Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products or services from this website.
This ham and noodle casserole is an easy one-dish meal that takes advantage of your delicious leftovers! While the base of the recipe only requires 5 simple ingredients, there are plenty of optional additions to make it your own — from extra veggies like peas or broccoli, to a crunchy Ritz cracker topping. Use what you have in your kitchen!
Table of Contents
This versatile recipe comes from a blog reader named Donna, who was kind enough to share it with all of us. The ham and noodle casserole is a great go-to meal that she often prepares with pantry staples when she doesn’t want to make a last-minute run to the grocery store. We’ve all been there, right?!
While this comfort food supper is a great way to use up the leftovers from an Easter ham (we love it with bourbon glazed ham or Virginia brown sugar ham), you can enjoy the meal year-round by purchasing diced ham or ham steaks at the grocery store. Add any veggies that you’ve got stashed in your fridge, freezer, or pantry, and you’ll have an affordable, family-friendly dinner in no time
Ingredients for a Creamy Ham and Noodle Casserole
This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for an easy ham and noodle casserole. As always, specific measurements and step-by-step cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Egg Noodles: or substitute with 12 ounces of other noodles of your choice. You can use short noodles like penne or rotini, too.
- Condensed soup: I use a combination of cream of mushroom soup and cream of celery soup, but you can use almost any flavors that you enjoy. Try condensed cheddar cheese soup, cream of chicken soup, cream of bacon soup, or cream of onion soup, too.
- Milk: to thin the creamy sauce a little bit.
- Diced, cooked ham: use leftovers from a previous meal or holiday dinner, or purchase cubed ham or ham steaks at the grocery store.
- Grated cheddar cheese: because every good casserole needs a cheesy topping! I love the combination of sharp cheddar with ham, but you can use other good melting cheese like Monterey Jack, Cheddar Jack, Pepper Jack, or Colby.
- Optional flavor boosters, based on what’s in your kitchen: sour cream or Dijon mustard offer zesty tang; garlic powder and onion powder give the dish a bit more savory flavor.
- Optional veggies: if you’d like to include some vegetables in your dish, feel free to get creative. Good options include frozen French-cut green beans, frozen (thawed) baby broccoli florets, frozen peas, or sauteed celery, onion, bell pepper, or carrots. Canned vegetables from your pantry are also fine!
The Best Ham to Use for a Casserole
You’ll need about 3 cups 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, or even thick-sliced deli ham. You can find these at places like Target or Walmart, too.
- Ham Steak: buy a couple of ham steaks and dice them yourself at home.
How to Make Ham and Noodle Casserole
This is one of those great dishes that comes together in just a few minutes and takes advantage of almost anything that you have on hand. Use it as a base and get creative — you can make the meal your own and tailor it to suit your family’s taste buds!
I’ve included the detailed directions in the recipe card below, but here’s the quick version:
- Cook the noodles.
- Whisk together the sauce.
- Add the hot noodles, chunks of ham, and veggies to the sauce.
- Transfer the ham mixture to a large baking dish.
- Cover with foil and bake.
- Sprinkle with cheese, and return to the oven for 5-10 more minutes.
What to Serve with this Easy Ham and Noodle Casserole
A simple ham noodle casserole pairs nicely with any of these sides:
- Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits, 3-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits, 4-Ingredient Butter Swim Biscuits, 7UP Biscuits, Sweet Potato Biscuits, Cheese Biscuits, Pumpkin Spice Biscuits, Cheddar Biscuits with Chives and Bacon, or Drop Biscuits
- Cast Iron Cornbread, Fluffy Bakery-Style Cornbread Muffins, Broccoli Cornbread, Southern Cornbread, Jiffy Cornbread with Creamed Corn, Sweet Cornbread, Pumpkin Cornbread, Cake Mix Cornbread, Corn Sticks, or Honey Cornbread
- Cranberry Muffins or Apple Muffins
- Pumpkin Bread or Pumpkin Muffins
- No-Knead Dutch Oven Bread, Cranberry Walnut No-Knead Bread, 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 Tips
- Make Ahead: This is the ultimate prep-ahead meal to get dinner on the table quickly and easily — even on busy nights. Assemble the creamy ham and noodle casserole, wrap tightly, and store in the fridge for up to 2 days before baking. When ready to bake, allow the dish to sit on the counter and come to room temperature for at least 30-60 minutes before putting it in the oven.
- How to Freeze: Freeze the casserole before baking. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, cover with foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to enjoy, thaw in the refrigerator overnight, allow the dish to come to room temperature on the counter for at least 30 minutes, and then bake according to recipe instructions.
- Storage: The leftover baked casserole will last in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat the casserole in a 350°F oven, covered, just until warmed through (about 20-30 minutes). You can also reheat individual portions in the microwave for about 1-2 minutes.
Recipe Variations
- Use any type of meat that you prefer. From chopped ham to sausage, bacon, chicken, or beef — the casserole works with just about anything that you have.
- Almost any flavor of condensed soup will be good in this dish. Try condensed cream of mushroom soup, cream of chicken soup, cream of celery soup, cream of bacon soup, cream of onion soup, or cheddar cheese soup.
- Mix 1 cup of shredded cheese into the casserole filling, in addition to adding the cheese on top. I like sharp cheddar cheese, but you can sub with mozzarella, Swiss cheese, Colby, Pepper Jack, Cheddar Jack, or Monterey Jack.
- Add vegetables to the base of the casserole. Good options include frozen green beans, frozen (thawed) broccoli florets, frozen peas, or sauteed fresh vegetables like carrots, mushrooms, asparagus, celery, onion, and bell pepper.
- Finish the casserole with a crunchy topping, such as buttered Panko breadcrumbs, buttered Ritz cracker crumbs, or crushed potato chips.
- Cooking for a smaller family? Cut all of the ingredients in half and prepare the casserole in an 8-inch or 9-inch square dish.
Tips for the Best Ham and Noodles Casserole rEcipe
- For extra flavor, stir sour cream or mustard into the sauce. These ingredients add depth and acidic tang.
- Jazz up the creamy casserole with herbs and spices from your pantry. I like onion powder and garlic powder, but you can also try cayenne pepper (to make it spicy), thyme, basil, oregano, chives, or Italian seasoning.
- The ham and the condensed soups can be quite salty, so wait to season the filling until you taste it. You might not need too much extra salt.
And there you have it! A simple and delicious 5-ingredient casserole that will take advantage of any ingredients that you have on hand (and will help you avoid another grocery run)! Enjoy!
More Ham Casserole Recipes
Farmhouse Ham Casserole with Cornbread
1 hour hr 5 minutes mins
Dump-and-Bake Ham & Cheddar Casserole
1 hour hr 5 minutes mins
Ham and Cheese Casserole
50 minutes mins
Dump-and-Bake Ham Asparagus Casserole
55 minutes mins
5-Ingredient Ham and Noodle Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 (12 ounce) package egg noodles
- 2 (10.5 ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup, cream of chicken soup, or cream of celery soup (I use a combination of cream of mushroom and cream of celery soups)
- 1 cup milk
- ¼ cup sour cream or 1-2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder (optional)
- 3 cups diced cooked ham (about 1 lb. total)
- Optional additions: 2-3 cups of veggies of your choice, such as frozen French-style green beans, frozen peas, or frozen (thawed) broccoli florets (I used a 10-ounce package of frozen peas)
- 1-2 cups grated cheddar cheese
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- Optional garnish: chopped fresh parsley or chopped fresh chives
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- Cook egg noodles in a large pot of well salted boiling water, just until al dente, according to package directions. Drain.
- While the noodles are cooking, whisk together condensed soups, milk, and optional sour cream, garlic powder, and onion powder (if using) in a large bowl.
- Stir in the noodles, ham, and vegetables (if using). Taste and season with salt and pepper, if desired.
- Transfer the noodle mixture to the prepared baking dish. Cover tightly with foil.
- Bake, covered, for 25-30 minutes, until the filling is hot and bubbly.
- Remove the cover, sprinkle the cheese on top, and return the dish to the oven (uncovered) for 5-10 more minutes, just until the cheese melts.
Notes
- Use any type of meat that you prefer. From chopped ham to sausage, bacon, chicken, or beef — the casserole works with just about anything that you have.
- Almost any flavor of condensed soup will be good in this dish. Try condensed cream of mushroom soup, cream of chicken soup, cream of celery soup, cream of bacon soup, cream of onion soup, or cheddar cheese soup.
- Mix 1 cup of shredded cheese into the casserole filling, in addition to adding the cheese on top. I like sharp cheddar cheese, but you can sub with mozzarella, Swiss cheese, Colby, Pepper Jack, Cheddar Jack, or Monterey Jack.
- Add vegetables to the base of the casserole. Good options include frozen green beans, frozen (thawed) broccoli florets, frozen peas, or sauteed fresh vegetables like carrots, mushrooms, asparagus, celery, onion, and bell pepper.
- Finish the casserole with a crunchy topping, such as buttered Panko breadcrumbs, buttered Ritz cracker crumbs, or crushed potato chips.
- Cooking for a smaller family? Cut all of the ingredients in half and prepare the casserole in an 8-inch or 9-inch square dish.
This recipe was originally published in March, 2018. It was updated in June, 2023.
This is such a quick and easy weeknight meal! I’m going to have to try this the next time I make my homemade cream of mushroom soup!
Definitely! 🙂
Sounds good to me ,,just checking different Ham casserole ,yours alot like mine.I’ll be making it.I like the string beans ,& noodles ,cream of celery, &Ham flavored Goya packets too.Dee
Awesome! I hope you’ll try it, Dee!
Delicious! First time making this. Love it! Thank you
Thanks, Debbie. I’m so glad that you liked it!
My daughter loves casserole. Definitely gonna give this one a try soon, hope it will be tasty for her. Thanks for the recipe.
Hi, Kimberly! Casseroles are so kid-friendly! I hope that you daughter loves it!
Blair: this sounds soo good, quick and easy peasy; thank you for sharing. 🙂 Going to try this very soon, as we eat a great deal of chicken and thinking of giving it a try after first time of using ham. Hoping you have a great day, love your recipes.
La Juana
Hi, La Juana! Thanks for your note! I hope that you enjoy the casserole! It’s definitely a great easy option. Have a wonderful weekend!
I pretty much cleaned out my refrigerator to make this. I chopped up my leftover ham and leftover spinach. Mixed up my awesome Trader Joe’s truffle mustard with cream of mushroom. I added a droll on of sour cream to it. Mixed tha in with a few dead green onions. I added cheddar cheese to mixture and poured in baking dish. Added some more cheddar and mozzarella to top. I’ll add Romano Parmesan cheese and french fried onion to top. I also mixed in some cilantro that needed to be used. So good…
Awesome! You’re so creative, and your changes sound delicious!
Thank you! Original recipe is great too. I just wanted to use up all my perishable items.
Easy and excellent! I used Swiss cheese, added a cup to the casserole as well as topping it. Had about of cup of leftover Alfredo sauce that I added too. Got thumbs up from my husband and teenage grandson.
Wonderful! Your version sounds delicious, Cheryl!
Great recipe! I improvised. I used fresh mushrooms, carrots, peas, ham, bow tie pasta, cream of potato soup, onion powder, garlic powder, and Tony Chachere’s. I used a mix of shredded cheddar and mozzarella. I had to cook it a little longer because of the carrots. I topped it off with my own crushed homemade croutons. It was fabulous for a quick throw together supper!!
Your version sounds delicious, Si Si! 🙂
I made it for tonight’s dinner. Haven’t baked yet but house smells wonderful. I too added frssh mushrooms. My home smells so good right now. I can’t wait to bake and dive into it…. Thank you
Love that! Enjoy, Cathi! Casseroles are such a cozy smell for the kitchen! 🙂
This sounds great! Can it be done with Gluten Free noodles/pasta?
Yes! The gluten-free pasta should work fine. 🙂
Hi Blair,
I made this for Sunday Dinner and it was really good!! My husband and I liked it alot!! I was unable to find frozen French cut green beans, I used a frozen medley of sliced carrots, corn and beans and 2 cans of Campbell’s Healthy Request Cream of Celery Soup per your suggestions. Delicious!! It was even better the next day for lunch.
Thanks again for another great recipe. Next time I will try it with chicken.
That sounds perfect, Annette! Thanks so much for letting me know. I love that you used the recipe for inspiration and then made it your own. 🙂
I made this after Easter an divided into two portions . I froze one. Should I thaw it before baking or bake frozen? Thanks
Hi, Susan! I usually thaw in the refrigerator overnight, and then bring the dish to room temperature on the counter for 30-60 minutes before baking according to the recipe instructions. Enjoy! 🙂
Love this recipe. I added green peppers and onions. Also added pepper,salt and garlic powder. I also mixed pepper jack cheese with the noodles . My veggie was peas. Placed it in the baking dish and added the cheddar cheese. I would add water or another can of soup for a creamy dish..
Thanks, Roberta! Your twists sound perfect!
The whole family loved it! Thank you for all your great recipes.
Great! Thanks, Caren!
Love this recipe. Never made casseroles til this year. Wish I had years ago .Everyone loves it. They are picky eaters as well. I use I can of mushroom soup and 1 can of celery soup . I use whatever leftover frozen vegetables I have in my freezer. With the cost of meat now I use whatever leftover meat I have in the fridge. Thanks for the recipe.
Thank you, Mary. I’m so glad that your kids approve! Yes, casseroles are a great way to use up leftovers. 🙂
My kind of recipe! If I’ve got noodles, I can make it with whatever I have in the house. My mother had a ham and cheese casserole which I had forgotten about. Thanks for the reminder. Long live the classics!
You can never go wrong with a simple noodle casserole! We hope you try it out.
Hello Blair, I made the 5 Ingredient Ham and Noodle Casserole and my family, and I loved it!!
I was able to make it the day before knowing the day we enjoyed it, we were going to be tired from an outing.
I followed the cooking instructions, and we had a meal in 30 minutes. I did not have ham; however, I did have hot dogs which were a good substitution. I sliced them into bite sizes, and they were perfect.
Thank you!!
I love that idea to use hotdogs, Cristina. Thank you for the tip! So glad that your family enjoyed the meal!