I make ham twice a year. Christmas Eve and Easter. I’m not sure why, except it’s kind of a novelty, smells good, and it does taste great, especially when I baste with pineapple juice and make a brown sugar and Dijon mustard coating! But the end result is I have tons of ham haunting me afterwards. I took the bull by the horns and whipped up this awesome casserole. It was so good I would buy deli ham just to make it again.

Ham, Rice and Broccoli Casserole

4 tbsp butter

1/4 cup flour (I used gluten-free)

2 cups skim milk

1 tsp Dijon mustard

salt and pepper

2 1/4 cups hot rice (if you use leftover rice, heat it in the microwave)

2 cups broccoli florets (I used raw, but if you have leftover cooked broccoli, you can use that)

1 1/2 cups diced ham

1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese

2 tbsp breadcrumbs (I used gluten-free)

Preheat the oven to 350 and spray a 9×9 square inch baking dish with cooking spray. Melt the butter in a saucepan and stir in the flour, cooking it for about 30 seconds. Whisk in the milk and mustard and salt and pepper to your taste, and whisk occasionally as it thickens over medium low heat. (Note that you can make this sauce in advance, but be sure to heat it up before you pour it on your casserole.)

Meanwhile, spread the rice on the bottom of the dish. Top with the broccoli, then with the ham. Once the sauce is thick, pour it on top. Sprinkle with the cheese. Top with the breadcrumbs. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake another 25 minutes until bubbly and browning on the top.

Oh my. This was creamy and comforting and I felt oh so virtuous for using up my leftovers. Everyone loved this, so this is definitely going to be my go-to dish to use up ham from now on!