When it’s cold and dreary outside, this ham and pea pasta bake casserole is just the thing you need! This hearty and heart-warming casserole is made with a creamy, savory white sauce and out of all the leftover baked ham recipes, no one will even know you’re using leftovers!
Besides, who doesn’t love a good ham casserole with pasta? Ham and pasta recipes are always potluck go-to’s as well! Try it after making Oven Baked Ham With Pineapple (got leftovers?) and Jiffy cornbread muffins.
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What to Make with Leftover Ham
Besides ham sandwiches, right?
Ham is so versatile, you can prepare it a million different ways:
- Breakfast – Cut it thick and fry it before serving up with eggs. How about including it in Jalapeno Popper Quiche or Breakfast Bake?
- Lunch – Dice leftover ham and add it to hearty soups, stews, or Parmesan Orzo With Basil.
- Dinner – Slice it alongside mashed potatoes (or Irish Potatoes (Champ)) and roasted veggies. Ham will be the rock star of the dish!
But, if you are looking for an easy, flavorful pasta and peas recipe, look no further than this ham casserole with pasta!
How to Make Ham and Cheese Pasta
- Preheat the oven and prepare casserole dish.
- Make a roux with butter, flour, and milk. Add the soup and stir thoroughly until it is thickened a little.
- Gradually add the cheese and continue to stir until the cheese is completely melted and the sauce is creamy.
- Meanwhile, cook pasta and peas.
- To the pasta and peas, add ham and about half of the sauce, adding more sauce as necessary.
- Pour mixture into casserole dish and bake for 30 minutes.
- Sprinkle breadcrumbs on the top and place the ham pasta casserole with peas under the broiler until the crumbs are golden brown and the casserole is bubbly.
Presto, you’ve got an easy, creamy, and filling ham casserole with pasta. It is my favorite when the breadcrumbs on top of the casserole are nice and golden brown!
Switch out the pasta for your favorite shape. I find that rigatoni is a great substitute, and other shapes will taste great too!
How Long is Leftover Ham Good For
Since almost all hams come pre-cooked in one form or another and have a high salt content in them, most hams and ham products can last quite a while.
Ham pasta recipes also freeze well, although the ham may become a bit soft after it is thawed since ice crystals break down the protein a little. This casserole freezes well, especially in single-size containers for lunches at work or school! My kids LOVE it when we pack ham and pea pasta in their lunches, both hot or cold!
Ham and Pea Pasta Bake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
- 2 cups milk
- 8 ounces condensed cream of chicken soup 1 can (or your favorite condensed soup)
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 8 ounces ziti pasta
- 2 cups peas
- 4 cups diced ham
- ¼ cup dry bread crumbs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F and grease 9x13 baking pan.
- In a medium skillet on medium heat, melt butter. Add flour and cook for 2 minutes to make a roux. Add milk, slowly, whisking until combined. Add condensed cream of chicken soup and whisk until combined. Add cheese and mix until well combined and cheese is melted.
- Meanwhile, cook pasta 1 minute less than directed on package. Add peas for the last 2 minutes (for frozen, or 1 minute for fresh).
- Drain and add pasta back to pot. Add diced ham and about ½ of sauce. Stir to combine. Add more sauce to desired consistency. (I had about ⅔ cup of sauce leftover).
- Pour pasta into a 9x13 baking pan.
- Bake for 30 minutes. Sprinkle breadcrumbs on top of casserole and broil for about 3 minutes, or until browned.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information does not include optional ingredients or garnish and is an estimate. It may change based on actual ingredients and cooking methods used.
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for this ham and pea pasta bake recipe can you also add red and green peppers, onions and mushrooms to it? am making it today and also can you add mushroom soup and chicken soup together for the sauce?
I have never tried, but I think that sounds delicious. I would love to hear how it turned out!
We made this yesterday and may I say we were shocked?! A spice loving family, we were certain this would be too bland for us; no onion? no garlic? not even salt or pepper? But to be fair we made it as written and we LOVED it. Truly Candace, we will not be looking elsewhere for a leftover ham recipe. Thanks so much.
We are so happy you enjoyed this recipe, Karen! Thanks for leaving a comment 🙂
Something’s telling me that asparagus would be good in this as a substitute for peas
That sounds delicious, Kim! Let us know how it turns out if you decide to try it 🙂
Me, my husband and my Mother-in-law loved this casserole. The only thing I did different was I added some salt, pepper and garlic. I did not use all of the sauce either. I will be aking this again. Thank you
You’re welcome Carol! I’m happy to hear it was such a hit! My kids ask for this one on repeat.
It doesn’t have any seasoning in it. Is it bland?
Hi Elaine, we do not find this to be bland at all. There is plenty of flavor in the ham, soup, and peas. The flavors shine through beautifully! You could also add some Italian seasoning or your favorite seasoning to give it a little change of flavor if you’d like!
Can you substitute cream of mushroom for the chicken.
Yes Barb, your favorite cream soup will work perfectly in this recipe! Enjoy the recipe!
Looks and sounds wonderful! Making it for dinner tonight. One question- when adding the cheese to to the roux and milk, do you melt it? It says to combine, but normally you melt it. Just checking
Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!
Yes, combine until melted. I’ve updated the recipe, thank you! You’re welcome and enjoy Patty!
This was a huge hit in our house tonight! For those with bigger families, this recipe will fully sauce a 16-oz bag of penne. I also cooked the pasta in it’s own pot, but assembled the rest in my enameled Dutch oven and baked it in there as well. Worked great and fed 2 adults and 3 kids with leftovers to spare!
So glad to hear how much you enjoyed the ham and pea pasta bake Haley! Thank you for sharing your tips!
Delicious!! I added mixed frozen veggies since that’s all I had as well as a bag of frozen cauliflower and it was a big hit!
So happy to hear that Tati! Love the idea of adding all the mixed veggies!
I had leftover ham and was searching for an easy, cheesy recipe. I made yours and it was delicious! I added a scoop of minced garlic to the roux in step 2, otherwise followed recipe exactly. I’ll be making it again!
That sounds so good Heidi! I love garlic. So happy to hear that you loved the pasta bake!
This looks so creamy and comforting, I can’t wait to make it!
Thank you! It’s so great for leftover ham!