Ham and Noodle Casserole layers tender egg noodles with salty cubes of cooked ham, melted cheddar and a smooth, creamy sauce of cream of chicken soup and milk, then bakes it under foil until it bubbles. It’s an easy weeknight dinner and a good way to use up leftover ham after a holiday. It serves 4 and takes about an hour from start to finish.
How to make it: Cook the egg noodles, layer them in a buttered 2-quart dish with the ham, cheddar and soup thinned with milk, then dot the top with butter, cover it loosely with foil and bake at 375°F for 30 minutes.
Why You’ll Love It
- Six ingredients: egg noodles, ham, cheddar, one can of soup, milk and butter.
- No sauce to cook: the soup and milk stir together in a bowl, with no roux on the stove.
- Leftover ham, sorted: it turns the end of a holiday ham into a full dinner.
- Salty and creamy: bites of ham against melted cheddar and soft noodles in a smooth sauce.
Ingredient Notes
Egg noodles: An 8-ounce bag. Wide egg noodles are the traditional pick. A short pasta shape works too; just keep an eye on the baking time.
Ham: Any cooked ham works here: leftover holiday ham, spiral-sliced ham, deli ham or a ham steak. Pick a well-flavored ham, because ham with water added makes a bland casserole.
Cheddar: One cup, shredded. You toss it with the ham, so there’s cheese in every layer instead of only on top.
Cream of chicken soup: One 10 1/2-ounce can of condensed soup, used straight from the can with no water added. Cream of mushroom or cream of celery can stand in for it.
Milk: Half a cup thins the soup into a sauce you can spoon over the layers. Low-fat milk is what’s listed; half milk and half chicken broth also works.
Butter: One tablespoon to dot the top, plus a little more to grease the dish.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces egg noodles
- 1 1/2 cups cooked ham, chopped
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 can (10 1/2 ounces) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
- 1/2 cup milk, low-fat
- 1 tablespoon butter, for dotting the top, plus a little to butter the dish
How to Make Ham and Noodle Casserole
1. Heat the oven. Heat the oven to 375°F and butter a 2-quart casserole dish.
2. Cook the noodles. Cook the egg noodles according to the package directions, just until al dente, and drain.
3. Mix the fillings. Toss the ham and cheese together in one bowl. In a small bowl, stir the soup and milk together.
4. Layer. Spread half of the noodles in the dish. Sprinkle half of the ham and cheese over them, then spoon half of the soup mixture over the ham layer. Repeat with the rest of the noodles, ham and cheese, and soup mixture.
5. Dot with butter and cover. Dot the top with the butter and cover the dish loosely with foil.
6. Bake. Bake at 375°F for 30 minutes, until it is hot and bubbly and the center reaches 165°F. Serve hot.
How to Keep the Noodles Tender, Not Dry
The noodles make or break this casserole. Cooked too long, they turn soft and fall apart; left dry on top, they bake up hard. Three small habits fix both.
Stop at al dente. Boil the noodles in well-salted water and pull them while they are tender but still have a little bite. That way they stay tender but don’t fall apart in the oven. Taste one before you drain the pot.
Keep the foil on. Cover the dish loosely while it bakes. Baking it covered keeps the casserole creamy.
Cover the top layer. Noodles left bare on top can dry out and turn hard to the bite. Spoon the last of the soup mixture all the way to the edges so no noodles poke through, and dot the butter over the whole surface. A handful of buttered cracker crumbs or a little extra cheddar protects the top too.
If you want a melted, bubbly cheese top, take the foil off at the end, sprinkle a little more cheddar over the casserole and bake it uncovered for 5 to 10 more minutes, until the cheese melts.
Tips for Success
Why does my casserole taste too salty?
Ham is salty, and between the ham, the condensed soup and the cheddar, the casserole may not need any extra salt. Go easy on it: add black pepper to the soup and milk, and add salt only after you taste a bite of the baked casserole.
How small should I cut the ham?
Dice it small so it mixes in evenly and doesn’t take over every bite. Scatter it across the whole layer instead of in a pile in the middle, so every scoop gets some.
Can I skip the canned soup?
Yes. Make a quick homemade condensed soup: melt butter in a small saucepan, whisk in flour and a few seasonings, then slowly whisk in chicken broth and milk and simmer, whisking often, until it thickens. Use it in place of the can.
Variations
- A bigger pan with vegetables: for a 9×13 dish, use a 12-ounce package of wide egg noodles, 2 cans of soup, 1 cup of milk, 1/4 cup of sour cream, 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard, 1/2 teaspoon each of garlic powder, onion powder and dried thyme, 3 cups of diced ham and 2 cups of cheddar or Swiss. Stir in a 10-ounce bag of frozen mixed vegetables straight from the freezer, with no need to thaw. Mix everything with half the cheese, bake covered at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes, then top with the rest of the cheese and bake uncovered 5 to 10 minutes more.
- Onion, celery and garlic: sauté 1 small onion, 1 celery stalk and 1 clove garlic, all finely chopped, in a little butter until soft, and stir them in with the ham.
- Crispy onion top: bake it covered, then take off the foil, scatter French fried onions over the top and bake 5 minutes longer.
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. Wrap the casserole well for the freezer and thaw it overnight in the fridge. FSIS also lists cream sauce among the foods that don’t freeze well, so expect a frozen batch to lose some quality. Reheat it covered with foil in a 325°F oven, or microwave single portions in 30-second bursts, until it reaches 165°F. Don’t reheat it in a slow cooker.
What to Serve With It
A salad and crispy garlic bread round this out: try cheesy garlic breadsticks and a spinach salad with warm bacon dressing. For a colorful vegetable on the side, make roasted asparagus and carrots. Still have ham in the fridge? Use it in ham and potato au gratin or a crockpot ham and potato casserole, and for ham and egg noodles made in the slow cooker, try this slow cooker Amish cream of chicken ham pasta.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I cook noodles before adding them to a casserole?
Yes. Boil them according to the package directions and drain them first; they go into the dish already cooked, just short of fully soft.
What is the recipe for an old fashioned ham and noodle casserole?
The recipe above is one: egg noodles, ham and cheddar layered with cream of chicken soup and milk, dotted with butter and baked under foil. For a custard-style casserole, bake cooked noodles and ground ham in milk beaten with eggs and a little salt until set, then top it with cheddar or buttered cracker crumbs.
Can I use a different cheese?
Yes. Swiss works in place of the cheddar, or use a mix of the two. Use what you like, or what’s left in the fridge.
Can I make ham and noodle casserole on the stove?
Yes, as a skillet dish. Cook the ham and a chopped onion in a little oil in a 10-inch skillet until the onion is tender, stir in the soup and milk and bring it to a boil, then turn the heat to low, melt in half the cheese and stir in the cooked noodles. Top with the rest of the cheese; the heat from the noodles melts it.
Final Notes
Scatter chopped fresh parsley, thyme or chives over the top right before serving if you have some. If you have a question or make this, tell me how it turned out in the comments.
Ham and Noodle Casserole
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Ingredients
- 8 ounces egg noodles
- 1 1/2 cups cooked ham chopped
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup 10 1/2 ounces, undiluted
- 1/2 cup milk low-fat
- 1 tablespoon butter for dotting the top, plus a little to butter the dish
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 375°F and butter a 2-quart casserole dish.
- Cook the egg noodles according to the package directions, just until al dente, and drain.
- Toss the ham and cheese together in one bowl. In a small bowl, stir the soup and milk together.
- Spread half of the noodles in the dish. Sprinkle half of the ham and cheese over them, then spoon half of the soup mixture over the ham layer. Repeat with the rest of the noodles, ham and cheese, and soup mixture.
- Dot the top with the butter and cover the dish loosely with foil.
- Bake at 375°F for 30 minutes, until it is hot and bubbly and the center reaches 165°F. Serve hot.
