If you’re looking for some new recipes to use up that leftover ham, boy do I have a delicious dinner option for you.
This Cheesy Leftover Ham and Rice Casserole is so easy to make: all you do is toss everything together and bake!
You know I super-dooper love casseroles.
Is that weird?
I especially love it when casserole recipes are as easy as this one. I had some leftover Ham and a bunch of uncooked rice in my pantry and this cheesy concoction came together.
I used the basic idea from the classic Campbell’s chicken and rice casserole, but tweaked it slightly.
Instead of cream of chicken soup, I used their cheddar soup. So not only does this casserole get topped with cheese, but the rice, ham and broccoli are also cooked in a cheesy soup mixture. It’s basically a cheese-lover’s dream.
And we all know how good cheese is for you! 🙂 (It’s all those nutrients from the milk)
No worries if you’re not a fan of Ham. This recipe is easily adaptable to be made with leftover turkey or rotisserie chicken.
You can add in sliced carrots, peas, cauliflower… basically, go crazy with it. Make it your own.
But first… definitely try out this ham, rice and broccoli combo. It’s killer.
It’s one of those comfort food recipes that you’ll be making over and over again.
My whole family loved this. I know yours will too!
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UPDATED RECIPE INSTRUCTIONS:
When you’re done baking the casserole for 60 minutes, there will be a layer of liquid on the top. This does NOT mean that the rice did not get cooked through. Simply remove the casserole from the oven, give it a good stir to mix in the liquid and fluff the rice. Top with cheese and finish baking.
Cheesy Leftover Ham and Rice Casserole with Broccoli
Ingredients
- 20 oz Cheese Soup , found by the cream soups
- 2⅔ cups water
- 1 tsp Italian Seasoning
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups Jasmine rice, uncooked
- 3 cups broccoli florets, I used fresh, but you could substitute with frozen
- 2 cups chopped ham
- 1 cup colby jack cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large bowl whisk together the soup, water, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Stir in the rice, broccoli and ham.
- Pour mixture into a 9"x13" casserole dish. Cover tightly with foil. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until the rice is tender. THE CASSEROLE WILL LOOK WATERY, BUT IT WILL BE COOKED! Stir the casserole to fluff the rice, then top with the shredded cheese. Bake for an additional 5 to 7 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Enjoy!
Weekly Menu Plan #19
Becca Miller
Plan to make this soon and after reading the comments, I wonder if it could be altitude. Things like rice take longer to cook at higher altitudes. I’m at a high altitude so if i think about I will update what happened 🙂
Jenna Ingrisch
Rice was crunchy. The casserole otherwise had good flavor and texture.
Shawn
I’m sorry the rice didn’t cook fully for you. Did you make sure you had it tightly covered with foil while it was baking?
Person
I decided to make this recipe despite the many bad comments. I didn’t have canned cheese soup but I had a block of cheddar cheese so I made 20oz of cheddar cheese soup as a substitute (which was delicious and I sort of regret using for this recipe) .I added 3 cups of broccoli but put it in the blender because that would have been about 4 massive pieces. So I might have added a bit extra broccoli than the recipe called for. For the ham I used leftover ham slices for sandwiches. I was not particularly worried if it takes additional time to cook because it’s a casserole and I can cook it at lunch time for dinner.
So, The rice was 100% cooked after the time the recipe called for and there was no liquid at all. I didn’t really like the taste of the herbs and probably would omit them if I make again.
Michele
I’ve made this twice now and the rice cooks perfect. The 2nd time I left out the meat. I used 2 cans broccoli chz soup, chicken stock for water, a ranch packet , pepper, salt, garlic powder, broccoli, and cauliflower. I only used a cup of Jasmine rice so it would be creamier. My first time seemed kinda dry. Maybe all of the ones having issues are not using Jasmine or not covering with foil. I baked for 60 minutes, topped with cheese, and then broiled for a few minutes. I did find that fresh veggies cook better than frozen in this dish.
Shawn
Love the twist you made on this recipe! So glad you’re enjoying it!
ST
Can I condensed cheese soup? If so should I follow the directions for milk as well as add the water this calls for? Seems it would be soupy but asking before I give it a go. Thanks!
Angel Edwards
Making this right now, not impressed so far. I followed the recipe and cover idn foil, its been cooking for an hr or so and i stirred after and hr and its not cooked, the rice is still hard. Hoping another hour will make a difference
Maryanne
Trying this recipe tonight with leftover spiral cut ham. I did sautee an onion, then stirred in the rice to toast it a bit. I used a half cup milk then the rest water. I did about a cup extra broccoli and threw in a handful of cheese. Looking forward to how it turns out!
Andrea
I would like to try making this recipe later this week after we have ham, but I am wondering if I can substitute regular white rice for the jasmine rice. We only buy the regular white rice, and I don’t really want to buy jasmine rice special for one recipe.
Mark
This recipe is/was a bit of a joke –
First, to cover the dish in the oven – it’s a guarantee that rice won’t cook. Mine, in fact; did not. After an hour, I tore off the foil, gave it a good stir, threw it back into the oven for another 35 minutes. Another ten minutes and the rice had finally finished. But, by that time, we gave up and ordered take out.
Tomorrow afternoon, I’ll reheat it – add the shredded cheddar and then add crispy fried onions (not mentioned in the recipe) and we’ll have “Leftver Leftover Cheesy Ham and Broccoli – and call it a day.
Essy
I experienced the same – two hours later…we are eating dinner. :•[
Cj
This came out perfect just the way it was instructed..great way to repurpose leftovers.
Stephanie
I only have cooked jasmine rice in my fridge, I’ll omit the added water, but how long should I bake the casserole now? I’m going to treat it like my green bean casserole and start with 30, I’ll update my post to see how it goes, also I’m using homemade cream of mushroom soup (it’s whats in the fridge!)
Shawn
I’m thinking 30 minutes is a great place to start.
Tiffany
So I made this recipe almost exact. I had a little more broccoli and ham than the recipe calls for. After putting it in the oven, I started to read the comments and I was immediately worried! I was already concerned about the uncooked rice and then reading the comments made me really worried. Well, I’m not sure why others are having issues because mine turned out great! Tastes great, rice is done, and it cooked in the time stated above.
Great recipe! Thank you Shawn!
Ashley
Made this last night too… It was so yummy!! Followed the recipe exactly (except using organic brown Jasmine rice) and it turned out perfectly! Kiddos and hubby loved it!
Shawn
So glad you enjoyed it!
Shawn
So glad you enjoyed it Tiffany!
Robyn
I made this tonight, followed all directions, minus the Italian seasoning. Used white rice, turned out amazing! You do need to stir after the 1 hr. mark. My family loved it, hubby is on “round 2”
Shawn
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed it Robyn! 🙂
Mindy
Oh, how I wish I would have read the reviews first. An hour and 20 minutes later and the jasmine rice still isn’t cooked in the 350 degree, temperature verified, oven in a 9×11 glass baking dish.
I have a super hungry family. This is no good.
Laura
I am incredibly frustrated that after all of these posts, you have still not adjusted the time. It has been in the oven for an hour and a half and is no where near cooked. I am using white to enter and I have increased the temperature to 375.
I am just now reading the comments of all the other folks who have had the same issue. This was our dinner plan with small children. You should go back and edit this recipe. I will be looking to other blogs for recipes as I do not feel like I can count on this. I will now need to make something else for dinner quickly now.
Please edit your recipe or at least give people a heads up
Shawn
Hi Laura, I’m so sorry you had issues with the rice not being cooked all the way through. I can assure you that I’ve made this SEVERAL times and never come across that issue. It could be a multitude of factors, rice being used, oven not properly heated, type of casserole dish used, etc. I really don’t know why yours didn’t turn out.
Shannon Cox
Are you covering the baking dish with foil? The rice needs the steam trapped inside the pan in order to cook through.
Lisa Hawkins
I made this tonight and turned out good & cheesy! I used quick brown rice and cooked it ahead of time. This really cut down on the oven time. My daughter is now a vegetarian so I added black beans and split into two smaller casserole dishes (added ham in only one of the casseroles). Will be making again.
Shawn
So glad you enjoyed it Lisa!
Heather
I was thinking of using precooked rice, as well. How long did you bake using the precooked rice?
Bonnie
Made this for dinner tonight. I added cauliflour, mushrooms, asparagus, and splash of white wine. I can’t believe I bought into this recipe with this canned cheese soup as a base flavor. It’s horrible. After cooking for 1 1/2 hour the rice is still raw, and upon tasting, I find the Italian seasoning overpowering and an odd flavor with the ham and the cheese soup tastes like Chemicals. OMG after cooking it 1 1/2 hours and the rice still hard, I actually rinsed the whole casserole in a colander to get rid of the cheese soup and Italian seasoning, and added cream of mushroom soup, and cooked another hour. I put the cheese on and melted it, and tried to eat dinner. It’s still awful. I just threw away probably 30.00 worth of food, and wasted hours of my time. Noooo, I dont recommend this recipe, starting with the cheese soup and Italian seasoning. UG!
Shawn
Sorry you didn’t have good success with the recipe, Bonnie. Maybe next time you could make it like the recipe states and see how that goes? 😉
Eva
I used Blue Ribbon Rice. I also baked the casserole in my toast over and it still took one hour 45 minutes to be done. It’s a great use for leftover holiday ham! Everyone in my house enjoyed it!
Jennifer Miller
I made this tonight for my family and we really enjoyed it! I knew I would not like the condensed canned cheese soup so I made my own following an easy recipe. I also used chicken broth instead of water just because I had some leftover that I did not want to go to waste. Anyway, it turned out great. Thanks!
Davis Shena
Same rice not cooked after an hour and looks like soup at this point. Put it back in for another hour. Still cooking very disappointed
Stephanie Turner
This takes significantly more than an hour to cook…. not sure how long bc it’s sill cooking. It was still just water and hard rice after an hour.
Shawn
Hmm… I’m not sure why some people have issues with the rice not cooking and some have no issues at all? Maybe it’s the type of rice used? I’m sorry you had issues, I’ve never experienced that with this recipe.
Cam
Maybe they used brown rice and you used white rice? Brown rice takes longer to cook.
Ken
I used white rice and still did not cook in an hour. Took almost 2 hours at 350
Voodew
Followed the recipe to the letter….pulled it out after an hour and it looked exactly as it had when I put it in. Everything in me said, “Cook the rice first” and I didn’t listen. 6 PM and dinner *should* be on the table instead I’ve got it in the oven to possibly have tomorrow while I feed the family leftover Easter ham sandwiches. Ticked that in my hurry to find something simple I neglected to read the comments forewarning of this exact issue.
Shawn
I’m so sorry you had issues with the rice cooking in time. I really don’t know why so many are struggling with the rice. I’ve made this casserole many times and never run into this issue. I hope it only took a little longer in the oven to get cooked up for you.
Voodew
I used Dynasty brand Jasmine Rice, a 9×13 Pyrex….I thought I was golden lol It smells great so that’s a plus. I have a Frigidaire range with the Speed Bake option so what I opted to do after the hour passed with no ready dish was put it back in and activate the Speed Bake and let it cook an additional 45 minutes covered with the foil, because that option tends to brown the bottoms of casseroles I did take it out at the 20 minute mark and stir it. My husband just called out from the kitchen that “although the rice is weird it tastes really good” so naturally I needed clarification on “weird” to which he replied that it’s not exactly done but it’s no longer crunchy (gee, thanks babe that helps explain it grr) turns out he just doesn’t recall ever having Jasmine rice before (hey what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him, I’ve fed him a myriad of things that if asked he’d say he’s never tried or he flat out doesn’t care for ha ha)
My advice to anyone reading this, either modify this to cook the rice first and omit the water later OR plan on about 2 hours to cook, checking it every 15 minutes after that first hour passes.
Shawn
I just remade the recipe again tonight (using my leftover Easter ham), and I think I figured out the issue! When I pulled out my casserole after 60 minutes it still LOOKED like it had a lot of liquid on the top. You’ll need to use a wooden spoon to stir the rice and it’ll fluff right up! I had no issue with the recipe, it turned out awesome as usual!
Patrice
I think it is incredibly important to cover the dish with foil when cooking. Rice really needs to steam in order to cook. An open casserole dish will take much longer. I have cooked this in the oven and also modified and cooked in the instant pot. It is very good and turns out very easily.
Shawn
Yes, making sure the dish is covered tightly is very important.
Charity Middleswarth
I am cooking this right now and just pulled it out and very watery as it said it would be I stirred it and the rice is hard. Is that normal. I stirred it well and then put the cheese on it hopefully it will turn out ok.
Elizabeth Raudebaugh
Do you have a gluten free version? I’ve yet to find a gluten free cream soup that is just cheddar. I found a cream of potato, cheddar and bacon soup, but the choices are kind of limited. Instead of using soup, can you use something else? Thanks! 🙂
V Loo
I had to improvise the recipe due to gluten in the soups. I used velveeta cheese and made a cheese sauce using chicken stock and the same ingredients. I did however cook the rice separately and mixed it all together. I placed the mixture was placed in a casserole dish. Lastly, topped it with the cheese and added homemade bacon bits. Yummy. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Robin
I made this tonight and we loved it! It was flavorful, creamy and satisfying. I used brown rice and cooked it before putting it into the casserole, so I put less water. I will definitely make this again. Thank you:)
Shawn
So glad you enjoyed it Robin!
Jean Ross
This is just nasty.
Andy Davis
it’s nasty?? bet you’ve never had it.. people like you need to learn to shut up for once..
Teresa Beasley
I made this with leftover Christmas ham. Sorry to say, we did not like it. I blame the cheese soup. I think the casserole might have tasted better with cream of mushroom soup. I will not make this again.
Katherine Preece
shawn can you minute rice in this i oly have this on hand
Shawn
I’m sure you could use minute rice, but you’ll want to make sure your liquids are the proper ratio. Minute rice is a 1:1 ratio of rice to liquid.
Cathy
Was nervous lifting that foil, came out perfect & yummy too!!
Shawn
So glad you enjoyed it!
Theresa Bell
Hi omg this is good I used cream of chicken with mushroom soup and cream of broccoli soup and milk instead of water cooked it 30 min longer still using foil I will make this again Thanks for the recipe
Shawn
So glad you enjoyed it!
crystal englund
This was horrible! No flavor other than the salt and pepper i added after i cooked it.
NEVER AGAIN!
Wendy
Made this tonight with leftover Christmas ham. My 12 yo picky eater loved it. He had seconds (shock, he never does)
After reading all the reviews the only change I made was to use quick cooking rice. Came out perfect.
Caroline Rowlett
Thanks for this recipe. I’ve read some comments here where the rice is not cooked after an hour. I will let you know how mine turns out.
Linda
Similar issue as everyone else. I wish I had read comments before making but my daughter actually picked this recipe. Cooked tonight for one hour. Rice wasn’t cooked at all and very soupy. It’s back in oven. I’ll check it in another 30-45 min.
Camille
I cooked in my pressure cooker using chicken in place of the ham. It was so good Will definetly make again.
To cook in pressure cooker cook 5 min Manuel quick release. I layered it chicken cut into 1 in pieces, rice, liquid, broccoli, with the soup on top don’t stir till after its cooked. Then top with cheese at the end.
Shawn
Nice! I’ll have to give that a try in my Instant Pot! Thanks Camille!
Veronica Burris
Me and my husband tried this yesterday and it was not good at all. I assumed that it had to be the Italian seasoning, so I retried it omitting the Italian seasoning and it was delicious. I have no idea why that was even added, this is not an Italian dish.
Ginger Oliveira
Do you have nutritional information on this dish? Specifically calories, carbs, sodium and serving size. My husband is on a very restrictive diet and we must keep very close track of those things. I would of course make any adjustments possible but a starting point would be helpful! Thank you!
Deb
Tried this tonight. Cooked for an hour. Stirred and checked the rice. Still hard as a rock. Put back in oven for 30 min. Will check and let you know. Maybe should have used already cooked rice
Shawn
Make sure you cover the casserole dish tightly with foil before baking. Hope you enjoyed it!
Lindsay
Took about an hour and a half to cook but my goodness it was worth the wait! Thank you so much for sharing! Great recipe!!
Shawn
Nice! So glad you enjoyed it!
Joyce
Followed this recipe exactly and I didn’t have a problem. Was one of the best casseroles I made yet so simple. The only difference I made was I used one can of broccoli cheese soup and regular cheese soup each instead of 2 cans of cheese soup. Turned out amazing.
Shawn
Great idea to use the broccoli cheese soup! Gotta give that a try!
Cindy
Cooking with foil on tight for 1.5 hrs and jasmine rice still hard. Definitely use quick rice for this recipe!
Nancy
Can I do this in a crockpot on low for 8hrs
Elizabeth
I was worried about cooking this due to so many people saying their rice wasn’t cooked. I realized I didn’t have any foil , so I just out the food in a Corning wear wish with the lid & it came out perfect. It was a little watery, but after letting it sit covered & mixing it a few times it turned out fine!
Shawn
Awesome! So glad it worked out for you! 🙂
Jennifer
I think the problem people are having with the rice not cooking is it the ratio of water to rice is not correct … should always be two parts water to one part rice
Janice
Yes but the two cans of soup would make up for the water you are referring to.
Jennifer
I think the problem people are having with the rice not cooking is that it’s not the right equation it should be two parts water to one part rice this fall short just by one third cup of water