Nothing tastes better than a savory homemade casserole and this ham and potato casserole is the ultimate comfort food recipe! Rich and flavorful, the diced ham is mixed with potatoes and combined with a cheese sauce and baked to perfection. This is the perfect anytime meal that so many love!
If you're looking for an easy weeknight dinner that is quick to prep and will provide some leftovers, then this ham and potato casserole is for you! Made using simple ingredients, the rich combination of ham and potatoes in a creamy cheese sauce is the ultimate comfort food served up in a casserole dish. Similar to the sauce used in this chicken pot pie, it's rich, hearty, and extremely satisfying.
This recipe is also similar to my sausage and egg casserole but instead of using biscuits as the base, I use potatoes. Loaded with all your favorite comfort foods, it's hard to not go back for a second serving. This is the ultimate casserole recipe that everyone loves!
And it pairs extremely well with this romaine lettuce salad and these roasted green beans. And I love to sop up the sauce with these herb ciabatta rolls and a slice of this cheese bread loaf. Pinto beans and cornbread taste amazing when served as a side dish. Cabbage and okra also pair well.
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✔️ Quick Recipe Overview
Why This Is The Best Ham and Potato Casserole: Ham and cheese is a classic flavor combination and when paired with tender potatoes and cooked in a creamy sauce, the results are out-of-this-world delicious!
How Long It Takes: 15 minutes to prep, 45 minutes to bake.
Equipment You'll Need: casserole dish, large bowl, spoon, grater
ℹ️ Why This Recipe Works
1. This dish is perfect for breakfast, brunch, or dinner!
2. Serve this with your holiday meal! It's the perfect side dish for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter.
3. It's a great way to use leftover ham.
4. It can be prepped ahead of time. If you have a busy day ahead, simply prepare it in the morning and then bake it later that day!
🛒 Ingredients You'll Need
All you need are simple ingredients to make this ham and potato casserole and everything can be found at your local grocery store. Here are several things to keep in mind when buying the ingredients.
- Hash Browns - a bag of frozen diced hash brown potatoes work great in this casserole, but you can also use a bag of frozen shredded hash browns.
- Butter - use unsalted butter. The added salt and the salt from the ham and cheese provides the right amount of saltiness needed. Also, do not use margarine. Margarine tends to add more of a watery texture while the higher fat in butter will add to the creamy texture in this dish.
- Ham - only use ham that has been fully cooked. Using uncooked and uncured ham will not have enough time to cook properly in this recipe.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
📋 Variations
- Cheese: Instead of using mild cheddar cheese, try substituting sharp cheddar, colby jack, or pepper jack cheese. I've also used a combination of 2-3 different types of cheese, such as gouda and cheddar, and the flavors were amazing!
- Potatoes vs Hash Browns: Using a bag of frozen diced hash brown potatoes is convenient and will save you time, but fresh potatoes also work well in this dish. Simply peel and dice the potatoes and boil them in water for about 10 minutes until they start to soften. Idaho, Yukon Gold, and red potatoes work best.
- Smoked Ham Alternative: Try using smoked ham in this cheesy potato casserole. The subtleness of the smoked flavor pairs extremely well with the cheese.
- Meatless: You can easily turn this into a potato casserole by omitting the ham. If you're not a fan of ham, leave it out.
🔪 Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions
Step 1: Start by preheating the oven to 350°F.
Step 2: Greasing the casserole dish with 2 teaspoons of butter. Set aside.
Step 3: Using a sharp knife, dice the fully cooked ham into small bite-size cubes. Set aside.
Step 4: Grate a block of mild cheddar cheese. Set aside.
👩🍳 Flavor Tip! For best results, grate a block of cheese. Freshly grated cheese not only has a better flavor, but it will also melt more evenly compared to using store bought pre-shredded cheese from a bag.
Step 5: Melt the butter in a microwave safe container.
Step 6: Add the diced ham, shredded cheese, melted butter, frozen hashbrown potatoes, salt, onion, sour cream, and cream of chicken soup to a large bowl.
Step 7: Using a large spoon, mix all the ingredients together until well combined.
Step 8: Pour the mixed ingredients into the greased casserole dish. Spread evenly.
Step 9: Bake uncovered for 45-50 minutes until cooked all the way through and golden brown.
Step 10: Remove the baking dish from the oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
This bubbling savory dish is loaded with all of your favorite comfort foods. Grab a spoon, serve, and dive in!
🙋 Recipe FAQs
Yes! You can prep this ham and potato casserole 24 hours in advance. To make this ahead of time, simply combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well to combine. Pour the mixture into a casserole dish and cover with aluminum foil or plastic wrap. Place the dish in the refrigerator until ready to cook.
No, I do not recommend freezing this dish as it contains dairy in multiple ingredients. While you can freeze some recipes that contain dairy, such as this homemade lasagna recipe and this enchilada casserole, this casserole contains sour cream. The texture and flavor of sour cream tends to be clumpy and overly oily when reheated after being frozen.
A fully cooked ham should be used. City hams can easily be found at a local grocery store and taste great in this recipe. Hormel fully cooked ham is the one I recommend because it always yields the best results. Leftover bone-in ham also works well. Do not use country ham due to the added salt and tough texture. Using deli style ham does not work well when making this casserole.
💭 Expert Tips
- Size of Baking Dish: Use a 3–4-quart baking dish if you don't have a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Greasing the Dish: Cooking spray can be used instead of butter to grease the dish, but butter will provide more flavor.
- Storage: Store any leftovers in a container with a lid for 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
- To Reheat: For best results both flavor and texture wise, reheat in the oven at 300°F for 25-30 minutes until warmed all the way through. To reheat in the microwave, cover the dish and heat for 1 minute or until warm.
🥗 Serving Suggestions
If you're serving this for breakfast or brunch, try pairing these homemade cinnamon rolls with icing with this casserole. The flavor combination is extremely savory. This dish also pairs well with a spinach frittata and this crustless breakfast quiche.
For Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, I often serve this casserole with smoked turkey breast so there is another dish that contains protein. It also pairs well with this radicchio salad. Some additional festive side dishes that also taste great with this dish are these deviled eggs and this brussels sprout salad.
🥘 More Casserole Recipes
If you tried this ham and potato casserole or any other recipes on my website, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below. I love hearing from you! And, please leave a 🌟 rating while you're there!
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Ham And Potato Casserole
Equipment
- 9x13 pyrex dish
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons butter, to grease baking dish
- 2 cups fully cooked ham, small cubes
- 2 cups mild cheddar cheese, shredded
- ½ cup butter, melted
- 2 lbs frozen hashbrown potatoes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup onion, chopped
- 2 cups sour cream
- 1 10.5 can cream of chicken soup
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Start by greasing the casserole dish with 2 teaspoons of butter. Set aside.
- Using a sharp knife, dice the fully cooked ham into small bite-size cubes. Set aside.
- Grate the block of mild cheddar cheese. Set aside.
- Melt the butter in a microwave safe container.
- Add the diced ham, shredded cheese, melted butter, frozen hashbrown potatoes, salt, onion, sour cream, and cream of chicken soup to a large bowl.
- Using a large spoon, mix all the ingredients together until well combined.
- Pour the mixed ingredients into the greased casserole dish. Spread evenly.
- Bake uncovered for 45-50 minutes until the top is golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Use a 3–4-quart baking dish if you don't have a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Cooking spray can be used instead of butter to grease the dish, but butter will provide more flavor.
- For best results, grate a block of cheese. Freshly grated cheese not only has a better flavor, but it will also melt more evenly compared to using store bought pre-shredded cheese from a bag.
- Store any leftovers in a container with a lid for 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
- For best results both flavor and texture wise, reheat in the oven at 300°F for 25-30 minutes until warmed all the way through. To reheat in the microwave, cover the dish and heat for 1 minute or until warm.
Amy Liu Dong
Such an easy and delicious dish to make for tonight's dinner. I love it!
Amanda Mason
I'm glad it was such a hit for your family and that they enjoyed it!
Jamie
Oh my, this dish looks amazingly delicious and very yummy! The creamy texture makes it so enticing and very tempting! Kids will definitely love this!
Amanda Mason
Enjoy it!
Elizabeth
This is a great, classic recipe! Reminds me of childhood, as my mom used to make this often! Always delicious!
Amanda Mason
Yes - a great southern classic meal!!!My son actually asked me to make this for him tonight for dinner!
Maggie
Can't wait to try this recipe. It looks so good, and I know my son will love it. He's a picky eater. lol.
Amanda Mason
Enjoy it!!
Ann
This is always a great go-to recipe, as everyone in my house loves this casserole! Great to make for a crowd too!
Amanda Mason
I'm so glad you all loved it so much! It's such a good savory family meal!