Leftover Ham & Turkey Cheesy Rice Casserole is a creamy, cheesy comfort casserole that you can make anytime of year. It is especially delicious to use leftover ham, turkey, or even rotisserie chicken with.
Soon enough, chances are we will all be in the same boat. Surrounded by lots of leftover turkey and ham– wondering what to do with it. Sure, you could just heat it up the first time and repeat the holiday meal, but that gets old quick. I know for us, I buy a 17 lb turkey so we have lots, and lots of leftovers.
That leaves me in a position to get very creative in the kitchen.
We have the obligatory turkey sliders, the turkey casserole, and the turkey salad. If you are sick of the same old leftovers, you must scroll down for my Leftover Ham & Turkey Cheesy Rice Casserole.
This recipe is cheesy, has lots of creamy cheese flavor, and did I mention is is cheesy? Can you all tell we love cheese here? In all seriousness, this casserole reminds of broccoli cheddar soup but in an even better form.
The secret is to use both Knorr® Selects White Cheddar Broccoli, and Four Cheese Risotto. These two, delicious and easy to prepare sides make this leftover turkey and ham casserole a blast!
Of course, if you do not have both turkey and ham leftovers, this recipe can easily substitute for either or. I used extra deli meats I had but plan on recreating this with the real deal after Thanksgiving.
You can find Knorr® Selects Rice Sides at your local market, but you can also use white rice.
Knorr Selects are gluten free, and don’t contain artificial flavors or preservatives which I love! The meal making possibilities are endless with these quick to prepare rice sides to be sure to try them all!
Ham & Turkey Cheesy Rice Casserole Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. of leftover, fully cooked ham or turkey. *You can also use deli ham or turkey. I used 1/2 lb. of each chopped.
- 1 package of Knorr® Selects White Cheddar Broccoli, and Four Cheese Risotto
- 2 cans of cheddar soup
- 2 cups of whole milk (rice prep)
- 3 cups of water (rice prep)
- 1 cup of shredded cheddar
- 2 cups of broccoli florets, sautéed
- 1 small sweet onion, diced and sautéed
- 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
Directions:
Prepare both rice packages using the water & milk (follow cooking directions, but you will be making them both in the same pan). I also subbed the olive oil for 2 tablespoons of butter. It is okay to mix the flavors, or you can use two pouches of the same flavor.
Once rice is prepped and cooked, pour into a deep dish 9″ x 13″ casserole dish. These days, I really love the Pyrex Deep Dish pan.
Add steamed broccoli and sautéed onion, and mix in.
Add cheddar soup and mix into the rice.
Add meats and mix in. to combine.
Top with shredded cheddar mixture.
Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Serve warm! This casserole is super moist thanks to the cheddar soup. It is not dry like some casserole which I love.
Substitutions
If you only have ham, you can use ham alone. Same with turkey or chicken—as long as your meat is already cooked, these proteins pair well with this flavor.
You can use regular white rice if your prefer. You will need 5 cups of prepared rice. This is equal to 1 1/2 cups of unboiled white rice.
Leftover Ham & Turkey Cheesy Rice Casserole
Equipment
- Deep dish 9 x 13 inch casserole pan
- large skillet
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb. leftover turkey shredded
- 1/2 lb. leftover ham diced
- 1 pouch Knorr® Selects White Cheddar Broccoli
- 1 pouch Knorr® Selects Four Cheese Risotto
- 2 cans cheddar soup
- 2 cups whole milk (for rice preparation)
- 3 cups water (for rice preparation)
- 2 tbsps. unsalted butter (for rice preparation)
- 2 cups broccoli florets sautéed until tender
- 1 yellow onion sautéed until tender
- 1 cup shredded cheese
Instructions
- Prepare both rice packages using the water & milk (follow cooking directions, but you will be making them both in the same pan). I also subbed the olive oil for 2 tablespoons of butter. It is okay to mix the flavors, or you can use two pouches of the same flavor.
- Once rice is prepped and cooked, pour into a deep dish 9″ x 13″ casserole dish. These days, I really love the Pyrex Deep Dish pan.
- Add sautéed broccoli and sautéed onion; mix in.
- Add cheddar soup cans and mix into the rice.
- Add meats and mix in to combine.
- Top with shredded cheddar mixture.
- Bake uncovered for 25 minutes at 350° Fahrenheit.
Stacie @ Divine Lifestyle says
I am SO bookmarking this! Every Thanksgiving and Christmas, we have turkey and ham coming out of our ears. This is going to be soooo good.
Colleen Lanin says
Om nom nom nom. I think that about covers it. This is the kind of recipe I love to make! It makes full use of leftovers, and it’s super easy.
Joe's Daily says
Well, I know what my family will be devouring after Thanksgiving and Christmas. We always have leftovers, and this looks like the perfect way to use them up. You just won the interwebs for the year!
reesa says
I am always looking for new ways to use up leftovers after the holidays! I usually do soups, but that has gotten boring! I need to try this!
Jeanette says
WOW! That looks so good! I am going to have to pin this one, because we are doing ham this year for thanksgiving and I KNOW we will have leftovers!
Jenna Wood says
I love how simple this is to throw together, I could even toss it together in the morning and have the other half bake it on my way home. This will be great for brunch after Thanksgiving.
Claudia Krusch says
I love to make casseroles. This recipe looks so delicious and easy to make. It is a great way to use your leftovers.
Kathy says
This looks amazing. I have to make this soon. I think this is going to be a hit with my family. I can’t wait to try it out.
Connie says
Yummy, easy, and couldn’t have shown up at a better time. Love new ways to use leftovers.
Liz Mays says
Oh this rocks! We’ll probably be able to use this after the holidays! I really like those rice sides!
Nicole says
Your ham and turkey rice casserole looks so delicious, I don’t want to wait for ham and turkey leftovers. I would totally make this for dinner tonight!
Sarah says
Oh yum! I love dishes that let me uses leftovers. I hate seeing food go to waste, this is a great looking dish.
Sinisa says
Delicious recipe. I love knorr sides
Lisa says
I love rice casseroles and always have leftover ham! You know what I’ll be makin!
Melissa says
We are all about the leftovers and finding new and exciting ways to repurpose them so that they get eaten and not trashed! Love your recipe-with KNORR -definitely makes leftovers anything but boring!
gingermommy says
This looks really delicious. I love recipes that use leftovers. I am going to have to try this.
Jessica Terry says
Yummy! This sounds like an amazing way to use up those leftovers.