I have so many wonderful cookbooks and one of my favorites is Southern Living’s Quick & Easy Recipes. Sometimes I just want a ‘quick and easy’ throw together dinner that’s from scratch and tastes great. This cookbook has tons of those recipes and this Down-Home Creamy Ham Casserole is one of them.
Of course ‘quick’ can be purely subjective and as long as you have the ingredients chopped and ready, this casserole fits the bill.
You start with a from-scratch creamy cheese sauce, then add the tender cauliflower, smoky ham, and fresh mushrooms. Sprinkle soft breadcrumbs over the top, drizzle a little butter and bake until bubbly and golden brown. The perfect casserole, right? Right. This is comfort food deluxe.
Serve Down-Home Creamy Ham Casserole with a little green salad and of course a few buttery Best Dinner Rolls and you’ll have a delicious, hearty dinner.
You’ll also be the envy of the office when you take leftovers for lunch the next day. Send them on over here to my website and tell them to get cooking!
Down-Home Creamy Ham Casserole
Wonderful from-scratch cheese sauce enrobes tender cauliflower, fresh mushrooms and chunks of ham.
Ingredients
- 3 heaping C. cauliflower florets (about 1 smallish cauliflower)
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1/3 C all-purpose flour
- 1 C 2% milk
- 1 C shredded Cheddar or Colby-Cheddar cheese
- 1/2 C sour cream
- 2 C cooked ham, cubed
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 5 oz. fresh mushrooms
- 1 C soft breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsp butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly spray 2 quart casserole dish.
- Fill a large pot with about 3-inches of water, sprinkle with salt and bring to a boil. Add cauliflower and cook for 12-13 minutes until crisp-tender. Drain and set aside.
- While cauliflower is cooking, put 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and saute until the mushrooms are soft and have lost most of their liquid (4-5 minutes). Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Whisk in 1/3 cup flour for about 30-45 seconds until smooth. Gradually add 1 cup of milk, whisking constantly, until it just begins to thicken. Add shredded cheese and sour cream, stirring constantly until cheese melts (about 30-45 seconds). Do not boil. The mixture will be fairly thick and sticky, but still stirrable.
- Stir the cauliflower, cubed ham, and mushrooms into the cheese sauce until evenly combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish and sprinkle with the bread crumbs. Pour the melted butter evenly over the tops of the crumbs.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, turning once during baking, until golden brown and bubbly. Serve immediately.
Notes
Tips and Stuff:
The original recipe calls for a 3 ounce can of canned sliced mushrooms, drained. I prefer to use the fresh.
For the breadcrumbs, I had some extra heels from a loaf of bread, so I finely chopped 2 of them up. They worked great.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1 servingAmount Per Serving: Calories: 538Total Fat: 37gSaturated Fat: 19gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 117mgSodium: 981mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 3gSugar: 6gProtein: 27g
Nutrition Values are Approximate
