This is the perfect way to use that honey baked ham that's leftover from holiday dinners.
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Table of Contents
❤️ Why you'll love it
- A cozy dinner recipe that's been a favorite for generations
- An ideal blend of savory flavors with crisp and creamy textures
- Great way to enjoy leftover holiday ham
This ham tetrazzini recipe is the perfect dish to serve when you need a hearty meal but don't have much energy left to cook.
Or, after the holidays when you have a ton of leftover baked ham.
The creamy pasta is mixed with tender ham and topped with crispy onions for a quick family meal that tastes like a celebratory family feast!
Next time you're in the mood for pasta check out this easy taco spaghetti.
🧾 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.
🔪 Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Melt butter in a large skillet and saute onion and garlic. Add the soup, cream cheese, evaporated milk, and one cup of cheese.
- Stir in ham cubes and pimentoes. Then, add cooked and drained pasta.
- Spoon the mixture into a greased casserole dish. Bake, covered.
- Top with remaining cheese and onions. Bake again until cheese melts.
🥫 Storage
There's nothing as satisfying as a delicious ham tetrazzini—except for when you get to enjoy the leftovers all over again!
Once the baking dish has cooled down, cover it tightly with plastic wrap or spoon the leftovers into an airtight container. They'll last in the refrigerator for a few days.
Leftover cooked ham, by itself, has a storage "shelf life" of up to five days. Recooking the ham doesn't reset that amount of time. So, keep in mind that if you use leftover ham in the tetrazzini, your casserole leftovers will only keep for as many days as the ham has left.
To reheat the classic comfort food dish, bake it, covered, at 350 degrees F, or warm it up in the microwave until it meets your liking. You could heat it on top of the stove over medium heat, but the crunchy onions will lose their crispiness.
📖 Variations
Ham tetrazzini is a variation of the traditional version, chicken tetrazzini. So, feel free to use cooked or shredded chicken in place of the ham, if you'd like.
Here are some additional ways you can vary the recipe to fit your preferences:
- Make a turkey tetrazzini by swapping the ham with leftover Thanksgiving poultry or cooked ground meat.
- Use whatever type of pasta you prefer. However, thicker shapes (spaghetti, linguine, elbows, penne) work better than thin (angel hair.)
- You can swap the cream of chicken soup or cream of mushroom soup with chicken or mushroom gravy if you have some leftover. Or, make a homemade version of either soup, if you prefer.
- Ham and cheddar are a classic pairing, but you can experiment with other flavors. Some tetrazzini recipes recommend Swiss cheese.
- Saute mushrooms in the pan with the onions and garlic if you want to add some more texture and flavor to the dish.
- Can't find pimentoes? You can use chopped roasted red peppers instead, or dice up a small green bell pepper for slightly different flavor.
- Toss in a bag of frozen peas, broccoli, or chopped asparagus to make the meal stretch—and sneak in some extra veggies!
- Add a splash of white wine or dry sherry to the cheesy sauce.
- Instead of the crispy onion topping, you can use a blend of grated parmesan cheese and fresh bread crumbs.
- If I have other herbs in the fridge I'll swap those in or add them to the parsley. Fresh thyme and sage go great with creamy ham tetrazzini!
💭 Things to know
Expert Tip: If you don't have any leftover Easter ham (or Christmas, or...), use a precooked ham steak. You can also buy deli-meat ham from the grocery store—just ask them to cut a few slices, each about a half-inch thick.
- Don't overcook the pasta or it'll be mushy after baking. The noodles will absorb a little moisture from the creamy cheese sauce while in the oven.
- Let the onions and garlic get nice and browned—but not burnt. If you have time, you can let them caramelize. That'll give extra deep flavor to the rich, creamy sauce.
- If your casserole dish is very full, place it on a baking sheet before putting it in the oven. It's easier to transport, and will also help catch any drips if your casserole gets too bubbly while cooking!
- Coat the underside of the aluminum foil with non-stick cooking spray to prevent it from sticking to the cheese when reheating the casserole.
- You can make the ham tetrazzini a day or two in advance, refrigerating in the meantime. Assemble it as written and cover tightly, but leave off the onions and cheese topping. Before putting it in the oven, be sure to let it sit at room temperature for a bit. Cold glass in a piping-hot oven has a tendency to crack!
👩🍳 FAQs
Depending on the brand and shape of pasta you pick, the cooking time will vary slightly. Follow the package directions to achieve perfectly al dente noodles!
Yep! There are some differing opinions out there as to the proper spelling. However, "pimento" and "pimiento" generally both refer to a small red pepper (known as a cherry pepper) that has been chopped and pickled.
That'll work if you need to. While whole milk won't give your ham tetrazzini as thick and luscious of a finishing sauce, it won't be the end of the world, either. You could also try using sour cream if you're looking for an alternative.
📚 Related recipes
- Cream Cheese Pasta is a super-fast weeknight dinner that uses simple ingredients. Add some leftover meat or a can of veg and dinner's done!
- Pepper Jack cheese and cornbread crumbs give this classic dish a fun, flavorful upgrade—try Chicken Tetrazzini Southwestern Style ASAP!
- Another one of my favorite leftover ham recipes, Slow Cooker Scalloped Potatoes and Ham is creamy, cheesy, and—best of all—easy, too!
🍽️ Serve with...
Here are 70 side dish ideas for ziti that also work great with tetrazzini!
📞 The last word
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. Don't forget that you can click on "add to collection" to save it to your own, private recipe box!
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Ham Tetrazzini
Print Pin Recipe Save Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- 16 ounces spaghetti, broken in thirds
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup yellow onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 10.75 ounces cream of chicken soup
- 10.75 ounces cream of mushroom soup
- 4 ounces cream cheese, cut in cubes
- 12 ounces evaporated milk
- 1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
- ½ cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 2 cups ham, diced
- 2 ounces pimentoes, . drained
- ½ cup French fried onions
- 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Grease a 2 quart casserole dish.
- Mix the Cheddar and Mozzarella and set aside.
- Cook the spaghetti according to package directions.
- Drain and set aside.
- Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat.
- Saute the onion until it begins to soften, then add the garlic.
- Cook about a minute stirring often, or until garlic is soft. Don’t let it scorch!
- Whisk in cream of chicken soup, cream cheese, milk, and 1 cup of the cheese mixture.
- Heat, stirring constantly until the cheese melts.
- Add the ham and pimentos.
- Stir in the spaghetti.
- Spoon into the prepared casserole dish.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes.
- Uncover, sprinkle with remaining cheese mixture and fried onions.
- Bake for 5 to 10 more minutes, or until cheese is melted.
- Sprinkle with parsley before serving.
Notes
- If you don't have any leftover ham use a precooked ham steak. You can also buy deli-meat ham from the grocery store—just ask them to cut a few slices, each about a half-inch thick.
- Don't overcook the pasta or it'll be mushy after baking. The noodles will absorb a little moisture from the creamy cheese sauce while in the oven.
- Let the onions and garlic get nice and browned—but not burnt. If you have time, you can let them caramelize. That'll give extra deep flavor to the rich, creamy sauce.
- If your casserole dish is very full, place it on a baking sheet before putting it in the oven. It's easier to transport, and will also help catch any drips if your casserole gets too bubbly while cooking!
- Coat the underside of the aluminum foil with non-stick cooking spray to prevent it from sticking to the cheese when reheating the casserole.
- You can make the ham tetrazzini a day or two in advance, refrigerating in the meantime. Assemble it as written and cover tightly, but leave off the onions and cheese topping. Before putting it in the oven, be sure to let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Cold glass in a piping-hot oven has a tendency to crack!
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.
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