Cheesy Broccoli Cauliflower Ham Casserole

This is a great casserole. It's a wonderful dish to make if you have leftover ham from Easter, or any time of the year! The combination of vegetables, salty ham and velvety cheese sauce is really delicious. It also makes a great topping for baked potatoes.

The cheese sauce is made by first making a simple white sauce. White sauces can form the base of many dishes. Most cream soups in a can are basically "souped up" white sauces. I still use "cream of" soups from a can, but you can make them yourself, and it starts with a white sauce!

For the sauce, start by melting butter, then adding flour and stirring, then adding milk, and cooking and whisking til the mixture boils and thickens.



Here comes the best part: cheese glorious cheese. This dish uses both cheddar and parmesan. Mmmm.



Once the sauce has boiled, remove from the heat and add the cheese. Keep whisking until the cheese melts and is well combined.



Spray a 9x13 baking dish with non stick spray. Then add the broccoli, cauliflower and ham. Pour the cheese sauce over the top, distributing it across the whole dish.



Next, combine the bread crumbs and seasoning in a bowl and stir to combine. This recipe calls for soft bread crumbs. That just means that they are fresh - take slices of bread and grind them into largish crumbs. If you have bread crumbs in a container from the store, those aren't soft, but they wil still work just fine - just use less.

Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the top of the casserole and bake for 30-40 minutes until bubbly.



There are tons of great ham recipes at the Iron Chef Challenge!

Cheesy Broccoli Cauliflower Ham Casserole

1 1/2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. flour
2 cups milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 16 oz package frozen broccoli florets, thawed
1 16 oz package frozen cauliflowerets, thawed
2 cups cubed ham
2/3 cup soft bread crumbs
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning

In a saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour until smooth; gradually add milk. While whisking constantly, bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes until thickened.
Remove from the heat; add cheeses and stir until melted.

Place vegetables in a greased 9x13 baking dish, sprinkle with ham. Pour cheese sauce over ham. Combine breadcrumbs and seasoning in a bowl, mix to combine. Sprinkle over the casserole.

Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes until heated through and bubbly. Serves 6-8.