, you can also swap out some of the ham and replace it with veggies (like peas or broccoli), or omit the cheese in the filling.
Nutrition
Serving: 1/6 of the recipeCalories: 440kcalCarbohydrates: 52gProtein: 21gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 94mgSodium: 1899mgPotassium: 582mgFiber: 4gSugar: 14gVitamin A: 618IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 92mgIron: 2mg
