Looking for a noodle dish that everyone will love? I've got you covered with this hearty, cheesy ham and noodle casserole! It's the perfect comfort food that even picky eaters will enjoy.
Table of Contents
🗝️ Key takeaways
- Leftover Friendly: A great way to use up leftover ham. Gooey cheese, creamy sauce, and al dente noodles make the perfect comfort food.
- Family Favorite: Perfect for family dinners, this casserole is sure to be a hit.
- Quick and Easy: Comes together in less than an hour, giving you time to enjoy your favorite evening Netflix binge.
- Technique to Know: Be sure to cut ham in a small dice for casseroles. That way a good mixture of ingredients will be in every bite.
Feed the whole family and still have a little change in your pocket. This always has everyone asking for seconds!
Plenty of noodles on hand? Be sure to check out this tuna casserole.
🧾 Ingredients
This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
📖 Variations
The best part about this cheesy casserole recipe is how easy it is to customize!
- Swap out your protein. You can use any type of leftover cooked meat, like chopped ham steak, shredded chicken breast, rotisserie chicken, or even canned tuna.
- More cheese, please. The recipe asks for cheddar, but get creative by adding cream cheese, Swiss cheese, Monterey-Jack, or even a sprinkle of parmesan cheese on top.
- Change your type of pasta. This is a perfect way to use up leftover boxes of different noodle shapes! (Though we love extra-wide egg noodles that grab onto the creamy cheese sauce, elbow macaroni is a great option, too!)
- Add some crispy French fried onions to the top before baking.
- Add in some veggies. Create a well-balanced, delicious meal all in one dish. Sneak in some nutrients by adding cooked onions, frozen peas, chopped baby carrots, 1-inch pieces of asparagus, and/or broccoli before baking.
- Don't forget your garnish. Sprinkle some green onions and fresh parsley over the top of this easy casserole.
🔪 Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page. Click on the image to see it full size.
Cook the noodles according to package directions. Drain.
In a large bowl, stir together the cream of mushroom soup, sour cream, milk, and cheese.
Microwave the cream sauce mixture, whisk until smooth, and add to the noodles and diced ham.
Top with more cheese and bake in a casserole dish.
🤫 Cook's secrets -
Try topping this casserole with crushed butter crackers before baking. YUM!
🍴 Equipment
- 13x9-inch pan
- saucepan
- whisk
- large bowl
- aluminum foil
Casserole times and temps
Sometimes you need to bake two things at once - here's how to adjust the time and/or temperatures of your casserole!
These times are only an estimate. Be sure to check your casserole often. It's done when an instant-read thermometer registers 165F when stuck in the middle of the casserole.
| Temperature | Time | Time From Frozen |
| 300F | add 25 minutes | add 25 minutes and multiply by 2 |
| 325F | add 20 minutes | add 20 minutes and multiply by 2 |
| 350F | add 10 minutes | add 10 minutes and multiply by 2 |
| 375F | 30 minutes | multiply by 2 |
| 400F | subtract 5 minutes | subtract 5 minutes and multiply by 2 |
🥫 How to store leftovers
Some people say ham and noodle casseroles taste even better on the second day.
Refrigerate
If you have leftovers, let them come to room temperature and then store them in an airtight container (or cover with plastic wrap). Refrigerate up to three days.
Reheat
To reheat, microwave individual servings. Alternatively, you can place the leftover casserole back into a baking dish and reheat it in the oven.
If the ham casserole seems a bit dry after reheating, you can loosen it up with a splash of milk, heavy cream, or chicken broth. Just rewarm it after adding the liquid and be sure to give it a good stir.
Freeze
You can also freeze leftovers for up to three months. Let the casserole thaw in the refrigerator before reheating according to the above directions.
This chicken cordon bleu casserole is another great way to use leftover ham.
Marye's Tip
Smaller chunks of ham taste better in a casserole than huge ones, so chop up the ham pretty well before adding it to the casserole. Bonus points for trimming the chewy, fatty pieces off!
💭 Things to know
- This ham and noodle casserole is a great recipe because you can taste-test it before baking. After you spread it in the casserole dish, sneak a bite and adjust the seasonings as needed! (Maybe you'll add more black pepper, mix in some dried herbs, or consider adding a sprinkle of garlic powder? You're the boss, here!)
- Don't overcook your noodles! After tasting, if you're on the fence about whether they are done or not, pull them off and drain them. They'll absorb a small amount of moisture from the creamy cheese sauce in the oven.
- That said, don't undercook the noodles on purpose, either. The sauce recipe is designed to be thick enough to avoid cooking the noodles too much, which could them into mush.
👩🍳 FAQs
Sure! If you don't have time to get to the grocery store, use cream of chicken or condensed cheddar soup.
If you're feeling adventurous, go ahead and make your own. You can use any basic roux or white sauce recipe, but here is the idea of it:
Start with a few tablespoons of butter and flour in a saucepan. Whisk until golden brown. Slowly drizzle in about 10 oz broth and 10 oz of milk, bringing it to a simmer and whisking until thickened.
📚 Related recipes
- Creamy sauce, melty cheese, and tender ground beef make Hamburger Noodle Casserole a family favorite all year-'round!
- For French onion lovers, almost nothing beats the classic soup—except for French Onion Chicken Casserole, that is. *drools*
- A buttery Ritz cracker topping ensures that Million Dollar Chicken Casserole has the perfect balance of creamy and crunchy!
🍽️ Serve with...
Serve this cheesy ham and noodles casserole with...
Old-fashioned Southern. smothered green beans are a classic accompaniment to this dish!
You won't ever go wrong by putting a batch of hot biscuits on the table - and these drop biscuits are easy!
Tart, sweet, and oh-so-good! This classic lemon meringue pie is the best way to end this meal.
🍽️ Repurpose leftovers
- Cheesy ham & noodle soup. Add cream of chicken to the leftover casserole plus enough milk to create a comforting cheesy noodle soup. Add extra vegetables if desired.
- Ham & noodle casserole bites. Form the leftover casserole into small balls, dip in beaten egg, coat with breadcrumbs, and bake or fry until crispy for bite-sized appetizers.
📞 The last word
Let's face it, we all have those days where we don't want carby, cheesy comfort food - we need it. Desperately.
Whether you're having a rough day or you're just craving carbs this casserole is a delicious way to treat yourself!
Out of ham? Try this cheesy chicken hashbrown casserole.
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Cheesy Ham and Noodle Casserole
Print Pin Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- 2 cups ham, cooked & chopped or diced
- 16 ounces egg noodles, uncooked
- 21.5 ounces cream of mushroom soup
- ¾ cup sour cream
- ⅓ cup milk
- 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Spray a 9x13 inch dish with non stick cooking spray, set aside.
- Cook the egg noodles according to package directions, drain and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the soup, sour cream, milk, and 1 ½ cups of the cheese.
- Microwave about 3 minutes, or until cheese melts.
- Whisk smooth.
- Stir in the ham and cooked egg noodles.
- Spoon the ham mixture into prepared casserole dish.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove foil from pan.
- Top the casserole with the remaining ½ cup of cheese.
- Return to oven for 5 more minutes, until cheese is melted.
- Let stand about 5 minutes before serving
Notes
- Smaller chunks of ham taste better in a casserole than huge ones, so chop up the ham pretty well before adding it to the casserole. Bonus points for trimming the chewy, fatty pieces off!
- This ham and noodle casserole is a great recipe because you can taste-test it before baking. After you spread it in the casserole dish, sneak a bite and adjust the seasonings as needed! (Maybe you'll add more black pepper, mix in some dried herbs, or consider adding a sprinkle of garlic powder? You're the boss, here!)
- Don't overcook your noodles! After tasting, if you're on the fence about whether they are done or not, pull them off and drain them. They'll absorb a small amount of moisture from the creamy cheese sauce in the oven.
- That said, don't undercook the noodles on purpose, either. The sauce recipe is designed to be thick enough to avoid cooking the noodles too much, which could them into mush.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
First published June 14, 2022. Last updated May 31, 2024 for editorial improvements and more information.
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