This creamy ham and potato casserole combines cooked ham, frozen hash brown potatoes and cooked spinach. And this breakfast casserole doesn’t need any cans of soup for the creaminess. A simple homemade cheese sauce is all that’s needed to bring this one all together. Perfect for Easter breakfast or brunch, or as a great use for leftover Easter ham!
This ham and potato au gratin is a bit retro, in a funeral potatoes kind of way, but that said, it is a delicious addition to a brunch table (especially Easter) where creamy potatoes and ham bring all the Easter dinner flavours in casserole form.
- Make-ahead friendly
- Perfect Easter brunch casserole
- Great use for leftover ham
- Makes a great all-in-one main dish meal, too
Ingredients and substitutions
A few notes about the key ingredients …
Cooked ham – Since I was making this dish pre-Easter, I picked up an economical ham steak that I cut up to use here. This would be a great option if you are planning this casserole for breakfast or brunch. After Easter, it’s a great dish to use up some of that leftover ham!
Frozen hash brown or home fries – Frozen hash brown potatoes would be the standard for this dish. Unfortunately for me, when I went to the store to pick some up, it was St. Patrick’s Day, and the frozen hash brown shelf was empty! So I grabbed a bag of frozen home fries instead, which are cubed, but larger than regular hash browns. They cooked up just fine in the casserole and make a chunkier casserole, if that appeals to you.
Spinach – I started with fresh spinach that I wilted myself, but frozen spinach works well, too. In both cases, be sure to squeeze the spinach well before using to remove the excess moisture.
Cheese – You can use any cheddar cheese, but I think an old (or sharper) cheese gives the most cheese flavour to the sauce.
How to make ham and potato au gratin
This is a visual summary of the steps to make this recipe. Scroll down to the Recipe Card below for the complete list of ingredients and instructions.
Step 1: Add the spinach to a bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and microwave until wilted. Set aside to cool.
Step 2: Start the cheese sauce by melting butter and adding flour to make a roux.
Step 3: Gradually add the milk to the butter and flour roux, stirring until smooth and simmering.
Step 4: Add some of the hot milk mixture to the beaten eggs, a drop at a time and stirring constantly. Add the egg to the saucepan.
Step 5: Season the sauce with Dijon mustard, nutmeg and a bit of salt and pepper.
Step 6: Add the shredded cheese to the sauce and stir until melted.
Step 7: Assemble the casserole by adding 1/2 the ham and 1/2 the hash browns to the casserole.
Step 8: Top with 1/2 of the cheese sauce.
Step 9: Squeeze the excess moisture from the spinach and scatter it over the cheese sauce in the casserole dish.
Step 10: Add another layer of ham, hash browns and spinach and finish with the remaining cheese sauce. Top with a bit more shredded cheddar before baking.
Recipe tips!
- Be sure to squeeze the spinach well to remove excess moisture, so it doesn’t water down the casserole.
- Be cautious adding too much extra salt to this dish as the ham is salty and will season the dish as it cooks, as well.
Making ahead, storing and freezing
This ham and potato casserole can be assembled the night before and refrigerated, well covered with plastic wrap. Bake in the morning, allowing a few extra minutes of baking time if it cold going into the oven.
You could also bake the casserole ahead, cover and refrigerate. To rewarm, cover with foil and warm in a 350F oven until warmed through, about 15-20 minutes.
Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
While you could freeze leftovers, I wouldn’t make and freeze ahead, as the texture of the cheese sauce may become grainy from the freeze/thaw process.
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Get the Recipe: Ham and Potato au Gratin
Ingredients
- 10 oz fresh or frozen spinach, *see Note 1 below
- 3 Tablespoons butter
- 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 3/4 cups milk, 2 or 3% recommended
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, sharp or old cheese recommended, plus more for topping
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 12 oz cooked ham, cut into strips
- 24 oz frozen hash browns, or frozen home fries (680g)
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F (non-convection/not fan-assisted).
- If starting with fresh spinach, see Note 1 below for directions for wilting the spinach. You'll want to do the spinach before starting the sauce, to allow time for the spinach to cool.
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan, then add the flour. Cook, stirring continuously, about 1 minute. Gradually add the 1 3/4 cup of milk, whisking as you add. Heat the milk mixture until bubbly and thickened, then cook 1 minute more. Remove the saucepan from the heat.
- Beat the two eggs in a small bowl. Using a ladle, very slowly drizzle a ladleful of the hot milk mixture into the eggs while stirring continuously, until you have added the entire ladle of hot milk. Add the egg/milk mixture to the saucepan with the milk mixture and stir to combine. Add the shredded cheddar cheese and the additional 1/4 cup of milk and stir together until the cheese is melted. Add the Dijon mustard, nutmeg and black pepper and stir in. Set aside.
- To assemble the casserole, start with a 2-quart (8×11 -ish) baking dish. Add 1/2 of the cooked ham to the bottom of the casserole dish and top with 1/2 of the hash browns. Spoon 1/2 of the sauce over the potatoes. Cover the sauce with all of the spinach. Repeat with a layer of the remaining ham, potatoes, then the remaining sauce, to finish. Sprinkle the 1/2 cup of shredded cheese over the top.
- Bake for 30 minutes, then let stand 10 minutes before serving.
- Refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days. Freezing is not recommended as the texture of the cheese sauce may change from the freeze/thaw process.
Notes
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Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
