Ham and Broccoli Casserole au Gratin
Of course this Ham and Broccoli Casserole au Gratin is a riff on my mega-popular Ham and Cauliflower Casserole au Gratin! And any time you’re lucky enough to have leftover ham, either of these cheesy ham casseroles are a great way to use it!
PIN this tasty Ham and Broccoli Casserole to make it later!
If you like cheesy broccoli and ham, I promise you are going to LOVE this new recipe for Ham and Broccoli Casserole au Gratin. This is another recipe where an idea from a reader inspired a new version of a favorite recipe on the site, and this is a fun new variation of Ham and Cauliflower Casserole au Gratin! And you just might have some leftover ham after Easter, so I’m featuring this today as my Friday Favorites pick!
Everyone who likes broccoli is probably going to enjoy trying this, and I really wish I had written down the name of the reader who commented on social media that she always makes the ham and cauliflower recipe using broccoli so I could give proper credit! Of course, my fondness for broccoli + cheese is pretty well-documented on the blog, so of course I loved the idea of a cheesy casserole with ham and broccoli.
When we tested the recipe as a ham and broccoli casserole Kara and I made only a couple of minor changes, and it was a complete winner! And if you’re lucky enough to have leftover ham after Easter, this is a perfect way to use it.
And I have happily eaten up all my share of the leftovers, so I can report that this reheats beautifully too. Hope you enjoy trying it if you’re a fellow fan of cheesy broccoli!
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- broccoli flowerets
- salt for broccoli cooking water
- cream cheese
- sour cream (or use plain Greek yogurt if you prefer)
- coarsely grated Parmesan
- grated sharp cheddar cheese
- green onions
- diced ham
- black pepper to taste
Can you make the Ham and Broccoli Casserole with frozen broccoli?
I’m not a big fan of frozen broccoli, so I would use fresh barely-cooked broccoli for this recipe. But I often hear from people who use frozen broccoli in some of my casseroles, so give it a try if you don’t like cutting up and cooking the broccoli.
Is this Ham and Broccoli Casserole low in carbs?
As long as you’re careful to buy ham without added sugar, this recipe is suitable for low-carb or Keto diets.
What other cheese can you use for the Ham and Broccoli Casserole?
I love the combo if sharp cheddar Parmesan in gratin recipes. But any flavorful cheese that melts well can be used in this recipe.
More tasty ideas for using leftover ham:
You can look at Low-Carb and Keto Leftover Ham Recipes for even more ideas for using leftover ham!
How to make Ham and Broccoli Casserole au Gratin:
(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- Remove cream cheese from package and start to soften it in a container that’s big enough to hold all the sauce ingredients. (You can partly soften cream cheese in the microwave if you need to.)
- Cut up enough broccoli to make 6 cups broccoli flowerets. (That’s a huge measuring cup in the photo!)
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, add broccoli, and cook 3 minutes, or even slightly less.
- After 3 minutes, immediately dump broccoli into a colander placed in the sink and let it drain well.
- When the cream cheese is softened, mix in sour cream, 2 T coarsely grated Parmesan, 1 cup sharp cheddar, and sliced green onion. (Blogger FAIL, missed taking a photo of that.)
- When broccoli is well drained, put it into a mixing bowl. (Pat dry with paper towels if it seems very wet.)
- Gently stir sauce mixture into the broccoli.
- Add ham cubes and gently combine with the broccoli and sauce.
- Place mixture into a 8″ x 12″ casserole dish and season with fresh-ground black pepper to taste.
- Sprinkle the rest of the sharp cheddar and coarsely grated Parmesan over the top of the casserole.
- Bake 30-35 minutes, or until lightly browned and bubbling hot.
- This reheated well and I loved having some leftovers for a quick low-carb dinner!
- If you like to do Weekend Food Prep you might want to use a bigger dish and double the recipe.
More Cheesy Broccoli to Try:
- Broccoli and Three Cheese Keto Breakfast Casserole
- Low-Carb Broccoli, Ham, and Mozzarella Baked with Eggs
- Broccoli Gratin
- Cheesy Broccoli and Cauliflower Soup
- Roasted Broccoli with Lemon and Pecorino-Romano Cheese
Weekend Food Prep:
This recipe has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep to help you find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!
Ham and Broccoli Casserole au Gratin
This low-carb Ham and Broccoli Casserole au Gratin is a variation on a popular ham and cauliflower casserole that was suggested by a reader. And if your family likes these ingredients I bet this cheesy casserole with ham and broccoli will be a hit at your house.
Ingredients
- 6 cups (or slightly more) broccoli flowerets (about one pound after trimming)
- 1/2 tsp. salt for broccoli cooking water
- 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup sour cream (or use plain Greek yogurt if you prefer)
- 2 T + 2 T coarsely grated Parmesan
- 1 cup + 1/4 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
- 2 cups diced ham (I used a whole ham steak from Costco, which was slightly more than 2 cups)
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F/190C. Spray a 8" x 12" (or similar size) casserole dish with non-stick spray.
- Take cream cheese out of the fridge and put into a bowl or measuring cup that's big enough to hold all the sauce ingredients.
- Let cream cheese soften on the counter while you prep other ingredients. You can partly soften cream cheese in the microwave by microwaving 20 seconds at a time and stirring until it's as soft as desired.
- Cut up enough broccoli to make 6 cups broccoli flowerets, or slightly more.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil, add salt, add broccoli, turn down to a low boil, and cook exactly 3 minutes.
- After 3 minutes, immediately drain broccoli into a colander placed in the sink and let it drain well.
- When the cream cheese is softened, mix in sour cream, 2 T coarsely grated Parmesan, 1 cup sharp cheddar, and sliced green onion.
- When broccoli is well drained, put it into a mixing bowl. (Pat the broccoli dry with paper towels if it seems very wet.)
- Gently stir the sauce mixture into the broccoli, making sure the broccoli pieces are all coated with sauce.
- Add ham cubes to the bowl and gently combine with the broccoli and sauce.
- Place broccoli/cheese/ham mixture into a 8" x 12" casserole dish and season with fresh-ground black pepper to taste.
- Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup sharp cheddar and 2 T coarsely grated Parmesan over the top of the casserole.
- Bake 30-35 minutes, or until lightly browned and bubbling hot.
Notes
This recipe was adapted from Low-Carb Ham and Cauliflower Casserole au Gratin and tested by Kalyn and Kara.
Nutrition Information
Yield
6Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 318Total Fat 23gSaturated Fat 12gUnsaturated Fat 7.4gCholesterol 90mgSodium 906mgCarbohydrates 11gFiber 2.5gSugar 4.2gProtein 19g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Ham and Broccoli Casserole au Gratin is a great dish for low-carb and Keto diet plans. This could be adapted to be suitable for any phase of the original South Beach Diet by using lean ham and low-fat cheese and other dairy products, and maybe using a bit less cream cheese or substituting a more SBD friendly option.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Check out Casserole Recipes for more Recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This delicious cheesy ham and broccoli casserole was first posted in 2019. It was last updated with more information in 2023.
43 Comments on “Ham and Broccoli Casserole au Gratin”
I used a yellow onion in place of the green onions.
This was absolutely delicious!
Glad you liked it!
Kalyn, It’s 107 heat index today and I refuse to turn on my oven. But, I really want to make this, I have all the ingredients. Have you any experience cooking this on a stove top? I don’t care if it’s not brown on top. I just found you in Pinterest and enjoying looking at your recipes
I made this with frozen broccoli flowerets. It was delicious!
Thanks for sharing that, good to know!
Hi Kalyn! My family isn’t big on ham; do you think smoked turkey could be substituted? Thanks for all of your delicious recipes! I can’t think of any that we haven’t enjoyed. Kathy & Family
So glad you are enjoying the recipes. I do think smoked turkey could be good in this, good idea!
I look forward to trying this! I have several ham roasts in my freezer. This may be a dumb question, but does the ham need to be fully cooked before going into the casserole to bake? Or do I just put it in raw and cubed and this is long enough to cook it?
I have only made this with fully cooked ham. Most ham you buy is cooked, even though you may bake it before you serve. So if the ham is not completely raw, it will probably work.
I am not experienced enough with frozen broccoli to answer that, sorry. I recommend fresh broccoli, but if you do try it with frozen broccoli I’d love to hear how that works for you. (I looked through the comments and didn’t see anyone who had tried it that way.)
Glad you enjoyed! And very fun hearing how you adapted it to your own preferences.
I guess I would not consider boiling 3 minutes to be “boiling away all the goodness in the broccoli”. But you can cook it any way you prefer of course.
I have no idea what happened, but some of that nutritional information definitely seems wrong. I am re-calculating it and fixing it right now. Thanks for telling me. (For a while I had someone helping me calculate nutritional information but it didn’t work out, lol! Although to be fair, it’s VERY hard to get it right, so many variables.)
When you recalculate the nutritional info, would you please estimate the net carbs per serving? Thanks so much! This recipe is delicious!
Karen, the new calculation is done. I am not going to do net carbs on 1,500+ recipes (the program I used doesn’t calculate net carbs) but I think you can get pretty close by just subtracting fiber from carbs and both those amounts are listed.
Glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Terrific recipe!! – I followed the instructions exactly (which, sometimes, I tend not to do 🙂 I have already passed this web link along to family members out-of-state.
Keep up the great work!
So glad you enjoyed. And I am notoriously bad about following recipes as written too!
I add some garlic powder (because, why not?) but otherwise this is perfect. Makes for a great breakfast the next day, assuming there are any leftovers!
That sounds good to me; glad you are enjoying it!
So glad you enjoyed!
This is a fantastic, easy dish that’s perfect for a weeknight (and leftovers the next day). Thank you so much for this and for sharing. I can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
Thanks, so glad you enjoyed it!
I’m cooking for two. Could this be split in half and frozen before baking?
I haven’t ever done it that way so I don’t know how it will work.
If it was me, I would cook the whole thing; then freeze the leftovers (maybe in two small containers for two dinners for two leftover.) Then thaw and reheat covered when you want to eat the leftovers.
The other way may work too, but I can’t say for sure.
Thanks! I decided not to try it. I think cream based casseroles don’t freeze well. So we will just have a lot of leftovers!! Good thing is that my husband LOOVED IT! He’s kind of picky so that made me happy. Oh… and I loved it, too! Thanks for a great recipe!
Andrea, so glad it was a hit!
I just made this and it was amazing!!! Will definitely try more of your recipes. I like spice so I was thinking of adding jalapeno peppers the next time I made it but the recipe as is is fantastic.
So glad you enjoyed it! Spice it up as much as you’d like; I am always in favor of everyone adapting the recipes to their own taste.
My husband and I are always looking for new recipes to add some variety to our low carb repertoire. This one was a real winner. I always cook my veggies by steaming them in the microwave, which lessons the need to drain the broccoli. But otherwise I made the recipe exactly as directed and it came out great. I really like that it’s not quite as cheesy as a lot of the keto casseroles.
So glad you enjoyed it!
We made this tonight as directed and it was a hit. Very savory and filling. My one issue with it was that the broccoli was a bit overcooked. Next time I make this (and I will), I will try blanching the broccoli for only a minute instead of three.
So glad you enjoyed!
I made this with chicken and 2 slices of crumbled bacon rather than ham as I couldn’t find it in me to get out of pjs to go to the grocer lol. It turned out great. Next time I’m going to add just a little bit of cooked quinoa as a variation.
So glad you enjoyed it and found a fun variation. And I get about the struggle to get out of the PJs after a holiday!
This looks amazing! Perfect as a Keto meal or a side dish to accompany a roast. One pot meals really are the best – so quick and easy to make and can be served straightaway! Sim x
Thanks; I am really enjoying this one!
I made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious!
So glad to hear you enjoyed it!
How’d you recommend to preserve this recipe? My husband likes such dishes but our job schedules are way different than each other. Should I freeze it or keep it in food preservation tray?
I haven’t tried freezing it, but it will keep in the fridge for at least a week. Just reheat in the microwave or in a pan. Hope you enjoy.
I love your recipes! Thank you so much for this, I will have to try making this at home.
what do you think about using frozen brocoli?
Truthfully I am doubtful it will work that well. Since the frozen broccoli is pre-cooked, I think it will be really soft by the time the casserole is done, even if you reduce the cooking time.
But if you do decide to try it, I’d love to hear how it works!