Pineapple and Ham Casserole is a sweet and savory Southern bake: chopped cooked ham and pineapple tidbits stirred with cream cheese, brown sugar and dry mustard, then covered with buttery crushed Ritz crackers and baked until the top is brown. It is a good way to use leftover ham, and it serves 8.
How to make it: Drain the pineapple and save the juice. Mix the pineapple and ham with the cream cheese and seasonings in a 2-quart dish, top with Ritz crumbs tossed in melted butter and a little of the juice, and bake at 350°F for 35 to 40 minutes.
Why You’ll Love It
- Uses up leftover ham: two and a half cups of chopped cooked ham go in.
- Sweet and savory: brown sugar and pineapple against salty ham and tangy mustard.
- Eight ingredients: including the cracker topping and a splash of pineapple juice.
- Quick to put together: 15 minutes of prep, then the oven does the rest.
Ingredient Notes
Pineapple tidbits: One 20-ounce can, drained. Keep the juice: a few teaspoons go into the topping.
Cooked ham: Two and a half cups, chopped. Leftover baked ham or cubed fully cooked ham from the store both work; so does a pound of sliced ham.
Cream cheese: Four ounces, cut into small pieces.
Brown sugar and dry mustard: Two-thirds of a cup of brown sugar and 2 teaspoons of dry mustard season the filling.
Ritz crackers and butter: 40 to 50 crackers, crushed, and one stick of melted butter for the topping.
Ingredients
- 20 ounces pineapple tidbits (1 can), drained, juice kept
- 2 1/2 cups cooked ham, chopped
- 4 ounces cream cheese, cut into small pieces
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons dry mustard
- 40 to 50 Ritz crackers, crushed
- 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), melted
- 3 teaspoons pineapple juice, from the can
How to Make Pineapple and Ham Casserole
1. Heat the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 2-quart casserole dish and set it aside.
2. Mix the filling. In a bowl, mix the drained pineapple, ham, cream cheese, brown sugar and dry mustard. Spread the mixture in the casserole dish.
3. Make the topping. In a separate bowl, crush the Ritz crackers. Pour the melted butter and 3 teaspoons of the pineapple juice over the crackers and mix. Sprinkle over the pineapple mixture.
4. Bake. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the top is brown and the center reaches 165°F.
Drain the Pineapple, Save the Juice
Do you drain the pineapple? For this casserole, yes, but don’t pour the juice down the sink.
Drain the tidbits. Tip the can into a strainer set over a bowl. The drained pineapple goes straight into the filling.
Keep the juice for the topping. Three teaspoons of that juice go into the crushed Ritz crackers along with the melted butter.
Crushed pineapple works too. If that is what you have, drain it the same way.
Bake until brown. The ham is already cooked, so the oven’s job is to heat everything through and brown the crackers. Look for a golden-brown top, then check that the center reads 165°F.
| Version | Dish | Bake at 350°F |
|---|---|---|
| Cream cheese and brown sugar (this recipe) | 2-quart | 35 to 40 minutes, until brown on top |
| Sugar, flour and cheddar | 8×8 or 9×9 | 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown |
| Egg noodle bake | 1 1/2-quart | 30 to 35 minutes, until heated through |
Tips for Success
Can I use a different cracker?
Yes. Any kind of cracker crumbs work, including club crackers. Buttered dry bread crumbs are another option.
What size dish do I need?
A 2-quart casserole dish. For the cheddar version below, an 8×8 or 9×9 dish is the right size.
Variations
- Sugar, flour and cheddar: stir together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup flour, 1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar, a 20 ounce can of drained pineapple tidbits and 1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard. Spoon half into a greased 8×8 or 9×9 dish, add 2 cups of cubed ham, cover with the rest of the pineapple mixture, and top with 1 cup of cracker crumbs mixed with 1/3 cup melted butter. Bake at 350°F for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Ham and pineapple noodle bake: cook 2 cups of wide egg noodles. Sauté 1/2 cup chopped celery in butter, then melt 8 ounces of cream cheese into 3/4 cup whole milk. Stir in the noodles, 2 cups ham, 2 (8 ounce) cans of drained crushed pineapple and 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, top with buttered bread crumbs and bake in a 1 1/2-quart dish at 350°F for 30 to 35 minutes.
- Breakfast casserole: tear 6 croissants into a greased dish, then pour over 6 eggs whisked with 2 cups milk and stirred with 1 pound of ham, 8 chopped green onions, a 20 ounce can of drained pineapple chunks and 2 cups pepper jack. Bake at 350°F for 45 to 50 minutes and rest 5 minutes. It can be covered and refrigerated overnight before baking.
- With broccoli and stuffing: layer ham, broccoli, pineapple tidbits and stuffing mix with a sauce of pineapple juice, cream of celery soup, jalapeño cream cheese and eggs, then top with cheddar. Bake covered at 400°F for 45 minutes, then uncovered for 20.
Storage & Reheating
USDA FSIS says to refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow, covered containers and eat them within 3 to 4 days, or freeze them for 3 to 4 months. Leftover cooked ham itself keeps 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator, so plan the casserole within that window. Thaw frozen portions in the refrigerator and reheat to 165°F.
What to Serve With It
Serve it with a green vegetable like smothered green beans and an easy creamy corn casserole. For more ways with ham, make a crockpot ham and potato casserole or a pot of ham and potato corn chowder. For more pineapple, there is the pineapple bake and, for dessert, Hawaiian pineapple coconut fluff.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the ingredients for an old fashioned ham and pineapple casserole?
Cooked ham, canned pineapple tidbits, cream cheese, dry mustard and brown sugar, under crushed Ritz crackers mixed with melted butter and a little pineapple juice. The cheddar take swaps the cream cheese for sugar, flour, sharp cheddar and Dijon mustard.
Do you drain pineapple for pineapple casserole?
Yes. Drain the pineapple before it goes into the filling, and keep the juice: 3 teaspoons go into the cracker topping.
What can you make with leftover ham and pineapple?
This casserole, a creamy ham and pineapple noodle bake, or a croissant breakfast casserole with eggs, green onions and pepper jack. All three are in the Variations above.
Can I use sliced ham?
Yes. A pound of sliced ham works in place of 2 cups of cubed ham; chop it into bite-size pieces.
Final Notes
Drain the pineapple over a bowl so the juice is ready for the topping. If you make this, tell me in the comments how it turned out.
Pineapple and Ham Casserole
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Ingredients
- 20 ounces pineapple tidbits 1 can, drained, juice kept
- 2 1/2 cups cooked ham chopped
- 4 ounces cream cheese cut into small pieces
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons dry mustard
- 40 to 50 Ritz crackers crushed
- 1/2 cup butter 1 stick, melted
- 3 teaspoons pineapple juice from the can
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 2-quart casserole dish and set it aside.
- In a bowl, mix the drained pineapple, ham, cream cheese, brown sugar and dry mustard. Spread the mixture in the casserole dish.
- In a separate bowl, crush the Ritz crackers. Pour the melted butter and 3 teaspoons of the pineapple juice over the crackers and mix. Sprinkle over the pineapple mixture.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the top is brown and the center reaches 165°F.
