Cheesy Ham & Potato Casserole

Here’s Why You’ll Love This Ham & Potato Casserole

• As flavorful as ham and cheese strata, but with potatoes instead of bread
• Egg-free alternative to breakfast casserole
• As welcome for brunch as it is for dinner
• Creamy, cheesy gravy-like sauce comes together easily on the stove
• A great way to use up leftover cooked ham
• Make-ahead friendly
• Satisfying, cold-weather comfort food

Key Ingredients You Need

• Potatoes: I recommend Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes for this casserole. Both hold their shape pretty well, and at the same time, taste buttery soft. You need to briefly pre-cook them, but only for about 5-10 minutes. Feel free to peel them, or leave the peels on.
• Cooked ham: If you have leftover ham, go ahead and use it here. Or just buy an 8-ounce ham steak, which is what I did for the pictured casserole. Instead of ham, feel free to use cooked sausage or bacon.
• Cheese: I use white cheddar, but you could also use regular cheddar, smoked gouda, gruyere, pepper jack, or a mix. Potatoes aren’t picky.
• Smoked paprika + ground mustard: This is a common flavor combo in many brunch and ham recipes, such as ham and cheese breakfast strata and deviled eggs. (And even beer cheese dip!) Don’t worry, this dish does not taste like mustard.
• Parsley: I usually use dried parsley in the sauce and then garnish the finished casserole with fresh, but you can use either.
• Milk: Whole milk makes the best cream sauce texture, though low-fat, or nondairy milks would work in a pinch. Do not use nonfat milk.

You also need butter, garlic, onion, salt, pepper, and flour.

Prep the Potatoes First: Peel, Cut, Boil

You need to par-boil the potatoes for this casserole. Peel and chop the potatoes, then boil for just a few minutes, to give them a head start on softening. Gather your sauce ingredients in the meantime.

Make a Quick & Creamy Homemade Sauce

You’ll make an easy (but uber-flavorful) gravy-like cream sauce, flavored with garlic and onion, smoked paprika and ground mustard, and some herby parsley. The sauce starts like the filling for this turkey pot pie. Bring it all together with some butter and flour for thickening, and use milk as the liquid. It’s pretty easy.

Now all you have to do is combine everything, and bake. Here’s the pre-cooked and drained potatoes, ham, and cheese:

Stir it all together with the creamy sauce (just toss it all right in the greased baking pan). Any 3-4 quart baking dish works, such as a 9×13-inch pan. I use a round 4-quart baking dish.

Bake the casserole covered, and then when it’s almost done, sprinkle with cheese and return to the oven uncovered. (What’s a casserole without some cheese on top?!) You know it’s ready when the cheese is melted and the casserole is bubbling all over.

You Can Prep It Ahead

The best part about this casserole, and recipes like this baked cream cheese French toast casserole and reader-favorite everything bagel casserole, is that you can prep it ahead.

To make it ahead, assemble the casserole, then cover and refrigerate overnight. Remove it from the refrigerator, allow it to come up to room temperature for about 30 minutes, and then bake as directed; you may need to add an extra few minutes to the bake time. I added these instructions to the printable recipe card below.

Here’s What to Serve With Ham & Potato Casserole

If serving this casserole for brunch, it nestles nicely alongside platters of fresh fruit, eggs, bacon or sausage, smoked salmon, slow cooker cinnamon rolls, or whole wheat blueberry pancakes. (None of which require the oven!)

Flavor tip: add a drizzle of hot sauce on top before serving!

If this will be a main dish for dinner, serve this comforting casserole with some green sides like a fresh salad, steamed green beans, or asparagus. Or make it a side dish to accompany a lighter main, like crab cakes, seared scallops, or lemon herb salmon. Lots of ways to enjoy this versatile dish!

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