This kid-friendly Ham and Noodle Casserole has pasta coated in a creamy sauce, plus ham and spinach that add tons of flavor. This pasta casserole is a great way to use up leftover holiday ham!
There is nothing more comforting than a good casserole! For even more comforting casseroles, check out my Tuna Casserole, Beef Enchilada Casserole, or this Poppy Seed Chicken.
One thing that I love about making a ham is that it feels like the gift that keeps giving. We have the dinner. And since there is no way my family could eat a whole ham in one sitting, you have leftovers. But they aren’t like regular leftovers. Those leftovers tend to stretch into multiple meals.
So many, in fact, that I usually end up freezing some so that I can have extra for when a craving hits. And this Ham and Noodle Casserole is definitely crave-able.
This ham casserole is almost like a twist on a baked mac and cheese – at least that’s what I told my kids. 🙂 They actually loved the shell pasta – it was a great switch up from the normal pasta we use – and mixing spinach in through the pasta and cheese is a great way to get a veggie in your kids. My favorite part is that part of the creaminess comes from a garlic and herb cheese spread.
Ingredients
- Pasta: We love the medium shell pasta but any small or medium cut pasta should work.
- Olive Oil: Feel free to sub in an oil of your choice. This is just for sauteing the onion and spinach.
- Onion & Spinach: The onion adds lots of flavor, so if you are worried about little ones not wanting the chunks, just dice it really small. If you don’t love spinach, you can leave it out. But I love the flavor and nutrition that it provides.
- Butter: I use unsalted.
- Flour: Just regular all-purpose flour.
- Milk: I used 2%. Whole will work, 1% should be fine, but skim may make the sauce too thin.
- Nutmeg: I learned the trick to add a bit of nutmeg to any white sauce from Rachael Ray, and it is one of my favorite tricks! It just adds a little something special in the background.
- Dijon: You could also use a spicy brown mustard. You could use regular yellow mustard, but the flavor is usually a bit more harsh.
- Ricotta: I have only tried with whole milk ricotta, but skim should work just fine.
- Garlic & Herb Cheese: The garlic and herb cheese that I buy is the Boursin brand – it is a Gournay cheese with added garlic and herbs. I don’t usually have a hard time finding it at the regular grocery store. You could also sub in a garlic and herb cream cheese.
- Ham: If you don’t have leftover holiday ham, you can purchase a ham steak at the grocery store and dice that. You can also sometimes find diced ham at the store.
- Parmesan: Just a bit to go on top! I like freshly grated best.
How to Make Ham and Noodle Casserole
1: Saute the onion in the oil, then add the spinach and cook until wilted.
2: While the onion is cooking, start your water for the pasta and cook according to the package instructions.
3: Next up is your sauce – melt the butter, then whisk in the flour and let it cook for a minute or two.
4: Slowly whisk in the milk, then whisk in the nutmeg and mustard. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook until thickened.
5: Remove from the heat and add the ricotta and the garlic and herb cheese. Whisk until they are melted into the sauce.
6: Pour the sauce over the cooked pasta.
7: Add the cooked onions and spinach and the ham. Stir it all to combine.
8: Pour it all into a 2 quart baking dish and top with the parmesan cheese. Bake until the cheese is melted and it’s all warmed through, about 25 minutes.
Tips and Tricks
This recipe calls for a 2 quart baking dish. A 9×13-inch is too big, but you also don’t want to use a square baking dish. I have a few of these pyrex dishes and they work great.
You can make this earlier in the day and then bake it before serving. I would suggest covering it with foil and keeping the foil on for the first 20 minutes, then remove the foil and continue to bake. You might need to add a few extra minutes to the bake time.
Store any leftovers in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. When reheating, you’ll want to keep it covered as well, or it might dry out too much.
More Recipes Using Leftover Ham
Hawaiian One Pan Pasta
Mac and Cheese with Ham
Ham and Bean Soup
Ham and Cheese Crescent Bake
Ranch Ham and Cheese Pasta
Breakfast Casserole with Ham and Cheese
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Ham and Noodle Casserole
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Description
This kid-friendly Ham and Noodle Casserole has pasta coated in a creamy sauce, plus ham and spinach that add tons of flavor. This pasta casserole is a great way to use up leftover holiday ham!
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb (8 oz) medium pasta shells
- 1 tablespoon (12g) extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup (142g) diced onion
- 6 oz (170g) fresh baby spinach, chopped or torn
- 2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons (22g) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups (12oz) milk
- Dash of nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup (4 oz) ricotta cheese
- 5.2 oz (150g) package soft garlic and herb cheese (such as Boursin)*
- 1 1/2 cups (8 oz) cubed cooked ham
- 1/3 cup (33g) grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and return to the pot. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease a shallow 2-quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until very soft and starting to brown, about 10 minutes. Add in the spinach and cook until wilted, an addition 1-2 minutes.
- While the onions are cooking, melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the flour and whisk to combine. Cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the milk, then season with salt and pepper. Add a dash of nutmeg and the Dijon mustard. Bring the mixture to a boil, whisking very frequently. Continue to cook until thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the ricotta and garlic and herb cheese.
- Stir the cheese sauce into the pot with the shells. Add in the onion/spinach mixture and the cubed ham and stir to combine. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the Parmesan on top.
- Bake the casserole for 25-30 minutes, or until bubbly.
Recipe Notes:
*The original recipe posted here only used 1 1/2 oz of the garlic and herb cheese. But the last time I made it, I accidentally used the whole package (5.2 oz) and I will never go back again!
adapted from The Ultimate Casserole Cookbook
Nutrition information provided as an estimate only. Various brands and products can change the counts. Any nutritional information should be used as a general guide.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6 of recipe
- Calories: 461
- Sugar: 7 g
- Sodium: 884 mg
- Fat: 23 g
- Saturated Fat: 12 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 41 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 19 g
- Cholesterol: 74 mg
Keywords: ham and noodle casserole, noodle casserole, leftover ham
Min says
I added saut̩ed mushrooms to the spinach and onion mixture Рdelicious!
Mindy Walton says
I have made this many times and everyone loves the flavours, Can you make this a day in advance and bake it as per instructions?
laurie says
What is the soft garlic and herb cheese?
Deborah says
I used Boursin, but there are usually several different brands at the grocery store. It’s usually in the section with the fancier cheese at the grocery store. If you can’t find it, you can always use a flavored cream cheese as well.
Lindsay Lu says
This sounds great. And I have a bunch of ham to use up. I’ll be trying it soon! Thanks for sharing!
Chels R. says
My dad sends us a honey baked ham every year and this looks like the perfect way to use some of it up.