We love a casserole that is perfect for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner! And this one couldn’t be better!
If you have leftover ham, this is a casserole you absolutely must make. It’s easy and is a true-fire winner for a family favorite. We like to par-boil the potatoes, but, if you’ve got the time, you can skip that step and simply bake the dish a little longer. So good!
How To Make Cheesy Ham and Potato Casserole
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The Ingredients You Will Need
The ingredients in this casserole are straightforward and very pantry-friendly. You could skip making the bechamel sauce and use canned cream soup, but, the sauce is so easy to make we encourage you to not go the canned soup route! Here’s what you’ll need to have on hand:
Potatoes – We recommend russet or yellow. You can peel them, or not, that’s up to you. We cube ours, but if you prefer, you can slice them, about ¼-inch thick. We use our vegetable chopper to easily cube them.
Ham – Leftover is perfect, but, you could also pick up a ham steak from the supermarket. Any kind of ham will work perfectly.
Cheese – Go with your favorite. We love mild cheddar, but Monterey Jack, Fontina, Gouda, Gruyere, Mozzarella, or a combination of any of these are all wonderful options.
Butter – Unsalted
Onion – Finely chopped, anywhere from half to a full cup.
Flour – All-purpose.
Seasonings – Salt, pepper, garlic powder, and ground mustard are our favorites. Other options are smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, oregano, or even chili powder.
Milk – Whole is recommended, however, you could also use half and half or heavy (or double) cream. We don’t recommend skim or reduced fat.
Garnishes – We like snipped chives and hot sauce (ie, Tabasco), but any type of herb would be great. Or, just skip the garnishes, if desired.
EXPERT TIP: You should have about a 1 to 2 ratio for the ham and potatoes (more potatoes than ham). You can eyeball it, depending on how much ham you have on hand. We typically try to go with 3 cups of ham and 6 cups of potatoes, but, again, you can be flexible here.
Tips for Making Perfect Cheesy Ham and Potato Casserole
Try to Keep Ham and Potato Pieces Uniform in Size – Cutting the potatoes and ham into similar-sized, small, uniform pieces ensures even distribution and cooking throughout the casserole.
Par-Boil the Potatoes – This isn’t absolutely necessary, but it ensures the potatoes are perfectly cooked when they come out of the oven. You just want to slightly soften them first, and then they will finish off in the oven. Don’t leave them in the boiling water for too long, otherwise, they will become mushy.
Gently Toss The Sauce with the Other Ingredients – Pouring the sauce over the ham, potatoes, and cheese in a large bowl and then gently mixing together helps to make sure there is an even distribution of all ingredients, and then pour into a greased baking dish
Bake to Golden Perfection – Bake the casserole until the potatoes are perfectly tender and the top is golden brown and bubbly. Keep an eye on the casserole as it bakes to ensure the cheese melts evenly and forms a delicious crust, while the bechamel sauce binds the layers together for a comforting and satisfying dish.
EXPERT TIP: The homemade bechamel sauce is a key component to making this dish a success. The onions cook down and are not a prominent flavor, at all. If you despise onions, just leave them out. And feel free to season the sauce with your favorite seasonings. We think garlic powder and ground mustard are wonderful.
How To Serve and Store
This casserole can be assembled up to 12 hours before baking, which makes it ideal for serving at breakfast or brunch. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate until about an hour before baking. Let it sit out to lose the chill before baking.
We love to serve this casserole with snipped chives and plenty of hot sauce for family members who like a little spice to their dish.
Homemade dinner rolls round out a perfect meal, morning, day, or evening!
EXPERT TIP: For the shredded cheese, we recommend purchasing block cheese and grating yourself. The bagged variety is fine, and we use it often. But anti-sticking additives are added to pre-shredded, and we find when we shred our own, the taste and texture is improved.
Other Comforting Casserole Recipes To Try
Everyone loves a good casserole. They are perfect for feeding a hungry family at home, but also bringing to a potluck feast. And they reheat wonderfully! Here are a collection of our favorites:
Chicken and Rice Casserole with Broccoli and Cheese
Chicken and Sage Casserole
King Ranch Casserole
Turkey and Stuffing Casserole
Green Enchilada Casserole with Chicken
Chili Cheese Dog Casserole
Best-Ever Tuna Casserole
Mexican Lasagna with Tortillas
Wild Rice, Fontina, and Spinach Casserole
Oyster Casserole
Cream of Corn Casserole
Yellow Squash Casserole
Best Corned Beef Hash
All of these are amazing, without a doubt, but in the meantime, isn’t this casserole calling your name?
There are so many reasons to love this casserole.
It’s easy. A great way to use up leftover ham.
But most of all, it’s just amazingly delicious! And it’s always such a huge hit with family and guests.
Every bowl is a serving of pure comfort!
Ready to make the best casserole in town? Go for it!
And when you do, be sure to take a photo of it, post it on Instagram, and tag @HowToFeedaLoon and hashtag #HowToFeedaLoon!
Cheesy Ham and Potato Casserole
Equipment
- 9"x13" baking dish or equivalent size
Ingredients
- 2½ lbs russet potatoes peeled and cubed, about 6 cups
- 3 cups ham cubed
- 8 oz cheddar cheese shredded, 2 cups, divided
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 cup onion chopped
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 cups milk whole
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp ground mustard
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- Cooking spray
- 2 tbsp chives finely chopped, for garnish, optional
- hot sauce for serving, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Carefully drop the cubed potatoes into the water and bring them back to a boil. Allow to boil for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.2½ lbs russet potatoes
- Place the potatoes, ham, and 1½ cups cheese in a large bowl and gently toss.3 cups ham, 8 oz cheddar cheese
- In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions, and sauté until soft, about 4 to 5 minutes.3 tbsp unsalted butter, 1 cup onion
- Stir in the flour, and cook, stirring often, until completely combined, about 1 to 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the milk and stir until completely combined, and most of the lumps are gone. Stir in the salt, pepper, mustard, and garlic powder. Continue stirring until thickened (should be the consistency of gravy), about 4 minutes.3 tbsp all-purpose flour, 2 cups milk, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper, ½ tsp ground mustard, ½ tsp garlic powder
- Pour the sauce into the ham/cheese/potato bowl. Use a large wooden spatula or spoon to gently stir the mixture until all ingredients are combined.
- Spray the baking dish with cooking spray. Transfer the ham and potato mixture into the dish and spread for even distribution. Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup cheese over the top of the casserole. Bake for 45 minutes, or until very bubbly and slightly golden on top.Cooking spray
- Allow to rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Serve at once with chives and hot sauce on the side, if desired.2 tbsp chives, hot sauce
We made this with left over Easter ham for a family dinner. The grandgirls loved it- the sauce is definitely worth the small effort it took. Thanks for a great recipe!
Hi Holly! Yay!! We are THRILLED you made the ham and potato casserole with your leftover ham and it was a hit with the whole family. Thank you so so much for sharing and for the wonderful review. That honestly means just so much to us! Please stay in touch and say to those adorable grandgirls of yours!!
Often when I use ham in a casserole, I find the flavor is greatly improved by this one simple procedure: get a ham steak from the deli department of your grocery store. Have them cut it to be about a pound (give or take) close to half an inch thick, up to three-quarter of an inch, but certainly no thicker or thinner -it ruins it. Cut it into CUBES. Heat 3 tablespoons of butter and one tablespoon of bacon grease in a skillet and fry the ham cubes until they’re showing browning all around them. THEN put these ham cubes in your recipe according to how you see fit. I do this with my macaroni and cheese casserole, Greek pasta salad, and lima bean soup. You’ll notice the difference if you try it.
Awesome! We’ll try that for sure! Thanks for the tip!!!
It was worth the wait. One of the best recipes ever. Don’t change a thing!
So sorry about that, but, you – being the pro that you are – figured it out and executed it perfectly! Thanks so much for sharing and for the awesome review. We appreciate that so so much!! xoxo Kris & Wesley
Every one of your recipes that I have tried has been sensational. I just made this and it is in the oven. I can’t wait to taste it! I could not find oven temp anywhere. Went with 350°.